It had become a joke among friends in recent days, that for my first post at PFT, I was going to lead it with “Tim Tebow,” whether it had anything to do with the New York Jets personal protector/backup quarterback or not.
I figured it would be good for business on my first day.
Tim Tebow it is.
A pair of respected former players recently said the best thing Tebow could do for the Jets is to not be so visible, or audible.
“Stop talking to the media so much,” former New England linebacker Tedy Bruschi said. “You need to disappear, okay, Tim Tebow? You’re not the starting quarterback, it’s Mark Sanchez’s team. I want my voice to come from my head coach and my quarterback -- my starting quarterback. That message has to be consistent.
“I don’t want all this competition brewing, and every time you speak and anytime you talk about competition or anything like that, you’re twisting things. I want one voice. One quarterback, not two.”
On the same NFL32 broadcast, former Jets offensive lineman Damien Woody echoes those sentiments, suggesting Tebow “not worry about all the media stuff and TV. Leave that stuff for Mark Sanchez.”
Listen, these are all noble sentiments, with a valid intent. But they ignore one salient fact about the Jets’ acquisition of the former first-round pick -- this kind of attention is exactly what they wanted when they traded for him. So if it turns out to be a distraction, it’s self-inflicted, and they have no one to blame but themselves.