Myers: Tebow debut shows Jets can keep foes on toes - New York Daily News

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Tim Tebow drops back to pass and is 4-for-8 for 27 yards, but makes mark with legs with 34 yards on four carries.

Tim Tebow is no longer a novelty act or a sideshow in the Jets circus. They lack firepower, and Tebow already has become one of their most important and indispensable players.

That says more about the lack of offensive talent Rex Ryan has accumulated than any acknowledgement that Tebow has suddenly transitioned into a dynamic weapon. Still, he will give defenses something to think about, which makes him stand out on the Jets’ offense. He might even be their best running back, as he was Friday night in the dreary 17-6 preseason-opening loss to the Bengals.

Five months after the Jets surprisingly stepped up and traded for Tebow after the Broncos signed Peyton Manning, he was Tebow being Tebow. He hit a couple of passes, rushed for 34 yards on three scrambles and threw a dreadful interception on his final attempt when one of his major weaknesses â€" an inability to see the field â€" ended a Jets drive inside the Cincinnati 30. Rookie linebacker Vontaze Burfict stepped in front of his pass intended for tight end Jeff Cumberland. “I shouldn’t have thrown it,” Tebow said.

The first installment of Tebow vs. Mark Sanchez didn’t have much substance. Sanchez was 4-for-6 for 21 yards with two sacks and no points in two series in the first quarter. Tebow was 4-for-8 for 27 yards with three points playing four series in the second quarter and part of the third.

Three points on six possessions, three of them three-and-outs, no TDs, for the starter and his backup. One field goal, no TDs. Not very impressive.

Sanchez scrambled once for four yards, which he called “channeling my inner Tebow.” There was no Wildcat and no Santonio Holmes, so there will be plenty more to this offense in the season opener on Sept. 9 â€" or at least the Jets hope so. The Jets were intentionally bland. The less they put on game film, the tougher it will be for teams to prepare for them early in the season.

All this Tebowmania stuff has kept camp lively, but this is a business judged by wins and losses, and with the offense lacking proven skill position players, the Jets need Tebow to produce in whatever hybrid role Tony Sparano concocts for him. Tebow is the Jets’ No. 2 playmaker after Holmes.

“We brought in a football player that is going to help,” Ryan said. “This guy is going to help our football team. We have a starting quarterback in Mark Sanchez. That wasn’t the deal. We brought in a guy that can obviously play quarterback, but we love the competitiveness that he has and the competitor that he is and we’re going to use his talents.”