football: So in the past couple of days Petyon Manning has signed with the Denver Broncos. This has brought about the release of Tim Tebow who has subsequently signed with the New York Jets. Let me first start with the Broncos making what I think is a good move and then move on to the Jets making a bad move.
The Broncos signed Peyton Manning to a three year deal. This is good for the Broncos because it is a limited amount of years to find out if Manning, in the twilight of his career can bring back this once great franchise from the abyss. If not they can draft a new quarterback high in the draft after a failed experiment and a lot of tickets sold. It also is a good deal for the Broncos because it gives them a chance to rid themselves of Tebow. Lets face it, he is a below average quarterback striving to learn how be average through development. What every team wants is, at worst, average striving to be great through development. For letting go of Tebow they essentially get one of the greatest quarterbacks of all times in a week if not awful conference.
This assumption is, of course, contingent on Manning. I don't think anyone is questioning his ability to throw. What i don't here is anyone question his stability. This is a 36 year old man who has a lot of wear and tear on him thanks to the beating that any life in the NFL will take, not to mention four neck surgeries in the past year. I really don't want to sound morose or even just downright cruel but the only question that hasn't been answered is what will happen when Manning gets hit. Their are three options: He will be fine, he will go back on injured reserve, or he will be at best in a career ending situation. This is the thing I have not heard anyone talk about. There has been tons of verification of Manning's arm strength but not of his durability. Despite these downtrodden last few sentences, I still believe the fact that he is Peyton Manning makes the Broncos winners in this deal. They at least have a first ballot Hall Of Famer and a bridge to the furture. Tebow offered neither of these things.
The Jets on the other hand are in a far more precarious situation. They have an unstable locker room, a gregarious (sometimes too gregarious) coach, an average, at best, starting quarterback, and are in the city in America with the most viscous and scrutinizing media there is. How does Tebow, arguably the most polarizing player in football today, help all of that. I will admit, as Doug Gotlieb of ESPN said (to paraphrase), if you take the name Tebow off the jersey, his unique sets of skills, running, throwing, speed, strength, and leadership, can be used by teams across the league. But his name is Tebow. If Mark Sanchez has a poor game, or Tebow does something dramatic to win a game. or is the difference in a win. the clamoring for Tebow will make what happened when Kyle Orton got sacked look like nothing. Compile on top of that a totally divisive locker room that isn't (or so it seems) 100% behind Sanchez and a coach that has a knack for talking a lot to the press, this could be a disaster.
If it works with Sanchez leading the team as a passer and Tebow running the wildcat, it will be a dream. But there are too many other factors in this equation to believe that this can work. The locker room was already devided before the most polarizing figure in pro sports showed up. The quarterback (Sanchez) didn't have everyone's support as it was. The New York media will create such a scrutinized and terrible environment for the two quarterbacks that one will never feel comfortable and the other will never feel like he is getting what he deserves.
In theory it is a great idea for anyone, let alone The Jets, to take Tebow. He has a unique skill set that makes him a great football player (forget the fact that he has no position). The Broncos in returned have given themselves one of the all time great quarterbacks. It fails on all levels when you look at the details. The Broncos got their man if... And The Jets got their man if....
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