My Take on the Tebow Trade

Imagine you were down in the dumps and had it with relationships. All of sudden comes along this girl who really doesn't seem to fit the conventional mold of a true girlfriend. You have your doubts about this working, but you give it a shot and you starting going out with her. Well, this girl takes you on one wild ride for a few months. Everything is exciting, new, unconventional, and one hell of a thrill ride. You are not sure how long this is going to last, but you are enjoying every minute of it. Finally, as the relationship starts to quiet down, you start to wonder about the future with this girl. Is she marriage material? Can this new relationship continue to work once the shine wears off? As you are thinking about the long-term commitment from that girl, a new woman enters your life. She is supermodel hot, and she is has a great personality and is everything you look for in a long term companion. In short, she is one woman that you choose over any other girl you were dating at the time. You take a chance, end the relationship with the girl that you just had a short-term courtship with, and you decide to go with the woman who is a 10. Well, everything looks great except for the fact that your old flame has decided to start going out with your brash next door neighbor. Where am I going with this? That was a really long analogy of the Tim Tebow Era and subsequent trade to the New York Jets. On Wednesday Night, the Broncos sent Tebow and a 7th round pick to the Jets for a 4th and a 6th round pick. It was the culmination of a long day in which the following occurred:

-The Broncos and Jets agreed to the trade earlier in the day.

-The Jets didn't read the fine print of Tebow's contract that stated that if he gets traded to a team, then that team must pay the Broncos $5 million dollars in back pay for Tebow's first two years in Denver.

-The trade hits a snag and it looks like it might fall through, and Jacksonville steps in and tries to get Tebow to come back to his hometown.

-Denver gives Tebow the choice to pick either the Jets or Jaguars.

-Tebow finally picks the Jets over the Jags, and the trade is completed.

After all that, the trade was verified, and Tim Tebow's time in Denver is over. If anyone can take the buzz over Peyton Manning signing with Denver a day earlier, then it is Tebow. Tebow to the Jets was the biggest story of the week. He ruled the networks, sports radio stations, internet, blogs, and newspapers the rest of the week. Tebow was no longer a Bronco, and now Tebowmania was heading to New York.

How did I take this trade? I took this trade really hard. I felt personally invested in Tebow as a Bronco. I wanted Denver to draft him in the 2010 draft. I wanted him to be a Denver Bronco. In the 2010 Draft, word had spread early that week that Denver was targeting Tebow. Josh McDaniels maneuvered the draft, so he could move back into the first round and grab Tebow. I cheered as the Broncos moved up and snagged him at number 25 overall. I was estastic. After the Jay Cutler trade, the Broncos had finally moved on and found their quarterback of the future. Tebow gave the Broncos some much needed sizzle again, and if anyone could get this franchise back on track, it was Tebow. I went all-in on Tebow. I bought the jersey, two t-shirts, an action figure, posters, pictures, stickers, books, and just about anything with his picture on it. In my gut, Tebow was going to be a great NFL quarterback no matter what any expert said about him. After Josh McDaniels was fired near the end of the 2010 season, there still seemed to be the thought that Tebow was the man in Denver. The 2011 season seemed like it was going to be Tebow's first year as a starter. Unfortunately, the lockout hit and the entire offseason was lost. After the trade between the Broncos and the Dolphins for Kyle Orton fell apart, Orton returned to Denver and completely beat out Tebow from day one of training camp. Tebow's time in Denver was on hold, and it was very conceivable that he would never get his shot because new Vice President John Elway and new head coach John Fox weren't tied to Tebow since they didn't draft him. After the Broncos started 1-4, Tebow was inserted into the lineup. From there, he took the Broncos on one of the most exciting runs in franchise history. Dramatic victories over the Dolphins, Raiders, Chiefs, Jets, Chargers, Vikings and Bears brought the Broncos all the way back to 8-5 and in first place in the AFC West. Every game was more thrilling than the last one, and each time Tebow delivered in the clutch. Tebowmania was born, and the Broncos were back with #15 leading the way. After the Broncos and Tebow stumbled against the Patriots and Bills, the Broncos still had one game to win over the Chiefs to win the AFC West. This was going to be Tebow's moment. Instead, Tebow went 6-22 with a fumble and a late interception in a terrible 7-3 loss at home. Tebow's time in Denver looked to have run its course, but the Chargers defeated the Raiders that same day, so the Broncos ended up winning the division at 8-8. Tebow had one more shot. In the AFC Wildcard Playoff Game against the Steelers, the Broncos were 8 point underdogs. Tebow played brilliantly and threw for 316 yards and added two touchdowns passing and one rushing. His 80 yard touchdown pass to Demaryius Thomas on the first play of overtime won it for the Broncos, and it will go down as one of the greatest plays in Broncos history. The next week the Broncos and Tebow came down to Earth as they were destroyed by the Patriots 45-10. Tebow was named the starter going into training camp, but the Broncos were going to look at free agency and the draft to bring in some competition for Tebow and have a backup plan in case he falters in 2012. Well, the Colts released Peyton Manning, the Broncos threw their names in the hat for his services, and Manning was interested in Denver too. Once word spread that the Broncos wanted Manning, and Manning wanted them, sources started to speculate that if Denver landed Peyton, then Tebow would be traded away. You can't blame the Broncos for going after Manning, and you can't blame them for trading Tebow away if they got him. Two rockstars can't be in the same band, and Tebow certainly wouldn't gain anything if he stayed behind Manning and learned an offense he couldn't run if he ever got in. Plus, Tebow wouldn't be getting reps that he needed to really improve as a NFL passer. Manning finally selected Denver as his new team, and Tebow was sent off in a trade.

The fact that the Jets were the ones who traded for Tebow was surprising. The move reeked of a publicity stunt and something that was done because the Jets wanted the backpages after the Giants won another Super Bowl. The move was also puzzling because the Jets had just given Mark Sanchez a contract extension, and they expressed their faith in him publicly. Why would the Jets even want him? What is the purpose of adding him to a team that spent the offseason embroiled in their own turmoil? The Jets said that Tebow will be Sanchez's backup, but he will have a role in every game as a Wildcat QB, and he will have his own package of plays. The Jets made the move for Tebow, and now Tebow Time has hit New York like a tidal wave. I live in New York, so hearing about Tebow everyday is nauseating. Tebow and the circus that follows him has hit the Big Apple along with billboards, jerseys, commercials, possibly his own radio spot, and his own press conference. All this for a "backup" quarterback.

The truth is that the Jets probably don't have a lot of faith in Sanchez, and Tebow could be a fall back option at QB if Sanchez falters. Sure, they will say that Sanchez is the main guy and Tebow is the backup, but that dynamic will only go so far. Make no mistake about it, Sanchez doesn't stand a chance in this fight. The QB controversy that will commence this season will swallow up Sanchez. Although the move was greeted with a lot of animosity by the fanbase, those same fans will be cheering Tebow's name as soon as Sanchez struggles. He will struggle the same way that Kyle Orton struggled. The constant attention that Tebow brings will put a target on his back. I give Sanchez until Week 8 before Tebow starts at quarterback for the Jets.

From that point, who knows how Tebow is going to play. There are so many questions that still remain about his quarterbacking ability, but one thing that we do know is that he is a playmaker and a winner. Can he develop enough to carry the Jets franchise? Was last year a "lightning in a bottle" moment that will never be reached again? Time will tell, but Tebow will get his chance in New York, and it will be a lot sooner then people think. Rex Ryan is going to have to put his career in New York in the hands of a quarterback that hasn't completed more then 50% of his passes. If he fails, then Rex's time in New York will be over, and the Jets will have to start over from the QB position. The Jets and Tebow just don't seem to fit. Tebow needs to play for an offensive head coach. Someone has to take ownership of him, create an offense around him, and have the ability to expand on his strengths and develop him as a pocket passer. You can't just expect your offense to run the ball all the time, and then ask Tebow to win the game with a great throw or a great run late. Yes, he did that last year for Denver, but there was some doubt that he could do that every year from here on out. It looks good on paper, but a lot of things look great on a grease board in the meeting room. This Tebow-Jets marriage may look like gold, but in reality it might be really flawed. Once again, only time will tell.

Finally, a lot of people were telling me that were sorry for me when they heard that Tebow was traded to the Jets. Why the hell would anyone be sorry for me? My team just signed Peyton Manning for God's sake! I think I will be okay, but of course it does hurt just a bit. I loved Tebow in Denver, and I really think he can become a successful NFL QB. I invested a lot of emotions and faith in Tebow, and it seemed like it was going to work, but he is gone now, and he becomes just another player traded to another team. In other words, he becomes the enemy, and I can't root for him anymore. When Jay Cutler was traded, Tebow filled that void. Now, Tebow is traded, and Peyton Manning takes his place. I'll take that trade any day. That is what happens with sports. You root for the team and not the players. Players come and go, and Tebow is now just a footnote to tell my kids about some day. I'm taking the Tebow trade like any real life relationship once it ends. I'm packing my Tebow jersey, my Tebow t-shirts, my Tebow action figure, my Tebow Sports Illustrated cover, and all of Tebow's Broncos games that I have on tape in a huge box and storing them in my attic. One day when I'm 50, I will break them out and look at them again. I don't have to answer the questions about his ability anymore. I don't have to defend his quarterback skills to people. I don't have to get made fun of by people who are fans of other teams. I don't have to deal with people yelling "Tebow sucks!" at me anymore. I don't have to deal with Tebowing, Tebowmania, and his throwing motion anymore. It is no longer my problem, and the circus left my life and now heads to the Jets. There will be a part of me that misses him, but once Week 1 starts and Peyton Manning is throwing darts for the Broncos, then I'll get over it pretty quick. It the Jet fan's problem now, and that is one thing I am not going to miss.