New York Jets coach Rex Ryan has not been pushed to start Tim Tebow, general manager Mike Tannenbaum said on Thursday. The Tebow question moved to the forefront, as we knew it would, after the Jetswere torched 34-0 by the San Francisco 49ers on Sunday.
"Rex, (owner) Woody (Johnson) and myself, we talk all the time," said Tannenbaum, via The Star-Ledger. "We have a great relationship and we have a good, robust debate about what's best for the team, but playing time is always going to be driven by Rex.
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"We'll talk to (owner) Woody (Johnson) about what we're going to do ... but Rex is in charge of who plays."
Starter Mark Sanchez is under fire after completing just 49.2 percent of his passes and posting a 69.6 quarterback rating in four games. The Jets have the No. 27 pass offense and No. 24 scoring offense. Sanchez is confident, though.
"I don't feel threatened to lose my job at all," Sanchez said, according to NFL Network. "It's no different whether it's Tim or Mark (Brunell) or Kellen (Clemens). It doesn't change. I'm really not worried at all."
Tim Tebow is not a better passer than Mark Sanchez, but the Jets' offense needs something. It's not fair to put it all on Sanchez because he doesn't have any playmakers around him. The Jets are 2-2, however, and very much in the playoff race. They won't stay there with the offense performing as it has.
If Sanchez can't provide that spark ...
"If we didn't want (Tebow), we wouldn't have traded for him," Tannenbaum said. "Rex, Woody and I felt good about that transaction. Tim hasn't had a lot of opportunities ... but we'll see how the next few games play out."
That's not exactly a vote of confidence for Sanchez.
Follow Kareem Copeland on Twitter @kareemcopeland.
