Jets’ Special Teams Coach Sounds Off On Tim Tebow
By Mike Dyce
Dec. 23, 2012; East Rutherford, NJ, USA; New York Jets quarterback Tim Tebow (15) runs off the field behind running back Joe McKnight (25) after the game against the San Diego Chargers at MetLife Stadium. Chargers won 27-17. Mandatory Credit: Debby Wong-USA TODAY Sports
Mike Westhoff was the New York Jets’ special teams coach last season when the New York Jets aquired prized free agent punt protector Tim Tebow. He retired after this season and like a lot of retired people he headed to Florida. Only he didn’t stop in Boca Raton, he went on WQAM in Miami to talk about last season with the Jets and Florida native Tim Tebow.
“It was a mess,” Westhoff told Joe Rose, via profootballtalk.com. “It was an absolute mess. You can say it however else you want, it was really a mess. I was very, very disappointed. There are things that Tim Tebow, as an NFL quarterback, he’s very limited in some things. If you throw him in the middle of a drop-back passing offense, he will look very, very average at best. But if you incorporate him in different facets of your offense, I think he can be a factor. That’s what I felt we were going to do, but we never did it.”
When the Jets did pull Mark Sanchez towards the end of the season he didn’t even get the opportunity. Once cause he wasn’t injured and not dressed, but the Jets put in Greg McElroy instead when the opportunity arose. Incredibly surprising considering the rise of young mobile quarterbacks in the league that have added that stereotypical college zone read running attack. Robert Griffin III and Russell Wilson were successful this year, and Cam Newton was successful last season.
“That’s what I was expecting to see, and we didn’t do it,” Westhoff said.
Instead he spent the majority of his time on special teams at the now famed “punt protector” position.
“It was supposed to only be a fraction, and it ended up being his only role,” Westhoff said. “Why didn’t we do it? I honestly don’t know. I know we didn’t practice it. We didn’t practice it in training camp. We were gonna unveil it. Well, I’m still waiting for the unveiling.”
And if you have any question about whether Tim Tebow was a distraction and played a role in the New York Jets’ losing season, let coach Westhoff answer that for you.
“It was a distraction, and really a shame,” Westhoff said.
But no one knows what the future holds for Tim Tebow, whether he gets another shot in the NFL or if he rides off into the sunset and down to Florida with the other retirees.