Now that Tim Tebow is a New York Jet, it is time to declare this the smartest move the Jets have made in a decade. So how do the Jets maximize their new acquisition? By making the second smartest move. There is an ex-quarterback -- a multiple Super Bowl winner -- who is cut from the same cloth as Tim Tebow. He came out of Brigham Young University as a questionable NFL prototype. He was efficient in running and passing. The question was asked -- how can he be an NFL star? So what happened is that this quarterback ended up in the United States Football League with the Los Angeles Express. Within a few short years the league collapsed. He then went briefly to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and was traded after several big-time losing seasons for a second and fourth round draft pick to the San Francisco 49ers. Coach Bill Walsh recognized the potential of an eventual superstar and grabbed him. His name is Steve Young. The rest is history.
Steve Young did not win national titles in college. He did not win the Heisman Trophy. Young never did at BYU what Tebow did at the University of Florida, especially during Tebow's 2007 season, in which he set the SEC rushing touchdown record and the SEC record for total touchdowns in a season. Young has three Super Bowl rings, two as a backup to the legendary Joe Montana and one as a starting quarterback. Walsh, who took the 49s to three Super Bowl wins in 10 head coaching seasons, is considered to be historically one of the three greatest football coaches of all-time. He popularized the West Coast offense, which utilizes short horizontal pass to stretch out defenses. He re-molded Young's career, turning a questionable player into a Hall of Fame quarterback. The UFL and the stint with Tampa Bay gave Young several years of experience so that when he finally was coached properly he blossomed into one of the greats. Remember Tim Tebow has only been a starting quarterback in time equivalent to about one year of professional experience. The similarities are striking on their face.
To the Jet management -- if you want to look like you are as astute as the New England Patriots owner Robert Kraft, be an innovator. It time for Jets owner Woody Johnson to be smarter than his coaching staff. The Jets have won on innate talent the last few years. Time to step it up again to maximize Tebow's proven potential. Entice Steve Young to get back onto an active football field. Make a deal to have Steve Young come to the Jets and step-by-step bring Tim Tebow to a level of efficiency that matched his. Pay him -- do not beg him. But hire him now to work diligently with a totally committed young man instead of his chit-chatting with the present coaching staff. Don't quibble about what it would cost. Pay the two dollars! Just get Steve Young to do it.
The obvious question that surrounds Tim Tebow is not related to his leadership, his character, his work ethic or his commitment. It is how to hone his skills that some question and take him the to the next level. Make your asset much more valuable by spending the additional money on a super quarterback mentor. It is a small price to pay for an eventual superstar. Do not worry about the quarterback controversy of media hype -- worry about Super Bowl appearances and win/loss records -- not the nonsensical gibberish coming out of TV analysts and news reports. Act today. Summer camp starts in less than four months. Make this a priority. Let's get ourselves another Steve Young with those Super Bowl rings through creative fresh quarterback coaching and offensive design -- not create useless controversy which does not win football games. Commit to Tim Tebow. Turn him into a platinum asset. He already runs like an unstoppable truck on the field. So now brandish his passing skills and improve his identification of passing defenses on the run. Make the winning play for Jet fans and season ticket holders (me). The rest will be NFL history.
Follow Linda Kenney Baden on Twitter: www.twitter.com/kenneybaden
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