Tim Tebow has been shopped by the New York Jets all offseason and so far no team has been willing to trade for him and with news that Mark Sanchez has quietly been working with former player Jeff Garcia, there might be a chance that the quarterback will get to start, or at least have more playing time if he remains with the franchise.
According to USA Today Sports, Sanchez has been working with Garcia in California during the offseason ahead of team workouts and the Jets have said that while he will be the starter, the competition between David Garrard, Greg McElroy, Tim Tebow and Matt Simms is wide open. Tebow likely has the most to prove to get a chance to start, while Sanchez is hoping his work with Garcia will allow him to keep it.
"Clearly we have to improve at the quarterback position,'' coach Rex Ryan said.
Garcia and Sanchez worked together over three weeks and the former San Francisco and Philadelphia quarterback has been helping him learn the new Marty Mornhinweg offense, which he played in with the Eagles. Garcia said that Sanchez was making a lot of progress and that he is learning the system well.
Tebow has been doing a similar workout with Chris Weinke from earlier in the offseason, as the former Heisman winner helped another Heisman winner with his technique. Tebow threw for just 39 yards last season and rushed for 102 with no touchdowns.
Garcia has played in the West Coast offense for many years and had some excellent seasons, including one with over 4,000 yards and 30 touchdowns. Last year Sanchez was awful for the Jets and while Tebow never got a chance to start, Greg McElroy did before he got hurt.
Garcia went to the Pro Bowl four times and has knowledge of the offense that Sanchez and the Jets will be running. Garcia has also been working with JaMarcus Russell as he attempts an NFL comeback.
"The toughest thing is this will be Mark's third offensive coordinator in six seasons. The guy has had to learn a new system just about every other year. From a consistency standpoint, that just doesn't translate to success in the NFL. You really need to be secure in what you're doing mentally in order to compete at the highest level.," Garcia said.