Could The New York Jets Really Bench Mark Sanchez For Tim Tebow?

Aug 30, 2012; Philadelphia, PA, USA; New York Jets quarterback Mark Sanchez (6) and quarterback Tim Tebow (15) along the sidelines during the fourth quarter against the Philadelphia Eagles at Lincoln Financial Field. The Eagles defeated the Jets 28-10. Mandatory Credit: Howard Smith-US PRESSWIRE

From the day that the New York Jets traded for Tim Tebow there have been rumors. Rumors that Sanchez’s job was on the line, news of division within the locker room due to quarterback play, rumor that even within management there are people taking sides on the Tebow vs Sanchez debate with the most recent talk being that ownership may now be backing Tebow.

Now the question has to be asked – is it Tebow Time yet?

The original plan – if you believe Jets management – is that Tim Tebow was brought in to be used in a creative wildcat/option package to supplement Mark Sanchez and what was hoped to be a strong running game. Unfortunately for the Jets they have had constant issues with their offensive line, running back Shonn Greene has stepped up to the next level – if anything he’s regressing – and Sanchez has been the worst quarterback in the National Football League with a miserable 49.2% completion percentage compounded by the fact that he only averages 32 passes per game.

When you consider the whole notion of putting Tim Tebow on the field, you immediately say to yourself “Tim Tebow isn’t an NFL caliber quarterback” and quite rightly so. Well, let’s flip that over for a sec – if you were to consider the possibility of starting Mark Sanchez for your football team, wouldn’t your first thought be “Mark Sanchez isn’t an NFL caliber quarterback”?

I think we need to be blunt about something here – the Tim Tebow experiment as it was originally intended has failed. The New York Jets offense just doesn’t work with Tebow in a wildcat/option. Their running game can’t compliment it and the offensive line can’t sustain their blocks well enough to use it effectively. So what is Tebow’s role? Simply put – he is Mark Sanchez’s backup. What is the function of a backup quarterback? To be ready if the starting quarterback either gets hurt or plays poorly and needs replacing.

Now we get to the crux of this thing – if you’re not going to bench Mark Sanchez now when he is playing some stinking football, what on Earth is he doing on your team??? Tim Tebow is NOT a good quarterback – that much I know to be true – but it seems to me that if you aren’t willing to start him now you should just cut him from the team because he’s just going to cause further distraction the longer he is on the roster. That’s the nuts of this situation right there – play him or cut him.

If I were the guy to make the decision, I’d be benching Sanchez and putting in Tebow. Are you potentially killing Sanchez’s career as a Jet? Maybe – but at least you might be able to bring him back when Tebow looks terrible. Is the team gonna get worse under Tebow? I doubt it – they’re already a ghastly team. Could they get better under Tebow? Again I doubt it but then again I didn’t think the Denver Broncos could improve and we all saw what happened there.

At the end of the day, the New York Jets have feel little to lose by running out Tim Tebow and seeing if he can do something. If he can then they look like geniuses for making a successful gamble on a controversial quarterback. If he can’t then they can get either get rid of him or convert him into a running back if both Shonn Greene and Bilal Powell fail. I will say this though – if the New York Jets don’t get a quarterback in the first or second round of the 2013 NFL Draft I’ll be the most surprised NFL fan in New Zealand.