Larry Brown Sports

After their game against the Buffalo Bills on Sunday, one of the most hectic and disappointing seasons in recent New York Jets history will finally come to a close. The team is expected to have a new look next season, with Mark Sanchez and Tim Tebow both likely heading elsewhere. Some have even speculated that Rex Ryan won’t be far behind, but it seems unlikely that Jets owner Woody Johnson would fire him.

Johnson may not fire his head coach, but that doesn’t mean he’ll want to stay. According to the NY Daily News, Ryan feels that the team would be better off firing him if significant changes and improvements aren’t made an offense.

The Daily News has learned that Ryan, the swashbuckling point man who dominated the headlines for the past four seasons, has intimated to “anyone who will listen” that he would be better off getting fired if Johnson isn’t willing to rectify player personnel and coaching issues on offense, according to sources.

New York’s passing attack currently ranks 30th in the NFL. The Jets have scored only 18.1 points per game, which puts them at 28th overall. The fact that they were even still alive in the AFC playoff race before last weekend’s loss to the San Diego Chargers is amazing.

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Tim Tebow has been considered a model teammate despite enduring many difficult situations throughout his brief NFL career, but it sounds like that wasn’t the case this week.

After being passed by Greg McElroy on the New York Jets’ quarterback depth chart, Tebow reportedly asked the coaching staff not to use him in their Wildcat package.

ESPN New York reported following the Jets’ 27-17 loss to the San Diego Chargers Sunday that Tebow was so upset about not getting a chance to start in place of Mark Sanchez that he told the coaches not to use him in the Wildcat package. That explains why Tebow did not play in the game despite being active.

Wide receiver Jeremy Kerley, who has experience playing quarterback in high school, ran the Wildcat instead.

Tebow has participated in less than 75 offensive snaps this season for the Jets. Most of the snaps have been out of the Wildcat formation.

Asked after the game who told him he wouldn’t be participating in the Wildcat, Tebow answered, “it just kind of happens.”

Coach Rex Ryan reportedly said he chose to use Kerley for the element of surprise, and told a spokesman to say it was a “coach’s decision” not to use Tebow. It sounds like that was his way of protecting Tebow from scrutiny.

Tebow was a divisive figure in Denver while serving as a backup quarterbacks behind Kyle Orton. His Broncos teammates reportedly fined him for not speaking out when a billboard went up calling for him to start, but he never said anything bad himself.

Tebow came to New York expecting to compete with Sanchez for the starting job, but he never publicly complained or criticized Sanchez regardless of what unfolded throughout the season. But after being jumped on the depth chart, Tebow said he was “disappointed” and reports said he no longer wanted to play there.

Even though Tebow feels the Jets misled him about his opportunity to play there, it’s still surprising that he would turn down an assignment from his coaches. That goes against everything we’ve know about him.

When the New York Jets acquired Tim Tebow last offseason, the same question popped into the minds of almost everyone — why? If Rex Ryan and company were so committed to Mark Sanchez after signing him to a hefty extension, why would they bring in a quarterback who is arguably the most popular player in the NFL and just led a team to the playoffs?

One common line of thinking is that the Jets were trying to motivate Sanchez and get him to take his game to the next level in his fourth year as a starter. However, a source reportedly told the NY Post that the Jets were extremely concerned that “Tebowmania” would derail Marky Mark.

There was also the “Tebowmania” factor. One source described the organization as “frozen with fear” that Tebow would actually excel, creating a quarterback controversy that would wreck Sanchez’s psyche. Tebow wound up being more effective as the personal protector on the punt team than as an offensive player.

Instead of motivating Sanchez to elevate his game or having an insurance policy in case Sanchez stumbled, the Jets wound up with the worst possible scenario. The coaching staff clearly lost all confidence in Tebow and it appears he will be released or traded after the season. Sanchez has gotten worse as the season progresses, having thrown seven interceptions in his last three games.

Whether it was Tebowmania that ruined Sanchez or he is simply not a viable NFL starter is irrelevant at this point. The only thing that matters is Greg McElroy is New York’s starting quarterback for Week 16, and that has nothing to do with injuries. Did we see this coming? Not exactly, but that doesn’t mean it’s a shock.

Photo credit: Ed Mulholland-US PRESSWIRE

The New York Jets’ acquisition of Tim Tebow turned into as big of a disaster as many expected it to be. And now, a few days after it was announced that Greg McElroy would replace Mark Sanchez as the team’s starting quarterback, multiple reports say the Jets will trade or release Tebow after the season.

The New York Post, Newsday, and New York Daily News all cited sources saying that Tebow and the Jets will part ways after the season. The reports come as no surprise given the way the team has handled Tebow all season.

Tebow has played less than 75 offensive snaps this season, and he was only allowed to attempt eight passes. The Jets have seemed reluctant to give him a shot at quarterback. The first time they benched Sanchez for poor play was when Tebow was inactive with a rib injury. Now that they’re benching Sanchez again, it’s McElroy getting the start, much to Tebow’s unhappiness.

“Obviously, I’m a little disappointed,” Tebow said this week. “You try to handle it the best you can.”

Head coach Rex Ryan admitted that things didn’t go as planned.

“Well it hasn’t worked out,” Ryan said Thursday. “We have had some big plays out of it or whatever. For whatever reason, it hasn’t had quite the success that I actually thought it would.”

Tebow’s most valuable contributions to the Jets have come on special teams where he served as a punt protector and ran fake punts. The former first-round pick by the Denver Broncos is scheduled to earn a base salary of $2.5 million next season. Given the lack of interest in Tebow when he has been available in trades, it’s unlikely he will be able to continue in the NFL if he wants to remain at quarterback.

What we do know is that Tebow must be thrilled that the Jets plan to let him go after the season, considering that’s what he reportedly wanted.

Photo credit: Ed Mulholland-US PRESSWIRE

The New York Jets will attempt to trade quarterback Mark Sanchez after the season, the New York Daily News reported on Wednesday.

The news comes a day after Sanchez was benched by the Jets in favor of Greg McElroy, a former seventh-round pick who entered the season as the team’s third-string quarterback. The Daily News report is somewhat surprising given the unwavering support the Jets had demonstrated for Sanchez until now.

The Jets traded first and second-round picks, and three players to the Cleveland Browns in 2009 in order to move up to the No. 5 slot where they drafted Sanchez. They signed him to a five-year, $50 million deal that included $28 million guaranteed, and they reached the AFC Championship Game in his first two seasons in the league. However, without as much support from a dominant defense and running game, the Jets struggled when Sanchez was asked to do more for the offense. He responded by committing 50 turnovers the past two seasons — more than any other quarterback.

Sanchez’s salary for 2013 includes $8.25 million in base pay. If the Jets are unable to find a trade partner, the Daily News says Sanchez would likely be brought back by the team where he would compete for the starting job.

The other interesting aspect of the Daily News’ report is the speculation that the Jets will attempt to bring in Michael Vick in the offseason. Vick suffered a brutal concussion in Week 9 and has been replaced by Nick Foles as the Eagles’ starting quarterback. Philly is expected to release him before his multi-million roster bonus is due in March. The Jets could be the team most likely to pursue him — head coach Rex Ryan reportedly loves Vick — and then we would have another lovely Jets circus on our hands.

Photo credit: Steve Mitchell-US PRESSWIRE

Tim Tebow will ask the New York Jets to trade or release him after the season assuming Greg McElroy starts at quarterback for the team’s final two games, Manish Mehta of the New York Daily News reports.

Mehta’s report, which he calls the “next domino” in the Jets’ quarterback situation, comes after coach Rex Ryan named McElroy the starting quarterback for the team’s Week 16 game against the San Diego Chargers.

Though Mark Sanchez has struggled most of the season at quarterback, Tebow, whom many belived to be the backup quarterback, never got a shot at the job. Not only has McElroy passed him on the depth chart for Week 16, but when the Jets first benched Sanchez in a game this season, it was against the Cardinals in Week 12 when Tebow was out with a rib injury.

Mehta’s report makes plenty of sense given the report we shared earlier in the day from Mike Freeman of CBS Sports, who says Tebow is “not happy” that McElroy is getting a shot to start while he isn’t. Tebow reportedly also believes the Jets misled him about his opportunity to play quarterback for them.

Tebow came to New York thinking he would challenge Mark Sanchez for the starting quarterback job. He’s ended up third on the depth chart and mostly contributed via special teams or as a quarterback on rushing plays.

The Jacksonville Jaguars were the other team interested in Tebow when the Broncos traded him in March. They also were said to be interested in Tebow prior to the trade deadline this season.

Photo: Ed Mulholland-US PRESSWIRE

The New York Jets have decided to finally bench Mark Sanchez at quarterback, but they’re not replacing him with Tim Tebow. Instead, head coach Rex Ryan announced on Tuesday that Greg McElroy, who entered the season as the team’s third-string QB, will get the start.

Though Tebow has not publicly complained, he reportedly feels like the Jets misled him about his opportunity to earn the starting quarterback job.

Mike Freeman of CBS Sports says Tebow “isn’t happy” about not getting the opportunity to replace Sanchez. Freeman reported the following on Tuesday:

When the Jets traded for Tebow, he was informed that he would get a chance to start should something happen to Sanchez (either due to injury or benching). But that hasn’t truly happened and I’m told Tebow feels like the Jets misled him.

Freeman’s report meshes with what we heard in March when the Denver Broncos were exploring trades for Tebow. Tebow reportedly chose the Jets because he felt the coaches there wanted him more. He also reportedly chose the Jets because he felt he could beat out Sanchez for the job. John Elway even confirmed that Tebow preferred the Jets to the Jags, though the reason was not provided.

Why would Tebow prefer the Jets if he didn’t think he would have a good chance to play quarterback? New York has hardly used him as quarterback this season. He’s lined up at QB and run some plays, but most were rushing attempts. He has only attempted eight passes this season while being used mostly on special teams. The first time the Jets decided to bench Sanchez was when Tebow was out with a rib injury. They appear to be doing everything possible to make sure Tebow does not play quarterback this season.

Coming off a season in which Tebow led the Broncos to the playoffs and a postseason win over the Steelers, he’s probably wondering why the Jets bothered acquiring him if they didn’t plan to use him at quarterback. It would be understandable if he feels misled.

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Helmet smack to Black Sports Online