Only this flavor is going to last so long that the good folks over at Stride could come knocking at Rex Ryan's office door before long. (Then again, Stride is owned by Kraft Foods, so they might refrain — but I digress).
All stupid puns and whatnot aside, it's time we realize just how powerful this Tim Tebow craze is going to be in the Big Apple — and beyond — and how much staying power it's going to have, no matter what results the trade that put Tebow in a Jets uniform ends up yielding for the city.
Jeremy Lin's out-of-nowhere outburst with the Knicks this season, and the subsequent "Linsanity" that followed, sent the media, fans, cats, dogs, chickens, goats, grandmas, grandpas, etc. into a frenzy. The Knicks have become relevant again and an unsuspected stranger out of Harvard — of Asian-American descent no less — was at the core of it all.
But a six-game skid and a coach resignation later, the Lin fervor has started to fade a bit, almost to the point where we can sit back and look at the Knicks for what they are: a good basketball team that's ultimately going to get bounced by the Bulls or Heat in the first round of the NBA playoffs.
Unless Tebow breaks his arm (which we certainly hope doesn't happen), don't expect any such drop-off at any point this NFL season, as Tebowmania is here for the long haul; for better or worse.
But the reasoning for the season-long (perhaps longer) craze isn't going to be the result of anything on the field. Tebow could lurk the New York sideline for all 16 games without seeing a single snap, and the media circus surrounding the Jets would only get wackier by the minute. That's because there's so many clowns involved; clowns with such a vested interest in what happens to the Jets as a whole this season.
If Mark Sanchez struggles under center, Fireman Ed and all of his Jets fan brethren will bombard the New Meadowlands with chants of, "Tebow! Tebow! Tebow!" Every pick he throws and every snap he botches will have everyone looking down at Sexy Rexy wondering when he's going to make the full-time switch to New York's savior, Mr. Tebow.
If Sanchez succeeds, there will still be some reflection as to the role Tebow played in that success, whether it be by pushing the Jets' starting signal caller to new heights simply by being there or by alleviating some pressure with his impact out of the Wildcat formation (a formation that will likely be tossed around with the same frequency as the Shotgun by season's end now that Tebow's seemingly the Wildcat Master).
Ryan, general manager Mike Tannenbaum, offensive coordinator Tony Sparano and owner Woody Johnson will also face questions throughout the season in regards to the team's quarterback situation — questions that won't go away based on any success or lackethereof from Sanchez. In other words, whether Tebow plays 30 snaps or he kicks his feet up on the bench for 60 minutes, there's going to be questions and plenty of them.
That's a stark contrast from the hysteria that Lin's sudden outburst generated, as Linsanity emerged in part because it was unexpected. No one knows exactly what to expect from Tebow this season, but everyone expects something.
The Jets could crash and burn. Sanchez could blossom into a Pro Bowler. Tebow could take over as the starter. Both could work well together. No one really knows. But it's obvious something is going to happen, meaning Tebowmania is already light-years ahead of Linsanity on the craziness scale.
We saw Knicks head coach Mike D'antoni fall victim to Linsanity, even though his resignation wasn't the direct result of just the phenomenon. Don't be surprised if Tebowmania has casualties, too. That's how powerful it is.
