Everyone already knew this but it’s still refreshing to hear Mike Tannenbaum admit that he was wrong. The former New York Jets general manager confessed on CBS Sports Radio’s Damon Amenolara Show that trading for Tim Tebow was not good for the organization, “Obviously we made a couple mistakes, trading for Tim Tebow most notably. But I would say beyond that, but we (could have done a better job with the bottom of our roster), especially toward the end.”
Tannenbaum was promoted to GM in 2006. He obviously made some great decisions as top dog of the Jets organization, the team did go to back to back AFC Championship games in 2009 and 2010. However, the team dropped to 6-10 in 2012 and that alone may have cost Tannenbaum his job.
His decision to bring Tebowmania to New York in a backup role to quarterback Mark Sanchez was obviously not a popular decision. The scrambling quarterback with a noodle arm was hardly used by coach Rex Ryan. Tebow threw just eight passes in 2012 with six completions for a mere 39 yards.
Tannenbaum didn’t blame it all on Tebow, however. He admitted that letting solid players get away had a major negative impact on the Jet organization as a whole. “I think some of the mistakes made were from the bottom end of our roster up. So when you lose guys like Jim Leonhard or Danny Woodhead or Jerricho Cotchery, it affects a lot of things, not just what they do on the field, but what they do in the locker room.”
Tim Tebow won a Heisman Trophy playing with the University of Florida in 2007. He also won two BCS Championships in 2006 and 2008. He was drafted in the first round of the 2010 NFL Draft by the Denver Broncos. When Tebow took over the quarterback position after an injury to Kyle Orton in game six of the 2011 season, the Broncos were an abysmal 1-4. Somehow, Tebow led the team to a roaring comeback and Denver won the AFC West that season. Tebow also defeated a heavily favored Pittsburgh Steelers team in overtime in the divisional round of the playoffs.
The only Heisman winning QB to win a playoff game in the last 25 years…
Timothy Richard "Tim" Tebow pic.twitter.com/a2ElV17hIT
— Before I Was Famous (@BeforeFamePics) January 17, 2014
However, John Elway was always down on Tebow. And when the opportunity to bring Peyton Manning over from the Colts presented itself for the 2012 season, the former Bronco great worked to trade Tebow to the Jets for a fourth and sixth round draft pick.
Despite Tebow’s history of winning and his miraculous late-game heroics, the Jets never gave him much of a chance. He was released by the team in April of 2013. Tebow is currently a free agent and works for ESPN as a college football analyst. However, he has mentioned that he wants to get back into the NFL. Tannenbaum doesn’t doubt that Tebow could make a comeback, “I would never bet against Tim. We used to have an expression that Tim’s the type of guy who’s either going to be successful or die trying. His relentlessness and passion. I would think he’ll get another opportunity.”
Image via Wikipedia Commons
