Tim Tebow's Jets Tenure Was 'A Disgrace and A Mess,' Says Former Asst. Mike Westhoff
May 23, 2022
Former New York Jets special teams coordinator Mike Westhoff recently released a book about his career, and he revealed some interesting details about his time with the team.
Westhoff didn't hold back in Figure It Out: My Thirty-Two Year Journey While Revolutionizing Pro Football’s Special Teams, and he unloaded when it came to polarizing quarterback Tim Tebow's short stint in New York.
"Another good kid, but not an NFL quarterback. It took him all day to deliver the ball," Westhoff wrote, per Brian Costello of the New York Post. "The whole thing was a disgrace and a mess. I was the only one who kept my end of the bargain."
The Jets acquired Tebow in 2012 along with a seventh-round draft pick from the Denver Broncos in exchange for fourth- and sixth-round picks. When he was brought in, it was expected that he'd play special teams and be used in the wildcat formation on offense. However, nothing played out as the team had predicted.
New York head coach Rex Ryan used Tebow sparingly on offense despite the struggles of starting quarterback Mark Sanchez. Tebow attempted only eight passes and rushed the ball 32 times for 102 yards, failing to reach the end zone in the entire season. On special teams, he ran a couple of fake punts and was used as an extra protector. The Jets released him prior to the 2013 season.
At the time, Westhoff was also vocal about his displeasure with the way the team used Tebow, lamenting the fact that he wasn't deployed the way they originally planned.
"To be honest, I don’t think anyone has really answered that question: Why didn’t we do it?" Westhoff said. "I don’t think anyone has answered that question. I don’t know why. I know we didn’t practice it. We didn’t practice it in training camp. We were going to unveil it. Well, I am still waiting for the unveiling. It was a distraction and really a shame because that’s a hard-working young man if you ever saw one."
Tebow last attempted to play in the NFL prior to the 2021 season. He signed with the Jacksonville Jaguars as a tight end, but he failed to catch a pass in the preseason before being released in August.