NFL

Jets keep promised Wildcat under wraps

CORTLAND — Four months into his time with the Jets, Tim Tebow’s role has been discussed, dissected and deconstructed. One thing it hasn’t been: divulged.

Ask the Jets coaches about how Tebow will be used, and prepare for a non-answer. Even the Jets players remain in the dark about exactly how the team plans to use Tebow on offense. Tebow only has played traditional quarterback during practices open to the media or public in the spring and the first two days here.

Asked yesterday about the Wildcat formation Tebow is expected to be used in, offensive coordinator Tony Sparano played coy.

“Assuming that you think that we have it,” Sparano said with a smile. “This is not my first rodeo.”

The Jets worked briefly on some of the Wildcat plays for Tebow during organized team activities in the spring. But the offensive players remain unsure of just what Sparano’s plans are.

“We have somewhat of an idea, but Tony and those guys are not really coming fully out with what they’re going to do with Tebow,” tackle Wayne Hunter said. “They’re keeping it under wraps.”

During the regular season the media only is permitted to watch the first 30 minutes of practice, so teams have plenty of time to work on plays they don’t want reporters to see. It’s trickier during training camp, when all of practice is open to the media. The Jets do have “walk-through” sessions that are closed.

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Jets coach Rex Ryan said he expects the team to work on the Tebow packages some time in camp, but said he was not 100 percent sure about that.

“Clearly we’re going to run some Wildcat,” Ryan said. “We will have some of those times when Tony has it scripted. We know that’s going to be part of what we do offensively.”

There also is a thought the Jets might not use the Wildcat in practice at all in camp and wait until the week before the season opener against the Bills to work on it. That will be after the final roster cuts are made to and guard against players currently on the bottom of the roster revealing the Jets’ plans if they are released and picked up by another team such as the Patriots.

“That could be,” Hunter said. “That would be paranoia. Every team does pick up ‘scouts,’ though.”

Tebow has been as evasive as the coaches when asked about his role. He turns any question about it into an answer about how he’s just working to improve. Tebow did say he has not thought about how many snaps he will get.

“I don’t have any preconceived notions of anything,” he said upon his arrival in Cortland.

Tight end Dustin Keller said he believes the offense won’t have trouble picking up whatever is added for Tebow. The Jets also used Wildcat in the past with Brad Smith and last year with Jeremy Kerley and Shonn Greene, so nearly everyone on the offense is familiar with the scheme.

“I think we have a lot of smart guys in this offense that pick things up fast,” Keller said. “Everybody’s been in some type of Wildcat offense before. So I think it will come fast. As we get deeper into training camp, I’m sure we’re going to start practicing those things. I know Sparano is going to play to everybody’s strength and obviously, that is [Tebow’s].”

For now, Sparano is not tipping his hand.

“What we’re trying to do here every single day is to work as hard as we can on continuing the progress with Tim at the quarterback position,” Sparano said. “I’ll worry about any of that other stuff.”