Jets coach Rex Ryan has praised his new offensive coordinator, Tony Sparano, as a creative coach who was the first in the NFL to recognize the potential of the Wildcat formation. And Ryan has also criticized his former offensive coordinator, Brian Schottenheimer, for failing to use the Wildcat effectively.
Ryan joked at the league meeting that when the Jets used to run the Wildcat with Brad Smith, it couldn’t be stopped -- except by Schottenheimer.
“I told the team there’s only one coordinator that can stop the Wildcat with Brad Smith back there, and . . . it’s Brian Schottenheimer,” Ryan told the New York Post. “I used to kid Brian all the time about it.”
Basketball fans sometimes joke that Dean Smith was the only coach who could hold Michael Jordan under 20 points a game -- Smith coached Jordan at North Carolina, and his conservative approach didn’t fully take advantage of Jordan’s skills. Ryan’s joke is along the same lines. But Ryan is sure that Sparano won’t be the coach who stops Tim Tebow in the Wildcat.