Dec 30, 2012; Orchard Park, NY, USA; New York Jets quarterback Tim Tebow (15) waves to fans before the game against the Buffalo Bills at Ralph Wilson Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kevin Hoffman-USA TODAY Sports

Just under 24 hours ago, Tim Tebow was released by the New York Jets, ending a year-long experiment that was buried in failure. From the moment that he arrived here on his private jet, to the moment he found out that he was being released, this experiment was more of the “Tim Tebow Error”, than the “Tim Tebow Era”. Now that the dust has settled, let’s look back and reflect on what was, and what could have been.

THIS MOVE HAD TO BE MADE

The only question was why John Idzik didn’t release Tebow sooner. From the moment this move was made last year, it was doomed to fail. The attention around the team was just too much. When you have a fragile team, with a fragile mindset, you don’t bring a guy to that team that is going to increase the media attention by double or triple. No backup quarterback on this planet, no backup player in any sport, garners this kind of attention.

The Jets are moving into a new era. John Idzik is here, and he is making his way through the roster, and removing the circus elements. Tim Tebow, based on the throngs of dedicated fans and media he brings, is part of the circus. For the Jets to move forward at all, he had to go.

WHAT COULD HAVE BEEN

What could have been with this situation? Well, it was sure talked up before the season, wasn’t it? If it had gone as well as it had been talked up, it would have been the most innovative offensive move in the NFL. There were even secret practices that the media were kept out of, deepening the mystery of the situation. Are they designing some secret, hybrid of the “Wildcat” that nobody has ever seen before? Apparently not, all they were doing was bluffing.

What could have been was a Brad Smith-esque weapon. They could have used Tim Tebow in these types of plays, but it didn’t happen. He was used once in a while, for essentially a three yard dive up the middle. That was it.

WHAT WENT WRONG?

There is plenty of blame to go around for why the experiment failed. A big portion has to go to the Jets’ coaching staff. For some reason, they had no idea how to use Tim effectively. It was a surprise, as Tony Sparano used Pat White, and running back Ronnie Brown in the similar role, so him not knowing how to use a quarterback in the role was shocking.

The Jets, for jumping in the mix to acquire him in the first place, deserve blame. Why? Because they weren’t prepared to use him. When you are bringing in a guy like Tebow, everyone has to be on board with how he is going to be used. Clearly, nobody was, so that means the move was a bad idea in the first place.

Turn the page, and the truths are going to be a little bit harder to accept, especially for Tim’s fans.

Dec. 30, 2012; Orchard Park, NY, USA; New York Jets quarterback Tim Tebow (15) walks off the field after a game against the Buffalo Bills at Ralph Wilson Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Timothy T. Ludwig-USA TODAY Sports

The inevitable has finally occurred, and the picture to the right will not be seen again.

Brian Costello of the New York Post has reported this morning via Twitter that the Jets have released backup quarterback Tim Tebow.

Source: The jets have released Tim Tebow #NYJ

— Brian Costello (@BrianCoz) April 29, 2013

The report has been confirmed by Conor Orr of the Newark Star-Ledger, along with Adam Schefter.

With all due respect to Tim Tebow’s legions of fans, this was a move that the Jets had to make. The media frenzy around Tim was too much for the team to handle. The stir that was always around this one player became larger than the team, and when you are trying to win a championship, the emphasis must be on the team, no matter what you are doing.

Tim will also get a chance to resurrect his career, somewhere. The Jets had no use for him on the roster, so it actually gives him the chance to find a team that will use him appropriately.

In any event, the Tim Tebow experiment in New York is officially over. Five quarterbacks are now left.

Oct 21, 2012; Foxboro, Massachusetts, USA; New England Patriots tight end Aaron Hernandez (81) is tackled by New York Jets safety LaRon Landry (30) during the first overtime quarter at Gillette Stadium. The New England Patriots won 29-26. Mandatory Credit: Greg M. Cooper-USA TODAY Sports

LaRon Landry was one of the biggest additions to the Jets in 2012. Literally, he changed the culture of the defense, especially across the middle of the football field. He’s an unrestricted free agent, and we have talked about the immense importance of being brought back by the Jets.

Wednesday, he spent time at ESPN, appearing on their various programs. He began the day appearing on the program “First Take”, where he told host Skip Bayless that he was expecting more from Tim Tebow.  Well, we all know this made all of the reporters crazy, so this story made the rounds through the mainstream media.  Each Jets reporter reported this in their own mainstream media kind of way, making a big deal out of this.

My question on it is this…..so what?

First of all, what station was LaRon on?  ESPN.  Let’s not forget the preseason, when the call letters could have been changed from “ESPN” to “TTBN (Tim Tebow Network)”.  Every member of their staff was, and probably still is, obsessed with Tim Tebow.  It would have been more news worthy had LaRon not been coaxed into speaking about Tebow.

That obsession is the greatest from Skip Bayless, co-host of the show “First Take”.  People have commented that they think Skip is related to Tebow, that’s how strongly he feels about him.  All season long, all he could do was talk about Tim Tebow, and how he would make the team better.  If anyone was going to take a discussion about the New York Jets, or a discussion with a New York Jets player, in the direction of a popular backup quarterback, it’s Skip Bayless.

The fact that LaRon Landry gave his opinion is not news.

We all know that the Jets are not shy about sharing their opinions when asked.  We also know that NO MATTER what was said, everyone would write a story about it.  I mean, what would the NFL news landscape be like if it didn’t report how many times a member of the Jets breathed, sneezed…etc?  Combine that with the fact that the discussion was about none other than Tim Tebow, and the headlines are EVERYWHERE!

In spite of this fact, LaRon Landry expecting more of Tim Tebow is not news.  It might have even been obvious.