Remember when the New York Jets brought in Tim Tebow to be a change-of-pace quarterback for the offense? They wanted to utilize his running and passing abilities in order to add another dynamic to the offense. Head coach Rex Ryan felt great about the plan and even predicted a Super Bowl for New York. Well, that whole plan failed for the Jets, but is that stopping Ryan from planning the same thing for newly drafted Tajh Boyd?
Yes, Boyd possesses a run/pass skillset that most quarterbacks these days are eager to learn. While at Clemson, Boyd operated under a pistol formation with ample abilities to run the read-option offense. In his senior season, Boyd threw for 3,851 yards and 34 touchdowns while rushing for another 400 yards and 10 touchdowns. While those numbers do not generate as much attention as Tebow's, it gives the Jets the idea of using the quarterback in the same way.
While speaking at Jets rookie minicamp, Ryan touched on the comparisons between Boyd and Tebow noting that right now, the rookie was simply a quarterback for the team and nothing else.
"We'll see," Ryan said, via NFL.com. "Right now, it's 100 percent quarterback, but we'll see as it gets going. Certainly he's got the running skills and all that type of stuff we saw in college that you might consider doing different things with him, but right now it's 100 percent quarterback."
Boyd was quick to follow-up Ryan's statement saying that he has no intentions of playing any other position in the league. He told reporters, "I can't see myself playing another postion." So while Boyd has the build to be a quality rusher, he only sees himself as a quarterback that at times runs the read-option.
The drama surrounding Boyd only hurts the Jets quarterback picture even more. That fact that Ryan even had to address Tebow comparisons is likely giving fans headaches. Right now, they are dealing with a competition between Geno Smith and Michael Vick. Any change-of-pace type of plays that offensive coordinator Marty Mornhinweg attempts to run will likely go to the veteran who holds a similar skillset to Boyd.
Right now, Boyd's main concern is making the team. Vick and Smith are locked down. No. 3 option Matt Simms signed a contract extension at the start of the offseason so a release seems unlikely. Boyd needs to hope that the Jets are willing to carry four quarterbacks throughout the season.
