Tebow has been a lightning rod since entering the NFL and things have been no different since he joined the New York Jets. From the moment he was traded, people wondered, would he be a backup? Punt protector? Decoy? Only the Jets would know.
Starting quarterback Mark Sanchez has struggled this year, leaving fans, reporters and others to ask about Tebow and if he will take on the starting role anytime soon, like he did in Denver last year.
New York Jets owner Woody Johnson was on CNBC on Wednesday and said that the former Heisman trophy winner will "be with us for three years." Three years is the length of Tebow's current contract.
Many have speculated that the Jets could trade Tebow, but Johnson attempted to quash that talk on Wednesday, saying that the team will keep him on the roster for the rest of his contract.
"Are we going to keep Tebow? Absolutely," Johnson said. "He'll be with us for three years... I think he's going to be a real valuable asset in terms of helping us win games."
Johnson also said that "he and coach Rex Ryan have not discussed making a quarterback change, saying that Sanchez 'played great' in a 23-17 loss to Houston on Monday night."
Johnson was asked if the team would "never" make a change at quarterback.
"Never is a long time period," Johnson told CNBC. "But I see the same things in Mark Sanchez (as) when I first met him. He's still a young quarterback.... (Quarterback) is probably the most difficult position athletically and mentally that there is in all of sports."
The owner also expressed his support for starting quarterback Mark Sanchez.
"It's not bolstering his confidence," Johnson said. "We think he's that good.... He really is that good. I wouldn't look at the numbers too seriously... A quarterback's job ultimately is to win games. Mark Sanchez has proven that he can do that. He pulled out a game a few weeks ago in the last couple minutes when we played Miami."
Sanchez has been disappointing this season, but not all of it falls on his shoulders. The Jets lack playmakers on offense and are thin at wide receiver after Santonio Holmes was lost for the season due to an injury.
On Monday night football Sanchez threw for only 230 yards and two interceptions. He also had numerous balls batted down by Texans defensive end J.J. Watt.
"The defense end that got his passes last week is probably the defensive player of the year," Johnson said. "We should have done a better job of accounting for him and keeping a spy on him wherever he is and essentially don't throw in that area. Or throw extremely high. He's 6-6. He can jump 30 inches. So he's probably like 15 feet when you add it all up. A tall guy. He tipped one that would have been a touchdown... There's probably only two or three players in the league that could have made that play."
Five weeks into the NFL season, the so-called "Tebow Experiment" has been largely a failure, or at the very least a disappointment.
Tebow has not factored into the offense much, scoring zero touchdowns and gaining 57 rushing yards on 14 attempts. He has completed 1-of-2 passes for nine yards and has two tackles on kick coverage.
Before the season began, head coach Rex Ryan and coordinator Tony Sparano said they planned to use Tebow as a change-of-pace quarterback for Sanchez and also in wildcat formations to try and throw off the opposing defense. So far neither had worked out well, with Sanchez never finding a way to get into a rhythm and the wildcat being mostly unsuccessful.
The Jets have scored only 19.6 points per game and rank 28th in passing yards and 25th in rushing offense. Although things have been bad, head coach Rex Ryan says Sanchez will remain the starter. He also praised his performance on Monday night.
"I'm not going to get into any what-ifs," said Ryan to ESPNNewYork.com. "When you look at it, he played pretty good. I thought he was accurate with the football."
No matter what anyone on the Jets says, signs point to Tebow taking the starting job someday. If the Jets are going to be a mediocre team with a mediocre quarterback, why not try something different and see if it works? On top of that, Tebow is a rock star in football and the Big Apple.
Tebow might be the first backup player in any sport to lead the league in jersey sales. He has been a good soldier with the Jets, downplaying any controversy with Sanchez and also lining up on punts as a blocker and as a returner on kickoffs, but everyone knows that like any other player, he is itching to start.
Tebow busted on to the NFL scene as a rookie in 2010 after signing a five-year contract with the Denver Broncos, who drafted him in the first round. While not the most polished quarterback, he showed that he could make plays with his legs and lead the team to points and wins.
He started his first NFL game on Dec. 19, 2010, scoring on a 40-yard touchdown run and throwing a 33-yard touchdown pass. Tebow became the third quarterback in NFL history to throw for a touchdown of 30 or more yards and run for a touchdown of 40 or more yards in the same game.
The following year in 2011, Tebow began the season as the backup to Kyle Orton, but supplanted him as the starting quarterback in week six against the Miami Dolphins. Tebow led Denver from a 15-0 deficit in the last three minutes to win the game, 18-15, in overtime. Denver became the first team in NFL history to win a game after being down by at least 15 points with three minutes to play in a game.
He started the rest of the season for the Broncos and led them to the playoffs where they faced off against the Steelers in the first round. He hit wide receiver Demaryius Thomas on the first play of overtime for an 80-yard touchdown to seal his first career playoff win.
But the off season took some interesting turns for Tebow. After the Denver Broncos announced they were going to sign free agent Peyton Manning, they traded Tebow to the New York Jets.
So far the Jets haven't let Tebow run loose as he did in Denver, but there haven't been many chances so far.
After opening the season with an impressive victory over the Bills, the Jets have gone just 1-3 and will have to face the Indianapolis Colts at home this week before going on the road in Week 7 against the New England Patriots.
If they lose one or both of those games, there most likely will be one chant coming from fans at MetLife Stadium that describes their feelings: "Tebow! Tebow! Tebow!"
