Tim Tebow: Why Jets Offense Doesn't Need His Wildcat Skills to Thrive

Lost in the New York Jets' 48-28 thumping of the Buffalo Bills in Week 1 was the fact that Tim Tebow rushed for just 11 yards on five carries in the Wildcat formation.

This was the same Wildcat formation that head coach Rex Ryan opted to keep under wraps during the preseason, hoping to surprise opponents in the regular season.

Late in the second quarter on Sunday, the Jets faced a 2nd-and-6 at the Bills' 12-yard line. The Jets then handed the ball to Tebow in the Wildcat, and he was stopped for no gain. On the next play, Mark Sanchez was unable to covert, and the Jets were left with a field goal.

It doesn't matter that the Jets were up 24-7 at that point. What matters is putting together an effective game plan when the Jets face tougher defenses down the line.

There's no doubt that the offense looked good against the Bills, but that was primarily because of the startling play of Sanchez, who was unchallenged for touches before Tebow came around. Sanchez went 19-of-27 for 266 yards, three touchdowns and one interception behind an impressive offensive line, which didn't allow a sack or QB hit during the game, despite the Bills' addition of Mario Williams.

The Jets face such defensive-minded teams as Pittsburgh (Week 2), San Francisco (Week 4) and Houston (Week 5) in the next few weeks.

Points are going to be much more difficult to come by.

Another thing to note is that the Steelers, 49ers and Texans all have elite run defenses. What good is the Wildcat under those circumstances?

Sure, it's hard to completely trust Sanchez, given some of his struggles throughout the years, but you can't deny that he looked much better in Week 1. By inserting Tebow every now and then, you not only jeopardize Sanchez's rhythm, but you also potentially make your team weaker, especially against strong run defenses.

Let's be honest: Tebow is an experimental player for the Jets. They figured they might as well try to shake things up after averaging 6.5 yards per attempt last season (26th in the NFL). However, given Sanchez's start, this may end up backfiring on New York.

Okay, so the Jets probably haven't completely opened up the playbook as far as the Wildcat goes. They could have Tebow pass the ball off every once in a while out of the formation. That could be more effective.

But is that really more effective than letting Sanchez control the offense right now?

I'm not so sure.

Sanchez could very well revert back to his old bumbling, stumbling self. In that sense, this article may be irrelevant. Maybe New York will need Tebow down the line.

But, as far as what I see right now, the Jets aren't helping themselves by taking snaps away from Sanchez in favor of Tebow.

What do you think? Tweet me.