Jeff Garcia has made himself into a quarterback guru since retiring from the league and he has some very strong advice for the New York Jets as they head into their offseason workout program: release quarterback Tim Tebow and support Mark Sanchez for next season.
According to USA Today, Garcia feels that the team should give the 26-year-old starter some support and get rid of Tebow, as the team has no plans to use him and he is a distraction at the position. New general manager John Idzik has the chance to move on from a bad decision and based on what the team did last year, nothing good has come from the Tebow trade.
The Jets barely used him after acquiring him from the Broncos and he rushed for just 102 yards and threw for 39 yards while scoring zero touchdowns. Garcia said that Sanchez has enough skills to save his career and that he would be able to get a fresh start after he has helped Sanchez work out over the past few weeks. Garcia has worked in a similar offense to what new offensive coordinator Marty Mornhinweg will do, as he was with the coach in Philadelphia.
"If there's going to be competition at the position, it's not going to come from Tim Tebow," four-time Pro Bowler Garcia told USA TODAY Sports Thursday. "Having Tebow there (last season) just became more of a distraction, more of a circus show. Obviously, it's their decision. But from an outsider looking in, having Tebow there doesn't bring anything positive. It just brings distraction."
The Jets have David Garrard and Greg McElroy as well as Matt Simms and Tebow and the former Heisman winner appears to be the odd man out. Sanchez had a bad year by throwing 18 picks and completing just 54 percent of his passes, but the Jets were bad at 6-10 and a fresh start with no Tebow could be good for the quarterback.
Rex Ryan said Sanchez will head into training camp as the starter and that there would be a competition, but Tebow would not be a part of it despite what anyone has said. He is planning to attend the voluntary workouts, but sources said that the team will try to trade him and if they can't, they will release him after the draft.
Sanchez has been working with Garcia on the West coast offense and once Tebow is released, he could end up in a number of situations, likely as a backup. Some options include the Browns and the Arizona Cardinals, as well as the Eagles, Oakland Raiders, Saints and Buccaneers. Tampa could be an interesting fit with Greg Schiano, as he is not happy with Josh Freeman, but any move would bring a lot of media attention.
