3-5 at the bye week eight weeks into the NFL season isn’t the worst record in the world. But if you are the New York Jets it represents a franchise at the crossroads, a franchise in crisis. Trying to figure out eight games in a 16 game season what kind of team are they? Why did they bring Tim Tebow in and only now after eight weeks, they are still trying to figure out how to use him? The pressure to start Tebow at quarterback is getting louder with each play, with each interception, with each sack, each fumble. Yes this is a team in true crisis mode. It was said in a few out lets this past week the game against the Dolphins was a must win game to savage their season if they are to have any chance to make the playoffs. A win would have put them at 4-4 and at least kept them close to New England (5-3). Now at the bye week they are 3-5 with games at Seattle and StLouis and a night game against New England on Thanksgiving. They are strange mix these Jets, when you think they should win easy they don’t, when you don’t expect them to win they do. So let’s take a look at the next three games …if they go 1-2 at 4-7 they have to win the rest of their games just to finish at 9-7 and hope to make the playoffs and maybe need help to get in. If they pull a stunner and go 2-1 or 3-0 they would be right there in the thick of things scary isn’t it? Now the worse scenario is 0-3 and the Jets would be done like that Thanksgiving Turkey you will be eating in less than a month. At that point the season would have completely unraveled and no matter how you use Tebow it wouldn’t be enough. I have a feeling these three games will decide not only the season but the fate of Jets General Manager Mike Tannebaum for sure. Why him and not Rex Ryan? He assembled this team. He knew he had no receivers and didn’t upgrade it enough, no offensive line upgrade and no running game. At least he should have giving Rex a pass rusher a stud pass rusher something to work with, something to give teams nightmares about. Instead he gave us Tim Tebow a gimmick player. If he was as good as advertised Elway would have kept him in Denver. Yet at the height of Tebowmania in Denver he couldn’t wait to get rid of him. So what does that tell you? That Tannebaum isn’t a personnel guy. The difference between Tannebaum and Giants General manager Jerry Resse is growing more every game. Players on the Giants go down with injuries and miss games and yet at the halfway point the Giants are 6-2 with separation from the rest of the NFC East. They lose Brandon Jacobs and Mario Manningham to free agency, Hakeem Nicks to injury, and yet they march on without a beat and the player step up and play inspired spirited football. They beat a very good but over rated 49er team and decent Cowboy team, you don’t hear the G-men crow about their wins or their coach bragging about his team. They just win. Tannebaum did not bring better players to replace Plaxico, LaDamien Tomlinson, or the whipping boy of the offensive line Wayne Hunter. Instead he fired his offensive coordinator and replaced him with Tony Sparano whose job in Miami was being taken from him right under his nose (the owner was interviewing candidates to take his job very publicly) The only thing he was known for in Miami was the wildcat, something that you use on occasion to throw defenses off sometimes, not something to build a championship team with. Yet Tannebaum fell for Sparano hook line and sinker. I’m going to go out on a limb to say this unless the season spirals completely out of control and the Jets lose the rest of their games and finish 3-13 both Ryan and Tannebaum will be back but…Tannebaum will be in a reduced role and a personnel guy better a player evaluations will be brought in. Ryan will be given players to win with and told win or the door will hit you on the way out. Should Ryan and Tannebaum fate be tied together? Yes but Woody likes them both so he is going to find a way to still keep them both but make them accountable for the mess they made. 8 games done, 8 games to go to make something of this season that is making it later than it seems already.
smallthoughtsinasportsworld 