Marvin Lewis Called Rex Ryan To Beg Him Not To Use Tebow In The Wildcat

This little nugget comes buried in the fourth paragraph of a preseason game writeup.

Ryan received a call at 7 in the morning the day before the game from Bengals coach Marvin Lewis, who was on the same staff with Ryan in Baltimore, with a plea: Don't run the Wildcat with Tebow.

The Jets obliged Lewis and Tebow did a serviceable job pretending he was a real quarterback under center for two quarters. But, why in the world would Marvin Lewis not want the Jets to run the wildcat? Is it not the point of preseason games to learn and prepare for the regular season, without all the drama of things like losses and crippling wildcat plays actually meaning anything?

Maybe Marvin Lewis is ahead of the curve, though. Maybe he's got some super secret wildcat defense he does not want the world to see. Whatever the reason, it worked. The Bengals, despite what ESPN will tell you, beat the New York Tebows 17-6.

Image via Getty Tim Tebow dazzles with his legs during debut for NY Jets in preseason opener against Bengals [NY Daily News]