The rocky saga of celebrated backup quarterback Tim Tebow as a New York Jet has taken an ugly turn, with several Jets players offering scathing reviews of his play.
In a New York Daily News story released Wednesday, more than a dozen Jets players and members, speaking under the condition of anonymity, gave poor opinions on the backup quarterback that has been rumored to be in the running to take starting quarterback Mark Sanchez's place.
"He's terrible," a defensive starter told the Daily News.
The perception of people in the organization, sources told the Daily News, is that Tebow is only a specialty player who doesn't have the skills to be a true NFL quarterback that the 3-6 Jets need.
"We don't look at him as a quarterback," another starter said. "He's the Wildcat guy."
"He's a winner," said a Jets source of Tebow, while adding that though he wanted Tebow to play more often, Sanchez should still start at quarterback for New York. "If he stays on the field long enough, usually good things happen."
However, not everyone on the Jets feel that Tebow's famed Wildcat running offense that made him a hit last season is the answer to the team's woes. "We can't win running that sh--," one player told the Daily News.
However, given the underperformance of the Jets-who had been in back-to-back AFC title games in 2009 and 2010-speculation has run rampant on whether it is time for Sanchez, who ranked the lowest in the league in passing percentage, to step aside and let Tebow take over.
Tebow caught the attention of the entire nation last year when the backup quarterback took over the starting quarterback job in Denver from starter Kyle Orton and led the struggling Broncos to the AFC West Title and a playoff win before they fell to the eventual AFC Champion New England Patriots.
Left guard Matt Slauson, who has repeatedly supported Sanchez, made it clear that the fourth-year signal caller is the Jets' best quarterback.
"It's not even close," Slauson said. "All the other quarterbacks know it. I have all the confidence in Mark. We don't really have a choice."
Ironically enough, the opinions days after Jets guard Brandon Moore told ESPN that the Jets were truly a team.
"We're united," he said earlier this week. "I think it's pretty easy for you guys to pinpoint that Mark (Sanchez) is the problem. Blame goes all the way around."