New York Jets coach Rex Ryan wanted to talk about his team's great defensive effort against the Arizona Cardinals. He wanted to talk about the "beautiful" 7-6 win.
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The media wanted to talk about the Jets' quarterback situation, of course.
"I need a little more time," Ryan said Monday about his quarterback decision, saying he was confident in all three quarterbacks -- Mark Sanchez, Greg McElroy and Tim Tebow.
This doesn't bode well for Sanchez. When a coach plans to stick with the incumbent, they almost always announced it early in the week as a sign of support. When a change is coming, the coach says he "needs more time." Ryan seemingly gave up on the Sanchez era Sunday.
"We look at (Sanchez) as a proven, winning quarterback in this league," Ryan said Monday.
In the past, Ryan called Sanchez his clear franchise quarterback. Sanchez is guaranteed $8.25 million next year. Yet Ryan is considering going to a seventh-round draft pick like McElroy or Tebow, whom the team clearly has lacked confidence in this season. Tebow was cleared to play Sunday, but Ryan said he chose to deactivate him because he wasn't "near" 100 percent.
"I have three good quarterbacks," Ryan said. "I feel good about three quarterbacks. We're in a lot better situation than a lot of teams."
Beauty, as Rex illuminates weekly, is in the eye of the beholder.
Follow Gregg Rosenthal on Twitter @greggrosenthal.
