Tebow still rooting for struggling Sanchez

Tim Tebow threw his first official pass as a New York Jet Sunday and — if you think the nine-yard completion whetted his appetite for more — he isn't letting on.

The Jets backup made another sporadic appearance in Jets green and white and — despite the 34-0 loss to the San Francisco 49ers and starter Mark Sanchez's abysmal outing — Tebow is not going to fan the flames of the Jets quarterback controversy.

"I just want to do the best I can with whatever role that they give me, provide enthusiasm and energy every time I get the opportunity, but also from the sidelines or wherever am," Tebow said.  "I'll be a good teammate, encourage guys and when, given opportunities , just try and make the most of them."

If Tebow sounds like a broken record, it's because he has been singing that same refrain since he was traded to the Jets and he is still behind the team starting Sanchez.

Still, the sight of Colin Kaepernick being used six times in the 49ers' Wildcat formation and running for a touchdown must have had Tebow chomping at the bit.  But he knows it's head coach Rex Ryan's call.

And it sounds as if Sanchez's third straight sub-par performance — culminating with yesterday's 13-for-29 for 103 yards and an interception fiasco — won't change Ryan's mind about using Tebow.

"I don't think that's the answer," Ryan said of then potential quarterback switch.  "I think Mark's the answer at quarterback.  But time will tell."

That's a big "but."

It's impossible to gauge the effect Tebow's little used Wildcat will have on the Jets.  Yesterday, he completed his nine-yard pass to TE Dedrick Epps, who fumbled it and hurt his knee on the play.  Tebow gained two yards on one play and he was sacked in the shotgun for a loss on another. Not exactly Kaepernick Wildcat numbers but Tebow did end up with a QB rating of 104.2.  Huh?

As for his role on the Jets offense,  Tebow insists he will do anything it takes to help Sanchez.

"It's a supporter, a friend, someone that obviously we've been competing every day, but our relationship is a lot deeper than just that," said Tebow.  "You root him on, you encourage him ... whatever I have to do to help him, I'm going to do it."

That noise you hear under the chants of "Tebow-Tebow" is the sound of Tebow singing Kumbaya all alone.

Rex Ryan gives spicy recipe for Jets 'butt kicking'

An angry Rex Ryan faced the media after his New York Jets were manhandled 34-0 by the San Francisco 49ers sounding more like Chef Ramsey than Vince Lombardi.  The slow-boiling head coach opened up his press conference by saying:

"I apologize for my language because  I was going to say we got out butts kicked,  but we got our asses kicked. Here's a recipe for getting your asses kicked.  Two-for-13 on third down ... four turnovers, a blocked punt when they rush one guy and giving up 245 yards rushing.  How's that for a recipe?"

The simmering Ryan went on to say he would give his team a couple of days to "soul search."

"It's obviously unacceptable," he fumed.  "It starts with the coaches.  The players are not going to be in on Monday or Tuesday.  They've got to dig deep, look down at themselves ."

What must really have Ryan steaming is the fact that the 49ers represent a team he wants the Jets to be  — a beefy stew containing a stout defense,  a grinding running game with a dash of Wildcat offense — but it was the Niners who served it up to the Jets fans in MetLife Stadium.






Ryan could only watch as the 49ers rumbled for 245 yards on the ground and even used his Tim Tebow-style Wildcat for a touchdown to rub salt in his wounds.

"It's not something I ever want to go through again," said Ryan.  "I can tell you that much."

The Jets coach bristled  when asked if he would finally replace Mark Sanchez — 13-of-29 for only 103 yards and a costly fumble —with Tebow to shake up the tepid offense.

"Mark is the answer," said Ryan, adding.  "But time will tell."

It's hard to tell if the sporadically used Tebow can do anything to shake the team from its doldrums.  The Jets backup quarterback ran twice yesterday and completed his only pass which ended up as a fumble.  He looked flatter than a Denver omelette.

Seeing his best offensive weapon receiver Santonio Holmes carted off the field  probably has Ryan losing his appetite anyway.

The 34-0 drubbing was the third worst home loss in Jets history and, if that chant for "Tebow-Tebow-Tebow" Sunday afternoon was faint, it's only because there were so few masochistic Gang Green fans left in the stands by the end of the game.

Still, Ryan has to be hearing those words in his head today.

49ers' Colin Kaepernick scores Wildcat TD against Jets

San Francisco 49ers backup quarterback, Colin Kaepernick, scored his first NFL touchdown by surprising the New York Jets with a Tim Tebow-style Wildcat play.

The Jets head coach, Rex Ryan, the Wildcat's biggest advocate, had been touting the possible challenges his Tebow-led Wildcat would cause opposing teams ever since the former Broncos QB arrived in the Jets camp this summer.

Ironically, Ryan's own defense didn't look ready for the scheme and the Jets ended up being the opposing team in this instance.

The rarely used Kaepernick, a second-year backup, ran the ball in for the seven-yard touchdown to give the 49ers a 7-0 first quarter lead after an eight play, 68-yard drive engineered by starter Alex Smith.

Kaepernick, who has a total of four pass attempts under his NFL belt, came in for Smith for a couple of formations during the game and out-Wildcatted Ryan and his Jets.  The 49ers blockers cleared a nice path for their QB after he took the snap and scooted left.  The Jets' D looked like it had never seen anyone run it before.

On the other side of MetLife Stadium, Tebow threw his first pass as a Jet.  It was complete to Dedrick Epps but fumbled by the tight end.

The 49ers took a 10-0 lead into the locker room at halftime.

Rex Ryan fumes over questions regarding the Wildcat

The new and mellower Rex Ryan got a little bit surly Monday after he was questioned about his team's poor performance against the Pittsburgh Steelers and, in particular, the Jets decision to pull Tim Tebow and the Wildcat offense just when it seemed to light a spark in his struggling team in the third quarter.

Ryan, who was more than happy to wax poetic on the Wildcat all summer,  became agitated yesterday when asked for the reasoning behind pulling Tebow — after two consecutive third-quarter first downs — and replacing him with ineffective starter Mark Sanchez on a second-and-16.

When a reporter began to ask, "If Tebow can pass ...," Ryan interrupted, "He can pass," before the question could be finished.

When asked about the sparse use of the Wildcat in the first two games, Ryan clenched his teeth.

"Well, we've always said from day one, we can do it 20 times, 40 times, 10 times, two times, whatever.   But we determine that, OK?," said Ryan.  "Does that mean that given the exact same scenario against a different opponent that you may or may not use it?  That'll be up to us."

For all the talk about Tebow's skills as a runner and passer, the big question remains: Why won't the Jets let the fullback-sized quarterback throw the ball?

Through the first two games, Tebow has not attempted a single pass.

"We always do what's in the best interest of our team," said Ryan.

Apparently having the awful Sanchez go 3-for-17 for 22 yards during a stretch — the same total Tebow picked up on his first play — was in the best interest of the Jets.

Does Ryan think Tebow can be more interesting?

"What I loved about Tim when he was in there when he made that big run, the emotion and all that kind of stuff," Ryan said.  "It was great to see.  How many times we'll run it this week, we'll see."

You think Ryan would have seen these questions coming a mile down the Turnpike  as soon as Sanchez sputtered and would have been prepared for the onslaught.

He later told ESPN radio he wasn't rankled by the Wildcat questions.

"I was upset with the loss," Ryan said.  "I'm not worried about a question about Tim Tebow."

Jets plan to keep Wildcat under wraps during preseason

New York Jets fans waiting to see Rex Ryan unveil his vaunted Wildcat offense with Tim Tebow will just have to wait a little while longer to see the beast released from its cage.

Rex Ryan has kept the scheme a well-kept secret this summer and admitted Thursday that the Jets will be keeping it that way— at least until the regular season.

"I don't see us really using the Wildcat in the preseason," said the Jets head coach.  "We'll play Mark [Sanchez] into the third quarter and we'll play Tim to finish out."

It doesn't sound like Tebow will have a problem with that plan.  He's been lining up in the traditional quarterback position throughout the first two preseason games and claims he doesn't need to dwell on the radical Wildcat to be proficient at it— but admitted he is ready to run it.

"Nah, it's fine.  We had a few live reps in practice, but I've run that stuff before so I've gotten reps in my life at it," he said.  "I just think continue to work on it in practice when we need to and we can get good reps in practice.  I don't think it's something you have to do in the preseason."

While Ryan claims the Jets will not use the Wildcat this Sunday against the Carolina Panthers, he is still giddy knowing opposing teams have to spend time devising a plan to defend it.

"Well, let's get them to prepare for it a little bit," he joked.

Santonio Holmes also likes that element of surprise before the Jets open the regular season on Sept. 9 against the Buffalo Bills..

"The things we're gonna do this season, why give everybody a clue right now?  Leave 'em all guessing," said the Jets receiver.  "Show it on Sunday  when it really counts and we just punch them in the mouth from there."

Whenever Ryan decide to unleash the Wildcat it will be welcome in Jetsville.  So far the offense has looked like a kitty-cat.

Pennington brings Wildcat expertise to Jets camp

It looks like the New York Jets are serious about making this Wildcat offense a working reality.  The day after the team held a top secret practice to work on the offensive scheme, they brought in Chad Pennington to help bolster the belief that the Tim Tebow formation can work.

If anyone can bridge the gap between the Jets and the Wildcat— it's Pennington.

The former Jets quarterback played for Jets offensive coordinator Tony Sparano from 2008-10 when the Miami Dolphins brought the freaky scheme back into the NFL.  Sparano was the Dolphins head coach during those years.

On Tuesday, Pennington sounded like a true believer in the two-quarterback system with Tebow and Mark Sanchez as equal parts.

"It's truly about finding an edge as a team," he said.  "Whether or not you use the Wildcat, a team has to prepare for it week in and week out . . . It can become an X factor."

Ever since the Jets traded for Tebow, people have been wondering if adding another quarterback to take Wildcat snaps will affect Sanchez's mojo.

Justin Tuck won't be phoning Rex Ryan to call off Wildcat

The New York Jets went to great lengths in an attempt to keep Tim Tebow's Wildcat practice under wraps on Monday but, if you ask the New York Giants players, they're making a big deal over nothing.

Last week it was reported that Cincinnati Bengals head coach Marvin Lewis called Jets head coach Rex Ryan and asked him not to run the Wildcat against his defense— for whatever reason.

The Giants, on the other hand, don't think the radical offensive scheme is something to sweat about and won't be using up any of their phone minutes calling the Jets asking them to call off the worst kept secret since that Stewart/Pattinson thing.

The Giants first team defense isn't planning on facing much of Tebow or the Wildcat when the two teams square off in Saturday night's exhibition game at MetLife Stadium but they are a little curious about facing the gimmicky scheme.

"You definitely have to prepare for (Tebow) because he's a dynamic player," said Giants defensive end Justin Tuck.  "But there aren't too many things you can do out of the Wildcat.  It's pretty simple when you think about it."

Not in Ryan's eyes.  The Wildcat's biggest cheerleader thinks the Tebow factor adds a whole new dimension to offensive coach Tony Sparano's game plan and causes opposing teams to spend time preparing for it in practice.

The Giants know that the dual-threat Tebow can be troublesome but not enough that they have to spend that much time figuring it out or preparing for it.

"I'm just eager to play the next game," said Tuck.  "Fortunately for us it involves Tebow.  I think I might not even get the opportunity to play against him"

Tuck said the Giants would probably prepare for Tebow a little differently if this was a regular season game— just a little.

"(You're) not talking hours and hours of extra work for a scheme that some NFL people believe defenses figured out how to defend several years ago, said Tuck.

"I don't know what it was, (but) we've had pretty much great success against teams that run the Wildcat," he said.  "I think most coaches do a great job of devising a plan against it."

It doesn't sound like Tuck will be picking up the phone anytime soon.

Rex Ryan: Marvin Lewis asked me not to run the Wildcat

New York Jets' fans waited all spring and summer to see Tim Tebow unleashed in the team's new Wildcat offense.  They're still waiting.

Head coach Rex Ryan didn't run the Tebow-based Wildcat at all on Friday night against the Cincinnati Bengals and claims the reason was an unusual agreement he made with his opposing coach, Marvin Lewis, before the exhibition game.

Ryan explained that the Bengals coach called him before the game and asked him not to.

The Jets coach has been boasting all summer about how afraid opposing defenses are going to be handling Tebow this season and claims Lewis' plea is just evidence of that fear.

"I know nobody's worried about Wildcat and all that stuff.  It's real easy to stop," a sarcastic Ryan said last week.  'That's why I got a call at 7 a.m. the day before we played by Marvin not wanting to see the Wildcat.  I guess I'm the only guy who thinks it has a place in the NFL... me and every defensive coach in the league."

Ryan— who once coached with Lewis in Baltimore— suspiciously turned off the Tebow Wildcat on Friday against the Bengals.  It's odd that a coach would not test out his new secret weapon but it's even more strange that a coach wouldn't want to test his defense against the offense— just in case they come across it during the regular season.

Coaches who have made gentleman's agreements before meaningless preseason games are rare but not unheard of.

Last summer, Saints coach Sean Payton called Jim Harbaugh to make some kind of a pact before a pre-season game only to have it fall on the deaf ears of the 49ers coach.  The unanswered call led to the Saints unleashing hell and piling on a half-dozen sacks on the unsuspecting 49ers.

Ryan could have blitzed Lewis just the same, but it might not have mattered.  Tebow was less than impressive in his debut with Gang Green.  There were a couple of completions and first down runs.  But there were also a holding call and an interception in about a quarter and a half.

If the Jets want to test out their Wildcat, that's their decision, regardless of what the opposing team wants.  Maybe we'll see it next week or maybe Ryan is saving it for the real games. 

As for the Bengals, what were they afraid of?

Antonio Cromartie: No room for Tebow on Jets

Antonio Cromartie apparently isn't too keen on the New York Jets taking an interest in Denver Broncos quarterback Tim Tebow in any capacity.  Cromartie tweeted about it after Denver signed Peyton Manning— all but ending Tebow's career with the Broncos.

The outspoken Jets cornerback used Twitter to express his feelings about pursuing Tebow.

"We don't need Tebow," Cromartie tweeted Tuesday.  "We sell out every home game let him go to Jacksonville Tampa or Miami."

Cromartie— one of the leaders of the mayhem in the Jets locker room— wasn't through trying to sway the Jets brass from bringing in the unorthodox quarterback.


"Our Wildcat offense can be run by (Jeremy) Kerley or Joe McKnight,"he tweeted.  "We have Mark_ Sanchez and just signed Drew.  Mark has taken us to 2 AFC championship game.  We need to build on the team we have right now."

Could introducing Tebow's ultra-religious character to the dysfunctional Jets locker room have something to do with Cromartie's rant.

Cromartie has a troublesome background and has fathered nine children with eight women in six states and doesn't exactly adhere to Tebow's beliefs.

The Jets cornerback does make some good points for not getting Tebow, but several people in the Jets organization have told the New York Daily News that he might be a good fit.

Many insiders believe the Jets new offensive coordinator Tony Sparano could put Tebow's abilities to good use in certain Wildcat schemes.  Sparano was the head coach for the Miami Dolphins when he began using the Wildcat offense to pump up the anemic offense.

There are a lot of pros and cons that come with bringing Tebow into the Jets family.

For one thing, Tebow's character could play a big role in bringing the fractured locker room together, but could just as well split the team in two.  The team isn't exactly a group of choirboys.

The media attention surrounding Tebow could distract the press enough to take the cameras away from oft-targeted Sanchez but, on the other side of the coin,  there is also the possibility that Tebow could wilt under the 24/7 New York media spotlight.  'Aw, shucks' only goes so far in New York— unless you win it all.

Just ask Eli Manning.

Jets general manager Mike Tannenbaum hasn't commented on Tebow except to say that "Tim Tebow is a player under contract with another team."

Tannenbaum also avoided dumping any more negativity onto the tattered psyche of Sanchez— after the 'Peyton Manning to the Jets' stories and disappointing 2011 season— by saying he "feels good about" the quarterbacks on the roster, which includes Greg McElroy and Drew Stanton.

Tebow-mania and Linsanity in the same city might be a little too much anyway.