Dean Michaels

New York Jets offensive coordinator Tony Sparano was not initially a huge fan of Tim Tebow's but his opinion has changed.

Good thing since Tebow is now a member of the Jets and part of Sparano's job as the new coordinator for the Jets will be how to utilize Tebow effectively in the offense.

Sparano was first exposed to Tebow when he coached him in 2010 at the Senior Bowl. At the time Sparano was not all that impressed with the former Florida star, but he likes what he sees some two years later.

"Fundamentally, Tim has gotten much better," he said. "You could see the amount of time he spent at it ... He's completely different now than he was when he came out of college."

The Jets are keeping Tebow's role close to the vest but based on what he has shown so far in his NFL he will likely be a change of pace runner and sometimes passer or receiver to keep defenses honest.

Sparano wasn't very forthcoming with his plans for Tebow but coach Rex Ryan has said Tebow would play about 20 snaps per game, and players have said the Tebow scheme might even include a separate playbook.

"I believe that what coach (Ryan) said is he can play anywhere from one to 20 snaps, somewhere like that," Sparano said of Tebow's role. "And I would say what coach said is 100 percent correct. As far as how we'll use Tim or what we'll do with Tim that way, we're going to keep that to us right now.

"Whether we run wildcat or a version of (it), or something else, I'm not going to tie myself down to just one thing."

Sparano's Dolphins used the QB-less formation prominently, often shifting running backs Ronnie Brown or Ricky Williams behind center to take a shotgun snap.

Tebow brings NFL experience and versatility -- he lined up at receiver early last season with the Broncos when injuries thinned the depth chart on game day -- that should be valuable in establishing the 45-man gameday roster.

"I think that's the great thing about having a player that has the flexibility that Tim has. Obviously our first goal here is to continue to work with Tim and to continue to have him mature as a quarterback," Sparano said.

Jets Offensive Coordinator Sparano Fan of Improved Tim Tebow - NFL Football