New York Jets: 3 Schemes Tony Sparano Would Be Smart to Employ Tim Tebow in

The New York Jets made one of the more puzzling moves of the offseason (to put it mildly) in acquiring quarterback Tim Tebow from the Denver Broncos. Now that the NFL Draft has come and gone and minicamps are just around the corner, it's time for New York offensive coordinator Tony Sparano to get down to the business of figuring out how best to use their new toy.

And no, I don't mean as a personal punt protector, although that certainly increases the odds of a fake on any given kick.

The Jets have made it clear that Mark Sanchez remains the starting quarterback, so until Sanchez struggles, the fans call for Tebow, and we're all treated to what should be the Ringling Brothers of media circuses, Sparano and the Jets are going to have to find other ways for Tebow to make a dent on offense, and here are a few suggestions.

The Wildcat

The wildcat offensive formation burst into NFL prominence in 2008 while Sparano was the head coach of the Miami Dolphins, so it makes sense that the Jets would attempt to utilize the wildcat with Tebow this season. The formation has lost some favor in the league over the past couple of years, due in large part to the fact that the threat of teams throwing out of the wildcat was virtually nonexistent, but Sparano recently told CBS Sports that he feels that could change with Gang Green.

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“The difference here is at that point there was very little element of pass involved in that,” Sparano said, via the New York Post, referring to the Wildcat he ran when he was the Dolphins head coach. “Obviously, with Tim that's a different element. If we decide to go down that road, the element of being able to throw the football out of that brings a completely different dynamic into the picture here.”

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This of course assumes that Tebow would be more accurate throwing out of the Wildcat than, say, Brad Smith, but if you take that leap of faith (so-to-speak) then it would stand to reason that Tebow could add a dimension to the wildcat that we haven't really seen in the NFL.

Short Yardage

At 236 pounds, Tim Tebow isn't afraid to drop a shoulder and try to bull his way forward for tough yardage, and that's an area in which the Jets could use some assistance. Starting running back Shonn Greene has scored on only 4 of 13 carries inside the five yard line over the past three seasons, and having Tebow under center at the goal line would provide New York with another option that should boost that percentage.

The same theory holds true when the Jets face third or fourth and short situations anywhere on the field, and although Greene has had more success converting those types of situations in the past than he has at the goal line, the presence of Tebow in these "jumbo" sets will only serve to provide opposing defenses with additional difficulties.

"Bait and Switch"

This last suggestion isn't so much a formation as a play that the team can occasionally run with Tebow under center, although it's not an idea without risk given that it would force Tebow to do something that causes offensive coordinators and fans alike to cringe.

Throw the football.

If Tebow takes the field predominantly in Wildcat or short yardage situations, opposing defenses are inevitably going to start thinking "run" when they see Tebow, and the defensive alignments and personnel packages are going to reflect that thought. Extra defensive backs will be eschewed in favor of linebackers, and safeties will cheat up into the box in anticipation of the run play they believe is coming.

That will leave these same defenses vulnerable to being beaten over the top with the deep ball, which just so happens to be the pass that Tebow throws best. It's not necessarily going to work a lot of times, as defenses will eventually get wise to the Jets' chicanery, but using Tebow as a "decoy" of sorts on a few well-chosen deep routes could easily net the Jets a few cheap scores this season.

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