NFL

Jets QB Sanchez ‘not worried’ Tebow is teammate

NOT SO FAST: Mark Sanchez said he is confident Tim Tebow is no threat to his status as the Jets’ starting quarterback. (Larry Marano)

While nearly everyone who follows, cares about or roots for the Jets found a television yesterday at noon to watch Tim Tebow’s introductory press conference, the man most affected by Tebow’s arrival stayed away.

Mark Sanchez, the Jets incumbent quarterback, threw passes on a field in Southern California while his new backup fielded questions and smiled for the cameras. The unprecedented press conference for a backup kicked off a quarterback controversy like we’ve never seen before.

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Unless you ask Sanchez or Tebow, of course.

Both players downplayed the quarterback competition that is going to exist between the two of them.

“I’m not worried about losing my spot,” Sanchez said on a conference call with reporters. “I think Mike [Tannenbaum] and Rex [Ryan] have been absolutely clear on the purpose of the signing. It’s to add a new wrinkle to our offense and not to replace anybody.”

Any thoughts that Sanchez would pout or protest over this move were misguided. The fourth-year quarterback would never make waves in the press or the locker room that he thought would hurt the team.

Many may view Tebow’s arrival as a knock on Sanchez or a sign of the Jets’ lack of faith in him, but Sanchez said he does not feel threatened.

Sanchez sounds naïve or as if he’s in denial about just how hard fans could push for Tebow if he struggles.

“That stuff happens whether you’re Tim Tebow or not,” Sanchez said. “They call for the backup anytime you’re not playing to your potential. That’s just part of the job if you’re not playing well.”

But yesterday was a glimpse of what awaits the Jets with the Tebow circus. More than 200 members of the media gathered in the team’s fieldhouse where a stage was set up in the end zone of the team’s indoor practice field. A row of cameras that would normally be reserved for a presidential press conference filled a riser behind 80 chairs set up for reporters.

The Jets did their best to downplay the event, calling it “player availability” rather than a press conference. With owner Woody Johnson, general manager Tannenbaum and coach Ryan all in Florida at the league meetings, no members of the organization spoke.

Tebow, dressed in a gray suit and green tie, deftly handled the questions in the 32-minute session about the trade, his role and Sanchez.

”I think we’ll have a great working relationship,” Tebow said. “We talked about that, just supporting one another in our roles. I’m excited about that opportunity. You know, I think we’ll have a great relationship and hopefully we’ll be able to thrive together.”

It will be up to the Jets coaches to figure out how to keep both players happy. The Jets have not gotten specific about their plans for Tebow other than to say he will be used in the Wildcat. Ryan told the NFL Network on Sunday that Tebow could appear in 20 plays a game.

Sanchez has been vocal in the past about disliking the Wildcat because the formation forces him to come off the field or play wide receiver.

“It’s well-documented that I’m not thrilled about playing wide receiver or coming off the field, but that’s just how I’m programmed and any quarterback’s programmed like that,” Sanchez said. “The way I feel about the Wildcat really is secondary. Our team goal is what’s most important, and that’s winning. I’m a team guy, and I’ll do whatever it takes to win. If changing a few things up a couple of times a game is what we need to do, then I’m totally on board.”

The Jets did not consult Sanchez before making the trade, he said. He picked up his cell phone last Wednesday after his workout to discover several messages from Tannenbaum, the general manager. When he called back, Tannenbaum and Ryan told him in a conference call of their trade for Tebow.

Tebow also shed some light on exactly what happened last Wednesday. It sounds like he definitely picked the Jets over the Jaguars when presented with the option by the Broncos. He said he likes the Jets’ coaching staff better than the Jaguars’.

He likely also believes he will have a better chance to play with the Jets. Tebow did not answer the question directly when asked if he would like to be the starting quarterback.

“I think everybody that puts on a uniform, you want to go out there and you want to play,” Tebow said. “That’s why you play the game of football. I’m excited to be a Jet, to go out there and help this team any way that I can. Whatever my role is, however I can expand that role, I’m going to try to do that.”

brian.costello@nypost.com