New York. (AP)

The countdown clock may just be metaphorical at this point, but every story about Tim Tebow invariably leads back to one storyline: how long until he replaces Mark Sanchez as the Jets' starting quarterback?

Coach Rex Ryan and general manager Mike Tannenbaum make it clear every time it comes up: Sanchez is their guy. Of course, Broncos head coach John Fox made similar proclamations about Kyle Orton. That lasted five weeks. For now, Tebow is still Sanchez's backup, and in his spare time a running back, Wildcat specialist and punt protector. But he's also using this time to improve his passing skills, easily the weakest part of his game.

"I've been working pretty hard at doing that," Tebow told reporters after OTAs. "I feel like I had a good offseason before I got here, and being here and working with (offensive coordinator Tony) Sparano and working with Mark and working with coach (Matt Cavanaugh) on our drills and footwork and mechanics every day. I hope I'm improving. That's my goal, and I believe it's happening."

Last August, Fox called Tebow "a work in progress." By October (and thanks to some pretty dreadful football from Orton), he was the Broncos' starter. Three months later, Denver was AFC West champs and had just beaten Pittsburgh in the playoffs.

Still, Tebow admitted last summer that the scrutiny was getting to him.

"I'm trying to insulate myself from what people in the media are saying, but I've seen some of it, and it hurts because it's coming from people who haven't seen me practice, haven't seen me play, haven't seen what I can do," he told the Denver Post at the time. "I did an interview the other day with someone on the NFL Network who said last year I'd never play a down in the NFL. He was wrong."

Now he sounds more comfortable with his situation, even if it happens to be in the New York media fishbowl.

"It's been great," Tebow said. "(Sanchez and I) had a great relationship ever since he hosted me at USC, and we had a lot of fun together and a great experience. We got a lot of stuff to talk about, and always going back and forth, we have a very fun quarterback room, we have a good time."

So far, so good. But we'll reiterate the point we made when the 2012 NFL schedule was released last month: if Sanchez struggles through the Jets' first five games (they have two division matchups and face three playoff teams from a year ago), it'll be full-on Tebowmania in New York.

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