You initially had me worried with all the Tim Tebow talk Mr. Khan! Source: Phil Sears-US PRESSWIRE

Back when Tim Tebow was being shopped by the Denver Broncos earlier in the offseason, the Jags’ new owner, Shahid Khan, thought that acquiring the young Florida star would be good for the Jaguars.  This move was appealing to some, devastating to others, and downright fanatical to the national media.

As we all know, ultimately Khan failed and Rex Ryan and the Jets took on the debacle that is Tim Tebow.

I don’t bring up Tebow because I want to begin the Jacksonville-Tebow Time saga that gripped the team and fans for a month and a half.  Instead, I want to focus on how smart our front office was to not make a very strong bid for Tebow.  And how happy I am that he ultimately chose the Jets.

In March our very own Daniel Lago outlined a few pros and cons about not acquiring Tebow:

Pros

• This shows that ultimately the man in charge of football operations is Gene Smith. If Khan really wanted Tebow, regardless of the price, he could have forced his hand. In the end, Khan let the football front office make the final decision.
• The Jaguars can develop Gabbert without the circus of Tim Tebow supporters clamoring to bench Gabbert after every incompletion. This situation has already been brought up multiple times in regards to Mark Sanchez in New York, and it would be significantly magnified in Jacksonville with Gabbert.
• Because Tebow chose the Jets, the Jaguar brass can now say, “hey, we tried but Tebow didn’t want to come here.”
• The price for Tim Tebow illustrated that no team in the league thinks he is a legitimate starting quarterback in the NFL. A starting quarterback is worth more than a 4^th and 6^th round pick.

Cons

• Even though Khan ultimately let Gene Smith control the situation, he still felt the need to impose his will in the front office. It’s clear he saw a business opportunity and a way to spark interest in the team, and he let that get in the way of what should be a pure football decision. Fair or not, he’s now opened himself up to criticism as an owner who interferes with personnel decisions, i.e. Jerry Jones and Bud Adams.
• Not really a con, but this is annoying: Jaguar fans now have to continue to listen to the complete garbage being spewed by most of the national media about the Jaguars. Not acquiring Tebow will now be spun as “the Jaguars failing to save the franchise” and “the Jaguars are so bad, Tebow isn’t even willing to go home and play for them.” I don’t need to name any names (I do that on twitter instead), but some members of the media have already left the Jaguars for dead for the 2012 season. These people are idiots. Period. We’ve already talked about how we feel about the national media on B&T but you can never bash them enough.

It was a beautiful listing of the Jaguars pros from not acquiring the error-prone quarterback.  We can only imagine how much worse Gabbert’s development would be if Tebow had been there to take snaps away from him with the first team to run ridiculous wildcat packages. Proof of the step backward can be found in Mark Sanchez’s play.  Poor Sanchez was expected to rebound after a big step backward in 2011.  Instead it looks like Tebow and the attempt to implement the wildcat has caused an even further step backward at worst and staying the same at best.

It is nice to see this reality occurring, especially since 48% of those who responded to the B&T poll “How do you feel about the Jaguars not being able to acquire Tim Tebow” chose the option “The Jaguars are a joke.  They ruined their only chance to be relevant again. This was a huge blunder.”  Based on what I’m seeing out of New York, I think it was a miracle he chose the Jets.

On Wednesday Tim said that he was more focused on scoring touchdowns than posting impressive QB stats.  You’d have to be if your stat line ran like this: 13/36 (36%), 151 yards, two picks, and no touchdowns.  Where are those touchdowns Tim?  It’s tough to have 4th quarter comebacks and rally the team when you aren’t in the end zone.  But maybe it isn’t all his fault, the Jets have yet to find the endzone at all through three preseason games.

Tony, the wildcat didn't work in Miami and it won't work in New York. Run while you still can Tim! Source: Rich Barnes-US PRESSWIRE

I can’t imagine that bringing in Tony Sparano to run the offense is helping.  Especially since he is focusing so much on using Tebow in the wildcat.  But even then Tebow doesn’t have a single touchdown running despite racking up 84 yards on 11 rushes.  Yet despite the lack of yardage and points coming from Tebow, Sparano predicts 100+ attempts from the wildcat in 2012…

I don’t know if it is just because hindsight is 20/20 or that Gabbert is actually having a good preseason, but I’m thrilled to see Tebow in a different uniform.  I’m thrilled he’s in a different part of the country, far removed from Jacksonville.  The best part is that Tebow knows that the team needs to get better,  “Honestly, it’s not about the percentages,” said Tebow of his quarterback numbers. “It’s about just trying to get your team in the end zone and obviously that’s something we have to do a better job (of).”

Obviously, Tim.  Good luck in New York, you’re going to need it.

- Luke N. Sims

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The Jaguars tried to trade a fourth round pick to the Denver Broncos for Tebow before the draft.  Tebow ultimately went to the Jets, while Shahid Khan buried his face in his hands due to his failure to get the immensely popular Florida Gator.

Lolo Jones looks like a perfect match for Tim Tebow. Source: US-Presswire

While Tebow will make headlines across the nation for anything that happens in relation to him (currently a potential matchup with Lolo Jones?) ranging from talking to fans to looking at a puppy, the distraction that is Tebow does not do anything positive for the Jaguars and apparently isn’t doing much good for the Jets.

The Jets’ Sanchez has consistently looked good in practice, so we can’t be certain if his sharp performances thus far are a result of the competition between Tebow and himself or are just his practice norm.  The true competition will come during the preseason and regular season if Sanchez falters.

But so longer as Tebow is tossing picks, it will be difficult for Sanchez to lose his spot to the once-potential Jaguar.

- Luke N. Sims