Former New York Jets general manager Mike Tannenbaum expressed regret during a radio interview on Wednesday and confessed making mistakes while he was with the team, most notably trading Denver Broncos for Tim Tebow for the fourth and sixth round draft picks in 2012, Yahoo Sports reported.
"Obviously we made a couple mistakes -- trading for Tim Tebow most notably," Tannenbaum said on CBS Sports Radio. "But I would say beyond that, but we [could have done a better job with the bottom of our roster], especially toward the end."
According to Yahoo Sports, after getting Tebow, the Jets proceeded to have no discernibly logical plan on how to use him in their offensive system. Fans blamed the coaching staff, while Tebow detractors, believed the QB had a limited skill set and was incapable of competing at an NFL level.
Tannenbaum took over general manager duties in 2006 after starting with the team in 1997. After the 2012 season, he was fired after the Jets finished the year 6-10.
"I think some of the mistakes made were from the bottom end of our roster up," Tannenbaum said. "So when you lose guys like Jim Leonhard or Danny Woodhead or Jerricho Cotchery, it affects a lot of things -- not just what they do on the field, but what they do in the locker room."
Tebow threw only eight passes during his time with New York, United Press International reported.
"Tim obviously didn't play well in the preseason with New England, but he's a guy (who's) incredibly passionate about his career," Tannenbaum said. "I would never bet against Tim. We used to have an expression that Tim's the type of guy who's either going to be successful or die trying. His relentlessness and passion -- I would think he'll get another opportunity."
Although Tebow plans to "continue to pursue (his) dream of playing quarterback in the NFL," he was hired by ESPN to analyze college football games for the SEC Network in December.
"I am so excited that ESPN has given me this incredible opportunity," Tebow said at the time. "When I was six years old I fell in love with the game of football, and while I continue to pursue my dream of playing quarterback in the NFL, this is an amazing opportunity to be part of the unparalleled passion of college football and the SEC."
