Tim Tebow: Keeping QB's Role Secret Isn't Going to Help Dreadful Jets Offense

The New York Jets offense was an absolute mess in the season's first half and would need serious changes in order to improve down the stretch. Playing mind games by not talking about Tim Tebow's role coming out of the bye week isn't going to change anything.

Jane McManus of ESPN New York reports offensive coordinator Tony Sparano would only state he might be able to use the backup quarterback more effectively and head coach Rex Ryan didn't add much insight, saying he didn't want to get into specifics.

Tebow's role was pretty clear through the first eight games. He was going to take a couple of snaps under center, split out wide on a few plays and serve as the punt protector. His impact was minimal while starter Mark Sanchez continued to struggle.

Instead of making a change at quarterback, which isn't guaranteed to work (although the Jets don't have much to lose at this point), Ryan has decided to play coy with the offensive plans moving forward. He didn't even want to provide any clues.

The belief is that, by keeping the plan under wraps, it forces opponents to prepare for several different scenarios heading into any given week just in case Tebow plays more snaps.

Yet, it's something that doesn't hold water because opponents know exactly what to expect from Tebow should he play more. He's a subpar passer that will attempt to use his legs and short throws to move the chains. It's not some type of surprise.

Ryan would have been much better off making a firm declaration. Either Sanchez is going to remain the starter until season's end without Tebow stealing snaps, or Tebow is going to take over to see if he can provide a spark like he did for the Denver Broncos last season.

At least under one of those scenarios, the Jets offense could prepare on a weekly basis without the unnecessary distraction of figuring out how to use Tebow. His role would be established one way or another and everybody could move forward to more important things.

It's little things like this that end up turning into major issues, making it easy to understand why the Jets are already below .500 and trending in the wrong direction. Unfortunately for Jets fans, it seems like Ryan is going to stick with the status quo.

He can keep Tebow's role secret if he wants, but the team's continued struggles on offense are out in the open for everyone to see.