So it begins.
ESPN and other media outlets report that the New York Jets released little-used quarterback Tim Tebow this morning, leaving the team with five quarterbacks on the roster.
New York's little brother team might have cut less heralded Greg McElroy, Matt Simms, or, um. Mark Sanchez. Instead they excised the most useless outsider in NFL history.
None of it was Tebow's fault.
Ex-Jets GM Mike Tannenbaum took the fall for the decision, though I never believed it was his idea to bring Tebow in. The Jets blew us smoke about using Tebow in a Wildcat package that they rarely used and fooled no one. Opposing teams defensed Tebow's running and reacted to his passing.
Whispers from the Jets camp had it that Tebow's presence was intended to light a fire under Sanchez who supposedly was shaken by the Jets' play for Peyton Manning. The team extended Sanchez' contract for three years to show confidence in him, but then traded for Tebow, himself a casualty of Denver's move to land Manning.
To show faith in Sanchez – while lighting a fire under him, the Jets manufactured a storyline about the Tebow Wildcat. The football world laughed and labeled the Jets a clown car before the season began. The season ended with the quarterback situation a J-E-T-S MESS MESS MESS.
New York took a step at resolution by selecting West Virginia quarterback Geno Smith in the second round of the NFL Draft. Smith was the top prospect in the not so stellar quarterback class of 2013. At least he is a bargain under the rookie pay scale compared to first-rounders Sanchez and Tebow.
The Jets take a $12.5 million cap hit if they release Sanchez. The Jets wasted a fourth round pick in the trade for Tebow who cost them $1.5 million salary plus a payment of $2.5 million to the Broncos as part of the trade agreement.
With Tebow gone, the Jets can get to a proper quarterback competition with veteran David Garrard and Smith vying with Sanchez for the starter slot. Fans will watch to see who gets the first team reps during OTAs and training camp. The rest of us will just try not to laugh.
