The New York Jets have started their voluntary offseason workout program this week and despite reports that the team wants to trade or release him and things got more interesting for the quarterback on Wednesday, as general manager John Idzik made comments about him being in the running to be the starter, while one of his former instructors came to his defense.
According to ESPN.com, Steve Clarkson, a private coach that previously worked with Tebow, came to the quarterback's defense on Wednesday a week after Mark Sanchez's instructor Jeff Garcia criticized him, saying that Tebow did not get a fair chance in New York and that the Denver Broncos traded him to the Jets because they thought he would fail there. His conspiracy theory doesn't hold too much weight, as ESPN reported that Tebow had a choice between the Jets and Jaguars when he was traded.
Clarkson said in a conference call with reporters that he felt the Broncos sent Tebow to the Jets over the Jacksonville Jaguars on purpose because they knew he would fail since the team had "instability" at head coach and had "fragile minded" Mark Sanchez at quarterback. He basically framed it as the Broncos thinking they could get rid of Tebow and also knock out an opponent by creating the situation, which while denied by the team, actually worked out perfectly, as the Jets were awful and so was the quarterback situation.
Clarkson said that if the team sent Tebow to the Jaguars, he would have had a supportive fan base and he would have been able to win games, like he had done throughout his career, even in Denver. He added that Tebow was in the "wrong place and the wrong time", referring to the Jets situation. Last year Tebow was used as a punt protector and a Wildcat option, but he gained only 102 yards on the ground and 39 in the air on six completions.
Clarkson also mentioned how the Jets never gave Tebow a chance to "master" the offense, saying they only gave him a handful of plays to work with and did not give him an "opportunity." Tebow has spent the offseason working out in Florida, Texas, as well as Arizona, where he worked with Clarkson on his throwing mechanics and his pocket footwork. Tebow lost 12 pounds while working out and said it was his best offseason ever after coming into last year at 250 pounds.
Jeff Garcia, who worked with Mark Sanchez during the offseason, spoke about Tebow last week and said that he was a distraction and that the Jets should get rid of him. He also added that the starting quarterback competition will likely be between Sanchez, David Garrard and Greg McElroy.
