The New York Jets began working on the Wildcat offense at practice on Monday, a long-awaited development after an offseason that included the hiring of Wildcat guru Tony Sparano as offensive coordinator and the acquisition of Tim Tebow in a trade with the Denver Broncos.
However, for as much interest as there may be in the Jets' use of the Wildcat, the Jets themselves won't feed the speculation, as the team was tight-lipped following Monday's practice. Just how tight-lipped? Manish Mehta, who covers the team for the New York Daily News offered some insight Monday on his Twitter account (@MMehtaNYDN) after posing a question to Jets quarterback Mark Sanchez.
"Asked an innocuous question about whether he watched '08 Dolphins clips, Sanchez said: 'Ask Coach,'" Mehta tweeted, referring to Miami's AFC East title under Sparano in 2008, which was bolstered by liberal use of the Wildcat. Running back Joe McKnight took the shroud of secrecy one step further, denying any knowledge of the Wildcat.
One former Jet, however, was more than happy to share his opinion. Recently retired lineman Damien Woody, now an analyst for ESPN, took to his Twitter account (@damienwoody) on Monday, saying, "If the Jets showed as much passion in developing Sanchez as they do the Wildcat the offense would be in a better place #JustSayin."
The Jets have used a few Wildcat plays in the past, most notably using former University of Missouri quarterback Brad Smith under center at times during his three-year Jets career. With Smith leaving for Buffalo last season, the Wildcat was much less prominent in New York last season, but with the arrivals of Sparano and Tebow, the Wildcat is expected to make a comeback for Gang Green this year.
When it comes down to it, the level of secrecy coming from the Jets really shouldn't be a big deal. Teams generally aren't big fans of letting other teams get a look at the playbook, no matter what kind of schemes are involved, and the success or failure of any additions to the offense in 2012 will depend on the players running the plays on the field, and not what anyone else has or hasn't seen beforehand.
