Tim Tebow Should Be Accountable for His Part of New York Jets’ Mess

Tim Tebow New York Jets — Debby Wong-USA TODAY Sports

The New York Jets decided that Tim Tebow couldn’t help them as a quarterback. Welcome to reality, Tim.

When Tebow came to the Jets, it’s not as if there were 30 other teams beating down the door to acquire him.

Most NFL teams decided a long time ago that Tebow doesn’t have the skill set to be a starting quarterback in this league, and the Jets apparently needed to see it with their own eyes to finally believe it.

But Tebow wasn’t misled by the Jets. He was misread by them.

They thought that Tebow could help them. And it didn’t take too many practices to realize that they were wrong.

After the Jets’ Week 16 loss to the San Diego Chargers, Tebow was asked why he spent the entire game on the bench, even as the Jets ran plays out of Wildcat formations with Jeremy Kerley as a triggerman instead of Tebow.

“It just kind of happens,” said Tebow, who was active and given every chance in the world to play on Sunday.

However, reports surfaced after the game that it was Tebow himself who asked out of the gameplan, and his postgame attitude didn’t seem to reflect that of a selfless team player.

Isn’t that what Tebow likes to purport himself as? A team-first guy who would do anything to help his team win?

Griping about your role isn’t being a team player. If the Jets thought he could run the offense, they’d let him.

Tebow was upset that the Jets didn’t hand him a starting job he didn’t earn, and he responds by benching himself?

I’m sorry, Tim. That’s not how a self-proclaimed team-first guy would conduct himself. You’re not absolved of blame.

Maybe somewhere along the way, Tebow began to believe all the “Tebowmania” hype, and it’s set him back.

Nobody is awarded a God-given right to be a starting quarterback in the NFL. Starting jobs are earned, not given.

If Tebow wants to be a starting quarterback or nothing, why is he talking about wanting do whatever it takes for the team, then allegedly asking not to play? True team players don’t quit on their coaches and teammates.

I’m not saying Tebow doesn’t have the right to be upset. He thought things would go his way, and they haven’t. He doesn’t want to play for the Jets anymore, that’s fine. Just don’t be a hypocrite when it comes to being a team guy.

Rex Ryan, meanwhile, took the high road when it came to explaining why Kerley got Tebow’s reps.

“I wanted to give Kerley a shot at running some Wildcat things,” Ryan said. “We knew they wouldn’t expect him to throw the ball, and that was the case.” (Kerley completed his lone pass attempt for a 42-yard gain.)

Tebow’s disappointing Jets tenure will likely be one-and-done, and he’ll try to resurrect his career elsewhere in 2013.

For Tebow’s sake, I truly do hope he finds what he’s looking for. He just can’t feign shock when it doesn’t work out.

Don’t say one thing in public and then say the opposite behind closed doors. If you don’t want to play, don’t play. But don’t pretend that it was the team’s decision to sit you down when it was your call to ride the pine.

The NFL is a what-have-you-done-for-me-lately league. It”ll be hard for a lot of teams to put too much stock into Tebow’s 2011 playoff run without noting Tebow’s selfish attitude when things don’t go the way he wants them to.

When you’re playing pro football, act like a pro when times are tough. Accountability goes a long way.

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