Tim Tebow to Jets: Mark Sanchez Has Every Right to Be Stunned by Tebow Trade

This is not how you protect an investment and it's obvious Mark Sanchez didn't expect to be pressured by Tim Tebow's presence in New York. Rich Cimini of ESPN confirms Sanchez's shock:

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From what I'm told, Sanchez was stunned by the Tebow trade, coming so soon after the contract extension. He never saw it coming. Not many did, but now it's time to take control of the situation.

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Sanchez still hasn't officially commented on the trade, though.

This is a move that a team would normally make when it hasn't made a significant financial commitment to its incumbent QB. With Sanchez just signing a three-year extension with $20 million guaranteed, this move is baffling.

I understand Sanchez needing some time before he speaks to the media about the deal.

Just when Sanchez thought his job security questions had been answered, at least through 2013, the team deals for Tebow.

It's true, Tebow could be used only as a Wildcat package player, but the Jets have dealt Drew Stanton, the player most thought would be the backup QB, to the Colts.

Now Tebow is No. 2 on the depth chart behind Sanchez. We all know, if Sanchez and the Jets struggle early, the chants for Tebow will come.

People will say, "He saved a team last year, give him a shot to spark the Jets."

The fans and media won't be wrong to make this suggestion, but why would the Jets want to put even more pressure on Sanchez? As a franchise, they have invested a pretty penny in Sanchez. It would appear they would want to place him in a situation that increases his chances for success.

This move appears to be prepping for his failure. Sure, every team needs a capable backup QB, but bringing in Tebow goes above and beyond that.

With him comes the media circus (as if New York needed any more of that), the weekly questions from reporters about him, fans' signs in the crowd, etc.

It just doesn't seem like the smart thing to do.

In contrast, when the Bears committed to Jay Cutler, they went full speed ahead in his direction. They fired Mike Martz because of philosophical differences and brought in Jeremy Bates, who had positive history with Cutler from Denver. To top it off, they went and dealt for his favorite receiver in Brandon Marshall.

That is how you attempt to maximize on your investment.

The belief that Cutler is better than Sanchez is irrelevant. The only thing that matters is that the Jets thought enough of Sanchez to commit money and years.

On the strength of that, it's bizarre to bring in such a threatening force.

Props are deserved for the way Sanchez is handling this. He hasn't tweeted anything crazy or made any insulting remarks like teammate Antonio Cromartie.

Sometimes, the best thing you can do is stay quiet when you haven't made heads or tails of a situation. Sanchez is smart not to speak, even though the Jets are talking out of both sides of their mouth.