After only two months on the job, New York Jets offensive coordinator Tony Sparano was handed a potential quarterback controversy with Tim Tebow arriving in late March to back up Mark Sanchez.

Sparano, speaking to reporters Thursday for the first time since he was hired, said he was "completely on board" with the Tebow trade. He spoke glowingly of Tebow, saying the quarterback has made "eye-opening" improvement as a passer since Sparano coached him two years ago in the Senior Bowl.

Trying to be cagey, Sparano refused to divulge his specific plans for Tebow, who will be used in a wildcat-like package. Sparano said his No. 1 objective is to make Tebow a complete quarterback, not a gadget player. He predicted a harmonious, but competitive relationship between Tebow and Sanchez.

"I'm not concerned about that, honestly," Sparano said. "At the end of this whole thing, it's about trying to find good football players. Mark Sanchez is one hell of a player ... and Tim Tebow is a good football player, too.

"When you put both of those guys in a room, if they're playing checkers, they're going to compete and they're going to go like heck to win. I think the more of these people you can get around your football team, the better off your team is going to be ... I don't think there will be a problem managing it."

The Sanchez-Tebow dynamic is more complex than checkers, but the Jets believe Rex Ryan and the no-nonsense Sparano, previously the Miami Dolphins' head coach, can keep it under control.

Sparano got his first up-close look at Tebow in the 2010 Senior Bowl, where his staff coached Tebow. At the time, Sparano told colleagues he wasn't at all impressed with Tebow, according to a league source. His opinion has changed.