The Jets haven't even opened their regular season, the circus is already in full effect.
The biggest storyline for this year's version of Gang Green centers around the men under center — the quarterbacks.
The Jets grabbed back page supremacy this offseason by trading for Tim Tebow. It was a move that garnered plenty of fanfare, while also putting some pressure on incumbent quarterback Mark Sanchez.
If New York was indeed trying to get Sanchez's attention, it seems to have worked.
Jets wide receiver Santonio Holmes told the New York Post that Sanchez was "rattled" by the addition of the wildly popular (and often wildly inefficient) Tebow in the offseason.
"I think since Day 1 it was a focus that kind of rattled him a little," Holmes told the Post.
The Jets wideout also said that Sanchez's initial reaction was something along the lines of "Wow, how did this happen?"
"Those were the words that came out of his mouth," Holmes told the Post.
Of course, it's still Sanchez's job to lose. Tebow will likely see some snaps from week to week out of specialty packages like the Wildcat, but he didn't do anything to wrestle the job away from Sanchez in the preseason. Then again, Sanchez wasn't much better, either. He completed 24 of 35 passes for 203 yards, no touchdowns and two interceptions in three preseason appearances.
Holmes, however, expressed confidence in his quarterback. The two shared a frayed relationship at the end of last season, but they have apparently made nice and are ready to move forward.
"He talked to me and I basically told him that this is his team," Holmes told the Post. "[I said] 'Your'e the starting quarterback. Tebow's here to help.'"
Jets head coach Rex Ryan is also stating his confidence in his starting quarterback.
"He shows it every day — in the classroom, in the weight room," Ryan told reporters, according to NFL.com. "He's working as hard as anybody I've ever been around. He's been really impressive that way. I see him stepping up, challenging his teammates. All those type of things. This is him and you saw it coming."
The Jets open their season against the Bills on Sunday.
