Mike Westhoff knows a thing or two about football. Having coached in the NFL since 1982 (except for 1985), Westhoff has seen it all.
But you don’t have to be a 30-year NFL coaching veteran to point out the debacle in Florham Park, N.J., this season. From buttfumble to Tebowmania, the Jets couldn’t escape the scrutiny. It all started when they traded for Tim Tebow — a move that left many football folks scratching their heads and Westhoff, the team’s special teams coordinator, was one of them.
“To be honest, I don’t think anybody has really answered that question: Why did we do it?” Westhoff said on the Joe Rose Show on 560-AM WQAM, according to the New York Daily News. “I honestly don’t know.”
Westhoff, like everyone else in and around the game, expected Tebow to be a big part of the Jets’ offense, even with Mark Sanchez still calling the shots.
“I know we didn’t practice it,” Westoff said of using Tebow in Wildcat plays on offense. “We didn’t practice it in training camp. We were going to unveil it. Well, I’m still waiting for the unveiling. And it didn’t happen.
“It was a mess. It was an absolute mess. You can say it however else you want it: It was really a mess,” he added. “I was very, very disappointed.”
Toward the end of the season, Tebow was playing more on Westhoff’s special teams units than he was on offense. While the coach appreciates and respects Tebow’s work ethic, he still believes the entire scenario was nothing more than a  big distraction for the team.
“It’s very disappointing,” Westhoff said. “But again, if you just say this is a quintessential NFL dropback quarterback, no he’s not. He’s just not. But if you use him in a lot of different facets, in my opinion, I think he’s outstanding. If you do that. But we didn’t do it. And it was a distraction … and really a shame. Because that’s a hardworking young man if you ever saw one. Believe me.”
