The name Tim Tebow might still haunt some New York Jets fans. Bringing in the quarterback essentially ended his and Mark Sanchez's time with the Gang Green and caused some severe media headaches along the way. The Jets appear to have found some stability at the position when they drafted and starter Geno Smith. However, the addition of Michael Vick, of course, brings that into questioning once again. While head coach Rex Ryan stresses that Smith is the man to beat, will Vick be on the field more than expected?
The Jets intended for Tebow to be a change-of-pace quarterback. With his running abilities, he held a different skill set than Sanchez and the team was hoping to utilize it. However, that experiment blew up in everyone's faces and the Jets moved on to a more traditional offense. Now with Vick on the roster, the Jets are aiming to once again, try that change-of-pace style.
According to Vick, he could be running tandem with Smith more than people think. The quarterback hinted that he has seen a specific package of plays that would utilize him in the wild cat style offense, rushing more than throwing.
"When the time calls for it, I think the coaches will see fit that that's put in," Vick said, via Dom Cosentino of NJ.com. "That disrupts the timing of the offense. I think it has to be done at the right time. I experienced that in Philadelphia, with Donovan [McNabb] at times. You want to go out there and let the quarterbacks get into a rhythm and not try to do too much. I think that's doing too much."
When Vick arrived in Philadelphia, McNabb was the starter and head coach Andy Reid inserted the quarterback on specific plays. This was not pleasing to McNabb, who showed signs of irritation several times when Vick was put on the field in place of him. The results were positive, but not thrilling to the then franchise quarter. Ryan is hoping to have the same success with Vick and Smith, but will it cause tension on the team?
Right now, Vick's skillset is needed. The new and improve running back rotation for the Jets is injured. Chris Johnson continues to nurse knee issues while Chris Ivory is out dealing with a rib injury. Vick has the rushing abilities to help stabilize the unit.
While New York intends to have Vick see the field in 2014, they do not want there to be a quarterback competition. Ryan has made it clear that Smith is the starter and while Vick still believes there is a chance he could at the top of the depth chart at some point this season, it is the second-year pros job to lose.
