2012 NFL Offseason: Why Tim Tebow Is Guaranteed to Be the Starter in New York

There's a lot of cute debate out there about who will win the arduous battle of criticized quarterbacks in the Meadowlands. From over-analyzing Tim Tebow's interceptions in a pad-less drill, to analyzing Sanchez's contract, to countless comparisons between the two, it is fair to conclude America is officially obsessed with Tebow vs. Sanchez. 

Heck, we can take it one step further. Leading up to training camp, this debate will become the most popular sports debate since the summer leading up to "The Decision."

Unlike analyzing LeBron's choice, where there were actually legitimate arguments to be made for each destination he could have chosen, there is really no debate with Tebow vs. Sanchez. 

You can make whatever argument you want for either guy. The reality is, Tim Tebow will be the starter for the New York Jets in 2012, one way or another.

Let's start with the Jets' philosophy. The Rex Ryan creed, and the way he wants to play football has always been the "smash-mouth" style. He wants to rely on a dominant defense as the cornerstone of his team. He is a defensive coach. He is a boisterous guy who loves to encourage his guys to play a brutal, punishing style that lets the opponent know they aren't joking around.

As the head coach, this physical, smash-mouth style will permeate over to the offense. Rex is no Chan Gailey. He doesn't want to spread you out. If he had it his way, his QB would not throw for 4,000 yards. I'm not saying Sanchez is capable of that.

But down the stretch last year, the Jets' run game was so bad that they ranked 22nd in rushing. This lead to Sanchez throwing the ball 543 times last year.

Hey, for comparisons sake, Aaron Rodgers only threw it 502 times last year.

I actually don't think what Rex was most upset about last year was his team's record. His strong personality indicates that he is interested in leaving a legacy on what it means to play "Jets Football." And that is a team that dominates on D, and succeeds running the ball.

So when the chance presented for himself to grab a guy who helped turn the air-it-out, Josh McDaniels and Kyle Orton-led Bronco's offense into the No. 1 rush offense last year down the stretch? He had to take it.

He also knew that it would cost him virtually nothing (a fourth round pick), that this guy's deficiencies seem to disappear in the fourth quarter, almost by divine intervention. 

But he knows he'd be making too bold a move, even for him, to simply get Tebow, and trade or dump Sanchez outright. He'd be under too much media scrutiny, even for him, even for New York.

The reality is, the $40.5 million Sanchez is a distraction from Rex's real intentions. Manish Mehta of the New York Daily News does an awesome job analyzing what that contract actually means. Basically, if Sanchez regresses (what Rex knows could probably happen), they can bench him, start Tebow, having only paid Sanchez the first year of his contract, while trading him to another team who will be willing to have Sanchez because they only need to commit about $8 million for four years.

In short, the contract is basically saying this: "We're gonna give you an $8 million signing bonus, plus an extra $4 million this year to turn it around. If you don't we're going to pay $12 million to get rid of you."

As crazy as it sounds, the one thing that Rex probably does believe is that in the right situation, Tebow can lead him to a Super Bowl. And the odds say that Sanchez won't be able to. More importantly, if Sanchez ever did, he'd probably be throwing the ball more than he'd like to.

This would be different than the "Jets Football" style he wants to have, and lets not forget, that Rex could be on the hot seat if the Jets do not succeed this season.

He could definitely secure his job if the Jets succeed. Not just succeeding, but succeeding his way. Maybe Tebow steps in and transforms the Jets offense into a rushing juggernaut, and the Jet's D turns around, with young guys like Quinton Coples providing a suddenly rejuvenated pass-rush.

Rex doesn't need to pay attention to OTA's to know who can help him when it matters. He's already experienced it, when Tebow ran all over the field on a 12-play, 95 yard drive that made the Jets look silly.