New York Jets May Use Geno Smith in a Tim Tebow Role

According to a report from ESPN's Rich Cimini, the New York Jets are considering putting rookie quarterback Geno Smith in a role similar to the one that Tim Tebow played in his brief stint with the Jets. 

Smith would be a change of pace at the quarterback position and would run mainly read-option and Wildcat plays. 

Haven't we been here before? 

Sure, Smith has a good amount of speed and athleticism (he ran a 4.59 40-yard dash at the 2013 NFL Combine) but he doesn't have the elite speed that guys like Colin Kaepernick or Robert Griffin III possess, so what's the point? Smith also fumbled 32 times at West Virginia, which doesn't bode well in a system that requires good decision-making and ball security. 

This idea was also futile last year with Tebow, who only had 102 rushing yards last season. The only thing it did accomplish was that it rattled Mark Sanchez enough to seemingly lose all of whatever confidence he had left. 

Although Sanchez will likely win the starting job by Week 1, the Jets will continue to groom Smith into being the first stable quarterback the team has had since Vinny Testaverde. 

If the Jets try to force more useless plays down Smith's throat, it could hamper his learning of Marty Mornhinweg's West Coast offense, which is actually extremely quarterback friendly. If the Jets want Smith to be the starter sooner rather than later, the team should make sure he knows the primary offense and worry about the gimmick plays later. 

In a do-or-die season for Rex Ryan, it wouldn't make much sense to throw his potential savior into a relief pitcher's role.

But then again, the safe choice is rarely the one Ryan ultimately makes.