Published: Thursday, May 3, 2012 at 6:10 p.m.
Last Modified: Thursday, May 3, 2012 at 6:10 p.m.
FLORHAM PARK, N.J. â€" New Jets offensive coordinator Tony Sparano knows a few things about the wildcat formation and sees Tim Tebow as an effective player in it.
Sparano brought the wildcat to the forefront as head coach in Miami, mainly with halfback Ronnie Brown running it. But Brown was not much of a threat to throw.
Tebow can be, and Sparano praised Tebow's "flexibility." He didn't mention Tebow's erratic arm.
"There was very little element of the pass involved with that," Sparano said Thursday of using the wildcat with the Dolphins. "Obviously with Tim, that is a different element. The element of being able to throw the football out of that brings an entirely different dynamic.
"Whether we run the wildcat or a version of it or something else, I am not going to tie myself down to one thing. Sure, all those things are on the table, that is the great thing about having a player that has the flexibility that Tim has."
Sparano, fired near the end of last season and quickly hired by the Jets in January after parting with Brian Schottenheimer (now the offensive coordinator in St. Louis), didn't seem concerned about another dynamic: bringing in the headline-making Tebow as a backup to incumbent quarterback Mark Sanchez.
Sanchez struggled as the Jets lost their final three games in 2011 to finish 8-8 and fail to make the playoffs for the first time in his three-year pro career. Tebow, on the other hand, sparked Denver to the AFC West title â€" albeit also at 8-8 â€" with late-game rallies, then led the Broncos past Pittsburgh in the wild-card round.
Everyone in the Jets organization is adamant that Sanchez is the unquestioned starter, and will only be replaced by Tebow when the team runs specific plays designed for the left-handed quarterback.
The plan, according to coach Rex Ryan, has been for Tebow to take as many as 20 snaps in a game.
"He comes with a different skill set, obviously from college, and that's a good thing for us," Sparano said. "He has the ability to do a lot of different jobs. At the game, that is what you want, players who will do a lot of jobs for you."
But not the starting job. Not right now. That belongs to Sanchez.
"His numbers were better last year than they had been the previous couple years," Sparano said, ignoring the numbers in the wins and losses column. "This guy is a young player that has won a lot of football games here."
The Jets went to the AFC championship game in each of Sanchez's first two seasons, losing to the Colts and then to the Steelers.
"I am excited where he is," Sparano added. "He has had a tremendous offseason, got himself in good shape and has come in and really has worked hard physically this offseason, and mentally learning what we are doing. I am impressed."
Sparano likes the idea of moving his quarterbacks out of the pocket to throw. Tebow's accuracy in and out of the pocket has been an issue, as has Sanchez's decision making.
"With Tim or Mark or any of our quarterbacks, they really handle it well on the move," Sparano said. "That is one of the things looking at Mark, he throws the ball very well on the move. "The moving quarterback with big receivers that can get back to the football, I think they find those big targets friendly when they are on the move."
One of the main targets, wide receiver Santonio Holmes, had a rough 2011 season in which he feuded with several teammates, including Sanchez, and despite being a team captain, was benched during the season finale in Miami for arguing in the huddle.
But the Jets kept him, at cost of $15.25 million in guaranteed money over the next two seasons.
"This guy has really special ability, can catch and run with it, makes the hard catches," Sparano said. "I've seen him make the acrobatic catches.
"The guy wants the football. This guy is competitive, he loves to compete, I like that with skill players."
Notes: The Jets waived guard Trevor Canfield, who was with them in training camp last year. ... Sparano expressed confidence in right tackle Wayne Hunter, who struggled last season as a starter.
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