Tim Tebow: Controversy follows as quarterback goes to New York Jets to back up Mark Sanchez

It took eight hours, but quarterback Tim Tebow finally, officially was traded by the Denver Broncos to the New York Jets on Wednesday night.
Even by Tebowmania standards, this was outrageous.
The Broncos and Jets worked out their differences over contract language that required the Jets to reimburse the Broncos for about $5 million Denver had advanced Tebow in 2011. The Jacksonville Jaguars jumped into the bidding for a bit, but, in the end the Jets and Broncos split the payment, freeing Tebow to bring what the Daily News calls “Timsanity” to New York to — get your popcorn — back up Mark Sanchez.
It wasn’t a feel-good moment for the Jets, who also had issues with their official Twitter feed. George R.R. Martin, “Game of Thrones” author and Jets fan, hates the move, especially because he doesn’t think “Tebow's conspicuous piety will play well in the Big Apple,” he wrote on his blog. “This is the city that once embraced Broadway Joe. Tebow would fit better in... well, if Branson, Missouri had an NFL team, that would be a perfect fit.”
Joe Namath, the team’s greatest player and critic, hates it, too, but for other reasons. “I don’t think they know what they’re doing over there right now. ... I’m baffled,” Namath told Michael Kay in an ESPN Radio interview. “They’re kind of mixed up over there. I’m talking about the folks that are making the decisions. ... Come on. This is crazy. I don’t know what it’s about. It appears the Jets are trying to grab headlines once again just by making noise.”

Tim Tebow beat Mark Sanchez (left) and the Jets in November. (Barry Gutierrez / AP) It should sell shirts and, perhaps, tickets, but what happens when Sanchez, who recently was given a contract extension, throws his first interception? And what happens with Drew Stanton, signed less than a week ago to back up Sanchez? Mike Tannenbaum explained what might seem like what Rich Cimini calls “a sucker punch to Sanchez.” “I’m looking at two head coaches [Rex Ryan and offensive coordinator Tony Sparano, who was with the Dolphins] who lost to Tim last year,” Tannenbaum said.
Although Namath thinks “Sanchez should be angry about what’s taken place,” Tannenbaum says, “Mark Sanchez is, has been and will be our starting quarterback. We’re adding Tim to be our backup and be used in other packages.”
Until that first interception, when everyone remembers that Tebow was 8-5 as a starter last season and led the Broncos to a playoff victory over the Pittsburgh Steelers.
Tebow joins a team that battles internally as often as it on the field and it will be interesting to see how Tebow, known for his devout faith and clean-living ways, deals with a group that: has displayed frat-house behavior toward Ines Sainz, was embarrassed by Brett Favre’s frat-house behavior, was fined for a sideline tripping incident, had players fighting among themselves, had a player fined for flipping off the media, had a “corrupt mindset” ... among other headlines over the last few years.
“I wanted to play for Coach Ryan ever since I saw ‘Hard Knocks,’ ” Tebow said, with a laugh. “He just seemed like a coach who loves football and is passionate about the game of football. He’s definitely a players’ coach. I just love that about him.”
Ryan’s also a walking, talking bleepfest.
“How did I know I was going to get asked about this? I have so much respect for Coach Ryan,” Tebow said with further chuckles. “He’s a coach you want to play for, a coach you want to go out there and do good for. … There’s not many NFL locker rooms you’re going to go where you have the cleanest language, so I’m not too worried about that.”
Tebow hasn’t found an apartment yet and already there’s a “one Jet said” quote. “This kid will do everything in his power to start,” one team source told ESPN. What quarterback in the NFL wouldn’t, though? Tebow was having none of that Wednesday night.

Tim Tebow Jets Trade Barely Hides Crippling Problems: A Fan’s Take

Tim Tebow and the New York Jets were first linked together when Tebow had one of his big comebacks against the Jets last Nov. 17. Jets fans like myself saw that example of "Tebowmania" as one of the many things that kept New York from the playoffs last season. But we never thought that he would possibly come to New York to help bring them back in 2012 - and neither could many others.

But on Mar. 21, the NFL and the Big Apple were stunned to see that the Denver Broncos unloaded Tebow to the Jets instead of the Jacksonville Jaguars. As such, "Tebowmania" is now set to conquer New York - although the Jets still have a lot of other things to worry about.

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They have to worry about whether Mark Sanchez will revert back to form - especially now that another mega hyped quarterback is on the roster. They have to worry about whether the locker room atmosphere that poisoned last season can be rebuilt - especially now that a figure like Tebow has been planted in the middle of it. They have to worry about whether coach Rex Ryan really is all talk and cannot take New York over the hump - especially now that he has to juggle both Tebow and Sanchez.

Now they also have to worry about Tebow maniacs turning on the team - and Sanchez - at a moment's notice if they don't give the quarterback enough playing time. What he does with that playing time, at least before the final few minutes of a game, has always been a smaller issue when it comes to his fans. They all but held the Broncos at gunpoint until they put Tebow in over Kyle Orton, then lorded Tebow's success over John Elway and John Fox, although they likely wanted to dump him much sooner than they finally could.

They went so far as to sign Peyton Manning so that they could trade Tebow without being burned at the stake. Even Elway, who used to be the undisputed, most beloved quarterback in Denver history, would have been run out of town if the Broncos got rid of Tebow without landing Manning. If that could happen in Denver, what could possibly happen to Ryan, Sanchez and everyone else in New York if this move backfires?

It takes a stable, well managed team to handle this sort of delicate situation, and to be creative enough to use someone like Tebow well. The Broncos were able to be that team for at least the last half of 2011 - whereas the Jets were the most dysfunctional team in the NFL in years. Asking them to completely reverse that in one year would have been hard enough, but doing it while at the center of "Tebowmania" is pushing it.

While Tebow gives the Jets their most positive headlines in months - at least in some circles - it doesn't disguise the various issues that still hang around the team. Their problems killed them last season, and if they take Tebow down with them next year, the entire Ryan/Sanchez administration may not be able to recover.

Normally a team doesn't gamble so much on a now backup quarterback - but Tebow isn't an ordinary backup and the Jets are even less of an ordinary team than ever before. That wasn't a good thing for New York last season, and it will be even worse in 2012 if/when Tebow can't overshadow their crippling flaws for too long