FLORHAM PARK, N.J. -- Rex Ryan made it clear who's in charge when it comes to Tim Tebow's playing time.
It's the New York Jets' decision, and no one else's. Not the anxious fans or media who call for more -- or less -- of the popular backup quarterback this season.
"We control it," Ryan said Wednesday. "The media's not going to drive it."
Tebow played just three snaps on offense in the Jets' 27-10 loss at Pittsburgh on Sunday, leaving many to wonder whether he's being used enough.
"I don't really pay attention to y'all, so it doesn't matter to me," he said laughing. "I just try to be ready for whatever my role is and try to do it the best I can."
So far, Tebow has six runs for 33 yards and has thrown no passes while in for only about a dozen of New York's offensive plays through two games.
"I think going in, like I say, there could be more opportunities down the road," Ryan said. "There could be less, but that's it. I'm happy he's here. I can tell you that much. I think, as we've said from Day 1, this guy's a good football player. We're not going in saying he has to get X-amount of snaps. That's not what we do."
Tebow did give the Jets a short-lived spark when he came in against the Steelers, running for 22 yards on his first snap. He handed off to Joe McKnight, who gained 12 yards, on the next. But, the Jets lost 6 yards when he handed to Shonn Greene.
And, that was that for Tebow. Clearly, he would have liked to have had the chance to get job done, but there will be no demanding the ball from him.
"I think you just have to know your role and where you're at and be smart about situations," he said. "If you're asked, you have to believe in yourself, be ready for whenever you're called if that's asked upon. Then you can say something like that. As far as where I'm at now, I just try to be ready when I'm asked to go."
Ryan believes it's in the team's best interest to keep opponents -- and everyone else -- guessing about how Tebow will be used.
"The opponent, they're not going to have any idea what we're going to do with him," Ryan said. "I'm certainly not going to let them know, 'Hey, by the way, Tebow is going to play 50 snaps this week.' I'm never going to give you a legitimate answer. I know the answer, but I'm not going to give it to you."
Copyright 2012 by The Associated Press
