Tebow to Wear No. Ernie Sisto/The New York Times Quarterback Bob Davis, above, and Babe Parilli wore No. 15 for the Jets. In the team's 52-year history, the most distinguished Jet (or Titan) to wear No. 15 was Babe Parilli, a backup quarterback to Joe Namath. Parilli was 38 and his years as a starter with the Boston Patriots were behind him. Parilli's distinction will end when Tim Tebow, the Jets" newest backup, puts on his No. 15 jersey. "Well then, the Jets are going to the Super Bowl," Parilli said Thursday from Denver. Parilli was traded from the Patriots in 1968 in time for the Jets to win Super Bowl III against the Baltimore Colts. Parilli, who is in his early 80s, said that Tebow should be used by the Jets only in the red zone. "I thought it was a mistake that Denver got rid of Kyle Orton, because he moved the team down well inside the 20, and they could put Tebow in," Parilli said. I think the way Sanchez moves them, Tebow would fit in well. He can run the option and throw fades and quick screens. And they're putting in the Wildcat. He added: "If they play Tebow right, he'll be successful to an extent. But he's not a starter. Whatever Tebow's role, Parilli said: "New York fans will love that guy. He's down to earth and genuine. By the time he arrived in Jets camp, Parilli had played for Green Bay, Cleveland, Oakland and Boston. "Weeb told me that Joe played harder as soon as I got there," Parilli said, referring to Coach Weeb Ewbank. "One day he told me, "It doesn't make any difference who's in the game, Joe or you." And I said: "There's something wrong with that. He's making $400,000 and I'm making minimum wage." " In 1968, Parilli threw only 55 passes (five for touchdowns) in six games. In a late-season rout of the Dolphins, he replaced Namath in the second half and threw three touchdown passes. "It was the only time in my career that I didn't mind being the backup," he said. Joe had all the talent. Parilli's value to the team was more as a holder for kicker Jim Turner. He came with a sterling reputation and the nickname the Goldfinger for the way he held kicks for Gino Cappelletti. He made Turner as happy as Cappelletti. Two games into the 1968 season, Turner had made six consecutive field goals and credited Parilli. "Babe is the best holder in football," he said. It's not a coincidence that Gino Cappelletti has all the place-kicking records in our league. With Parilli holding in 1968 and "69, Turner led the A.F.L. in points with 145 and 129. Parilli said he had been with Turner and Winston Hill, another Jets teammate, on Wednesday. "We would have practiced field goals, but we didn't have John Schmitt to center the ball," Parilli said. Parilli might have been the Jets" starter in 1969 if Namath had stayed retired to protest N.F.L. Commissioner Pete Rozelle's edict that he sell his share of the Bachelors III nightclub. When Namath reported to training camp that July, Parilli said, "It's a relief to the whole club." Parilli retired before the start of the 1970 season believing that he had a season or two left. "But Weeb was looking for a younger guy," he said. You know how that gets. Later, Parilli was the quarterbacks coach for the Pittsburgh Steelers ("Terry Bradshaw didn't know how to read defenses, but he listened well") and the Broncos. He was then a head coach in the World Football League and later for six teams in the Arena Football League. Last year, his autobiography, "Kentucky Babe," was published. As the Jets" newest No. 15, Tebow will be the latest in a numerical lineage that includes three other quarterbacks (Dick Jamieson, Bob Davis and Kyle Mackey); a punter (Chuck Ramsey); two receivers (Wallace Wright and Phillip Riley); and a defensive back (Don Flynn).