In the Land of the Giants, the Jets Are Desperate to Be Kings

There was a time when the Jets owned New York.

Many of you reading this might not have even been born yet.

It was in January of 1969 when the pro football's first rock-star quarterback Joe Namath led the Jets of the American Football League to a shocking 16-7 victory over the Baltimore Colts in Super Bowl III

I remember covering a Namath news conference/luncheon in New York's famous Mama Leone's restaurant the week after the game and seeing young girls squealing and swooning over Namath.

Broadway Joe had transcended football; he was a pop culture icon—the fifth Beatle. 

NFL fans, especially Giants fans, however, regarded the Jets Super Bowl victory as a fluke.

When the Giants played the Jets for the first time in a preseason game in August of '69, the expectation was that the Giants would put the Jets in their place and set the universe right.

Both teams approached it like a regular season game.

And the Jets trounced the Giants 37-14, setting in the motion the end of Allie Sherman's reign as Giants coach.

That was more than 40 years ago and the last time the Jets could claim bragging rights to New York.

The Giants hold an 8-4 advantage in regular-season games against the Jets and have now won four Super Bowls in five appearances.

The Jets have never been back to the Super Bowl.

So no matter what spin general manager Mike Tannenbaum is putting on the acquisition of Tim Tebow, this is nothing more than owner Woody Johnson being afflicted with Giant-envy.

Johnson would rather have the Jets win the back pages of the New York tabloid wars than do what it takes to win on the field.

When the Giants won the Super Bowl in February 2008, the Jets acquired Brett Favre the next summer. At least there was a rationale for that move as Chad Pennington was injury-prone and Kellen Clemens was not the quarterback of the future. 

And by trading for Tebow, the Jets have set him and Mark Sanchez up for failure.

Then what?

Drafting another quarterback of the future?

Don't try to convince us that pursuing Tebow was one of the options the Jets were contemplating as they waited for Peyton Manning to choose his new team.

That would be buying into Johnson's ridiculous comments that the Jets weren't really interested in Manning.

Once Peyton crossed the Jets off his list, Tannenbaum signed Drew Stanton to be Sanchez' backup. Less than a week later Tebow has been anointed the backup and Stanton reportedly wants to be traded.

The Jets are acting out of desperation.

How can two young quarterbacks who started last season co-exist on the same team?

Does anyone really think that running the Wildcat a half dozen times a game and using him in goal line situations is maximizing Tebow's publication relations value?

While it may be true that Sanchez has been pampered his first three seasons, keep in mind he works for a head coach in Rex Ryan who doesn't show a lot of interest in the offense or the quarterback position.

In fact, offensive coordinator Tony Sparano is now the most important coach on the Jets staff.

And he was fired last season by the Miami Dolphins.

How does he manage to develop two quarterbacks in their formative years without either or both regressing even more?

And what is Tebow thinking? He supposedly was given the choice of returning to his hometown of Jacksonville where he would probably step into the starter's role with the Jaguars and decided on the bright lights and intense scrutiny of New York instead?

Was he privately promised an open competition for the starter's job?

During his interview on ESPN radio's Mike and Mike, Tannenbaum talked about the leadership qualities that Tebow will bring to the Jets locker room.

That begs the question, how many backup quarterbacks in the NFL are considered team leaders?

Even with all his experience, backup Mark Brunell wasn't a leader for the Jets the past two seasons. 

If the interest in Manning and the Tebow trade are just very public demonstrations about their lack of confidence in Sanchez, then trade him before the draft for a high pick.

Heck, the Jaguars could use him.

And you thought Santonio Holmes was unhappy last season.