Pennington: Jets can succeed with Tebow, wildcat

CORTLAND, N.Y. — Chad Pennington thinks the New York Jets, Tim Tebow and the wildcat are a perfect fit.

The former NFL quarterback would certainly know. He was part of the tricky offensive scheme in Miami, when he played with the Dolphins under current Jets offensive coordinator Tony Sparano.

“If the wildcat allows you to win and be more successful,” Pennington said Tuesday, “you should be all for it as a player.”

Pennington spent his first eight NFL seasons with the Jets before being released in 2008 when New York acquired Brett Favre. The former first-round pick signed with Miami and was there when Sparano dusted off the wildcat offense and took the NFL by storm.

For Pennington, that was a big change after working in a conventional offense his whole career — just as current starting quarterback Mark Sanchez has.

While some fans and media think the wildcat may have become ineffective as defenses have caught up to it, Jets coach Rex Ryan insists it’s still difficult to prepare for. Ryan said adding an athletic quarterback such as Tebow makes it even tougher, something Pennington completely agrees with.

“Well, obviously Tim adds another threat with the ability to do zone-read concepts as well as being able to throw the football, and that changes the defense’s perspective,” Pennington said.

Pennington, who said he is now officially retired from playing after taking his last NFL snap in 2010 following several shoulder operations throughout his career, worked with Sanchez in the offseason to help him learn Sparano’s offense.