The acquisition of Tebow will ensure the Jets permanent residency on the back pages for the next week or so, and they'll get it again just about every day from the onset of training camp all the way up through the end of the season.
However, no matter what Rex Ryan says, it will not guarantee them any wins.
The Jets are a mess right now after they imploded, exploded and then imploded again down the stretch to miss the playoffs after another offseason of boisterous proclamations from Ryan.
From a pure football standpoint, what do the Jets have to gain by adding Tebow to an offense that had more than its share of struggles last season? The Jets had the eighth-worst offense in terms of total yards last year while featuring the 12th-worst passing offense. To remedy that, they've added Tebow, he of the 72.9 passer rating.
Sure, Tebow was a stalwart in the top-rated rushing offense in the league last year, but that was also behind one of the best run-blocking offensive lines in the NFL.
It will be interesting to see what the Jets plan on doing with Tebow in terms of on-field football tactics. Do they really expect that he can be a serviceable NFL quarterback and are bringing him in with the idea of challenging Mark Sanchez for the starting spot? Or, do they plan on using Tebow more like a running back, perhaps in an increasingly outdated Wildcat style of offense? Isn't that the role that Brad Smith filled (and filled pretty well) when he was in New York? If the Jets didn't want Smith fulfilling that role, why would they bring the circus to town for a lesser version of that offensive threat?
The Jets simply have bigger problems to solve right now than bringing in Tebow just for the hell of it, which is certainly what this feels like. Instead of bringing in Tebow, the Jets should probably be spending their time — and money — finding a way to fix a "vaunted" defense that has gotten progressively worse in each of the last three seasons.
It's a puzzling move off of the field, too. The Jets have at least given the impression that they're behind Sanchez by handing him a contract extension. You'd have to think that type of move is a public indication that the team is behind Sanchez, despite all of his warts. But just a week or so later, the Jets send another message contradicting that by bringing in a quarterback who played historically bad at times last year.
You better expect that if Sanchez struggles at all — at all — next season, everyone from Fireman Ed, to the New York tabloids, to the guy working the deli at Waldbaums in Queens will be calling for Tebow to take over. Kyle Orton and Brady Quinn can tell you how quickly those types of sentiments emerge, and that's in a market like Denver, let alone the City That Never Sleeps.
The Jets should probably also look to shore up their locker room with some better personalities. This a locker room, mind you, that one Jet described as having a "corrupt mindset" driven by some "extremely selfish individuals."
It may be true that there are few leaders better than Tebow, but it's a lot easier to inspire and lead when nothing is expected out of you. In New York, the Jets are expected to win. That's what happens when you mix big talk with the glitz and glam of the big city. Gang Green is always under the microscope, a focus that will only be intensified when you put a personality like Tebow on sports' biggest stage.
This is the type of move that a team makes if it's desperate. This is the type of move that a team like the Jaguars make because, well, they're the Jaguars. A team that has Super Bowl aspirations doesn't make moves to make headlines.
Maybe the Jets have a master plan. Maybe in the mind of Ryan and Mike Tannenbaum there's a way that bringing in Tebow won't retard Sanchez's snail-like progression. Heck, maybe they want Tebow to play inside linebacker.
We'll likely get those answers in the coming days. Don't bet on this move making any more sense once that happens, though.
