The 2012 NFL season for the New York Jets was bad to say the least. It turned into more of a reality show than a professional football team. In fact at one point I could have swore I was watching an NFL version of MTV’s ‘Jersey Shore.’ Many NFL teams have problems but the 2012 Jets took it to a whole new level. The season was a perfect storm of dysfunction. A 6-10 record alone cannot create such caos. Just look at the 2008 0-16 Lions. The Lions didn’t even win a game but still had less dysfunction than the 2012 Jets. So what caused such a catastrophe? The answer is complex. There were many factors that contributed to sideshow and it starts at the top.

Former general manager Mike Tannenbaum rolled the dice on some key personnel decisions that ultimately ended up costing him his job. The first major mistake was his decision to resign the struggling Jet' quarterback Mark Sanchez. Sanchez had failed to live up to hype of his misnomer “Sanchise.”

The second major misstep by Tannenbaum was his decision to trade for the polarizing quarterback Tim Tebow. Trading for him was a major gamble. The national public can’t seem to get enough Tebow. He is a national phenomenon that attracts media attention like he’s Justin Bieber. Tannenbaum was well aware of this prior to making the trade. He felt the reward out weighed the risks. He couldn’t have been more wrong. You could say Tannenbaum was the ring-leader of sorts for the circus that was the Jets.

All cannot be blamed solely on the general manager. The head coach Rex Ryan can take some blame as well. Ryan has always been a confident coach. Some would even say he’s a bit cocky. This persona can be great when you’re winning football games but can work against you when you’re losing. This is precisely what happened with Ryan. The outspoken head coach only fueled the fire that quickly burned the Jet’s season.

You can’t talk about the Jet’s dysfunction without mentioning the name Tebow. I hate to blame Tebow for the Jet’s disaster but it’s hard to ignore the spectacle that accompanies him. I look at it like this: Tebow’s is the main ingredient in the recipe for disaster. The shear media attention alone was a major distraction to the football team. Who else can draw Super Bowl like media attention to a preseason practice? What’s more the Jet’s decision to sit Tebow despite Sanchez’s struggles only added more unwanted attention to the New York train wreck.

Sanchez is also a key ingredient in this mess. He could have put out the fire by playing at a high level but instead had one of the worst seasons he’s ever had. The Jet’s inept offense did not help matters much either. Sanchez’s poor performance combined with the Jet’s refusing to start Tebow polarized Jet’s fans. This culminated when long-time Jet’s fan Fireman Ed announced he would no longer be attending Jet’s games. Things are not looking good when your number one fan quits.

All of this would not be possible without the help of the hungry media. The relentless attacks from the New York media was like pouring gasoline on the Jet’s inferno. Some of the blame has to be placed on the them. The New York media is known for being harsh on their sports teams. Just ask Eli Manning before he won two Super Bowls. Combine all of these pieces and a ruthless New York media and you get the circus known as the 2012 Jets.