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New York Jets to turn to Tim Tebow if Mark Sanchez goes down

FLORHAM PARK, N.J. -- It'll be Tebow Time for the New York Jets if Mark Sanchez goes down with an injury.

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Coach Rex Ryan said Wednesday that Tim Tebow would be the starting quarterback this season if Sanchez was sidelined for any significant amount of time instead of turning to a more conventional-style signal-caller such as third-stringer Greg McElroy -- which some fans and media have speculated might be the case.

"I think Tebow would expand his role," Ryan said. "We feel good about what Tim can do."

Tebow is listed as the Jets' No. 2 quarterback, so it would seem obvious that he would be the guy to fill in. But the fact the Jets plan to use Tebow in specific packages raised some questions over if he would remain in that role if Sanchez were hurt.

"We don't speculate what the situation is," McElroy said. "Obviously, Tim's a fantastic player and I think he would do a great job in that role, but we don't want to worry about a situation like that. Mark is our starter and we're going to follow him the best way we know how, and that's really what we're going to focus on.

"If something were to happen down the road, God forbid, we'll figure it out then."

While Ryan didn't specifically address what the game plan would be, it would appear the Jets would change up their offense a bit to play into Tebow's strengths -- as the Denver Broncos did last season when he took over for Kyle Orton -- rather than have him play in New York's normal offense that's set up for Sanchez.

Copyright 2012 by The Associated Press

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