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Jets' Sparano: 'We want touchdowns, not field goals'

New York Jets offensive coordinator Tony Sparano has spent his career -- like all coaches -- hearing reporters tell him how he should do his job. On Tuesday, he turned the tables.

"We want touchdowns, not field goals," he said, via ESPN.com's Rich Cimini. "Make sure you put that in the headlines."

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Your wish is our command, Tony. Truth be told, we almost led this post off by slapping an "Embattled" in front of Sparano's title. We're not quite to that point yet, but zero touchdowns in 12 quarters of preseason action certainly hasn't made a good first impression with Jets fans.

Quarterback play has had a hand in that. That includes backup Tim Tebow, who displayed serious accuracy issues against the Carolina Panthers on Sunday night. Sparano defended Tebow, saying he's an improving passer who made "three or four big-time throws."

Of course, you could study that same gametape and conclude Tebow's never appeared further away from being a competent NFL quarterback. He finished 4-of-14 passing for 55 yards and an interception against a bunch of backups. Another errant pass could've gone for a pick six.

Sparano is right to seek the positives, but he can't ignore the negatives.

Follow Dan Hanzus on Twitter @danhanzus.