It's Tebow Time (Again)!

How can it not be Tebow Time? I’m being serious when I ask that question, too. The New York Jets, who slipped to below .500 after their gut-wrenching 23-17 loss to the now undefeated Houston Texans, and whose two best players on either side of the ball have been knocked out with season-ending injuries (allegedly by ghosts), and whose number one receiving weapon is CHAZ SCHILENS, are in dire need of some magic. I ask you again: how can it not be Tebow Time?

Tonight Tebow successfully got a first down on a fake punt, had a momentous 13-yard carry in the red zone, and threw a perfectly-placed deep ball to receiver Jason Hill who dropped the pass out of no fault but his own. Now that may not sound like a performance worthy of a starting nod, but perhaps what is most important is that Jets fans at MetLife Stadium tonight were at their most boisterous when Tebow was in the game. Whenever he came in, the crowd was ignited; it was inspired; they believed. There is no denying it: love him or hate him, there is something special about Tim Tebow.

Jets head coach Rex Ryan has belabored time and time again that the team’s starting quarterback is Mark Sanchez. Yes, Sanchez has been to two AFC Championships, and yes, he is capable of making big plays, but really, is there anything special about Mark Sanchez? What is the difference, for instance, between Sanchez and Matt Cassell? Or Sanchez and Browns rookie Brandon Weeden (who ironically is three years older than Sanchez)? In other words, do any of those three inspire football fans? Cassell was booed by his own fans Sunday after an injury forced him to come out of the game, and Weeden is on pace to throw more interceptions than any rookie in history. And Sanchez? Well let’s just say his time may have already come and gone.

Let me be frank: it is probably not any kind of fun to be in Mark Sanchez’s position on the field with the Jets (I imagine that it would be much more fun to be in Sanchez’s position off the field, anyway) in having Tim Tebow as your backup and having to deflect a myriad of questions asked by the relentless New York media addressing your sense of job security. I get that. But is there really anything that is inspiring about the way Sanchez plays quarterback? He will occasionally make some nice throws, but will then inevitably offset those throws with a horrible interception or two.

Just before halftime in the Jets Texans game tonight, I found myself rooting on Sanchez like I hadn’t before in years. He had made a couple of those nice throws and was marching the Jets toward the end zone to tie the game at 14.

I thought to myself, “Hey! Maybe this is when Sanchez can turn the whole season around! He’s gotten us to two AFC Championships before, and he’s still a great quarterback! And you know what? I feel bad that Tebow is his backup and he has to feel all this pressure! Look at how he’s handling himself on this drive! Making throws to no-namers like Jeremy Kerley and Jeff Cumberland! And we’re about to tie the game against the undefeated Houston Texans! It’d be so typical if he threw an interception here, but I don’t think he’s going to! Yes! It’s going to be different this time! I really think he won’t throw an interception here! I’m ready to believe in Mark Sanchez again!”

And then Sanchez threw one of those horrible interceptions right to Texans cornerback Brice McCain, who nearly ran it back for a touchdown. The Texans sank a field goal and were up 17-7 at halftime. It was as crushing as it was predictable. That little voice of optimism that stood up for Mr. Sanchez tonight doesn’t live here anymore.

I don’t care if you think that Tim Tebow is bad or that you think he can’t cut it as a starting quarterback in the NFL or that he’s too self-righteous for you, which makes you uncomfortable about your own religion or lack thereof. Tim Tebow is capable of inspiring a team and a fan base in a way that Mark Sanchez can only dream of. At this point last season, the Jets had the same 2-3 record with a healthy Darrelle Revis, Santonio Holmes, and even Dustin Keller, and they finished 8-8 and missed the playoffs with Sanchez at quarterback. Now the Jets have the same 2-3 without any of those players and a much less confident Sanchez (if that is even possible), not to mention a wide receiving core that is beyond depleted (considering that most of these receivers were never thrown to by their previous team’s quarterbacks, I’m sure they’ll be just fine with Tebow in there). Yes, it’s high-time Rex Ryan let a new man take the reigns at quarterback. Scratch that. It’s not high-time; it’s Tebow Time.