SmashMouth

The Tim Tebow error in New York is finally, mercifully over.

The New York Jets announced early Monday morning that Tebow was waived by the Jets on Monday morning after one season with the team. NFL.com's Albert Breer and Ian Rapoport report that Tebow was told face-to-face by new GM John Idzik and coach Rex Ryan when Tebow arrived for work on Monday morning.

Idzik insisted on keeping Tebow through the draft in case they could find a trade partner or use for him. After selecting quarterback Geno Smith in the second round, Tebow, not Mark Sanchez, is the odd man out.

Tebow threw only eight passes in New York and rushed the ball 32 times, with great effectiveness. Despite awful quarterback play in front of Tebow, coach Rex Ryan and offensive coordinator Tony Sparano never wanted to use Tebow as a starter. And they had no idea how to use him as a backup. New York wasted a fourth- and sixth-round pick in exchange for Tebow in a trade last offseason that smacked of ownership involvement.

Owner Woody Johnson wanted headlines; he got them. He just didn't get a lot of victories. Ryan threw one, last useless verbal bouquet to Tebow on his way out the door.

"We have a great deal of respect for Tim Tebow," Ryan said in a statement. "Unfortunately, things did not work out the way we all had hoped. Tim is an extremely hard worker, evident by the shape he came back in this offseason. We wish him the best moving forward."

NFL.com's Ian Rapoport has reported all weekend that the Jets plan to bring Mark Sanchez to OTAs and let him compete with Smith for the starting job. It costs a lot to cut Sanchez, and it appears he will remain on the roster this season.



Tebow, on the other hand, is now cast out into the wildnerness at just the wrong time. It's going to be hard for him to get a job at this stage, much less one with a realistic shot at playing time. Tebow will go through waivers and he's very unlikely to be claimed because of his salary. After he clears waivers, Tebow will be free to sign with any team.

If Tebow ever rises again, his stay in New York will either go down as a huge career setback. If not, the Jets stay will be remembered as the beginning of the end of his quarterbacking career.

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