CORTLAND, N. Y.â€"Tim Tebow did a few good things Saturday night, but he did not move the offense consistently.
Mark Sanchez has no reason to feel threatened by anything that happened during the team’s Green & White scrimmage at SUNY Cortland. While Sanchez looked sharp during his reps (11 for 16, 82 yards, one touchdown), Tebow was more effective running (three carries, 14 yards) than throwing (0-for-3).
Tebow was still a fan favorite among the announced crowd of 9,420, who cheered loudly when he entered the game. However, Sanchez looked far more comfortable in the pocket, and in far more command of the Jets’ offense.
"Speaking from an offensive standpoint, the tempo was great,’’ said Sanchez, who completed an eight-yard touchdown pass to Bilal Powell. "No interceptions, so that’s a positive. Overall, not a bad day. Cincinnati (preseason opener) will be a good test for us.’’
The entire Sanchez-Tebow dynamic will be a test for Sanchez, but he is handling it well so far. Saying all the right things. Picking up new offensive coordinator Tony Sparano’s offense quickly. Accepting that Tebow’s enormous popularity is something that Sanchez cannot control.
Tebow did complete a pass to Eric Smith on a faked punt. But Tebow remained somewhat tentative when looking downfield, although he almost connected on a nice deep pass to Dexter Jackson. Tebow was at a disadvantage, because with the quarterbacks wearing red don’t-tackle jerseys, play was whistled dead whenever they were touched. Breaking tackles is one of Tebow’s specialties, but he did not get a chance to display that.
"That was a little frustrating,’’ Tebow said smiling. "But that’s the way these scrimmages are.’’
Tebow’s best moment came on an adlib, after he caught a bad snap in the shotgun, eluded a defender, and ran for eight yards.
"It was actually going to be a direct run to him,’’ Ryan said. "By the time he caught it, he made a quick decision, made the guy miss, and ran for a big gain. He’s a threat every time he drops back. You don’t know if he’s going to run it, if he’s going to throw it.
"He had a nice touch on the deep ball, but he’s got to get it out a little quicker. Those are things we’re still working on.’’
The Jets’ defense looked ahead of the offense, which often happens early in training camp. The best offensive play of the scrimmage was from backup quarterback Matt Simms, who threw a beautiful 31-yard touchdown pass to Raymond Weber. Simms is battling Greg McElroy to be the No. 3 quarterback.
"Obviously there’s a quarterback controversy with Matt Simms,’’ Ryan said smiling. "Was that Matt Simms or (his father) Phil Simms? He looked pretty darn impressive.’’
Meanwhile, Sanchez took another small step toward putting together a strong training camp. Tebow’s presence has drawn enormous attention, and has certainly raised the stakes for Sanchez. But the Jets are also hoping that the competition raises Sanchez’s game.
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