Jets coach Rex Ryan put on his dancing shoes yesterday during a 20-minute conference call with reporters.
Ryan avoided answering directly whether quarterback Tim Tebow refused to play in the Wildcat formation in Sunday’s game against the Chargers.
According to multiple sources, Tebow was upset when Ryan passed him over last week in favor of Greg McElroy and told the coaching staff he wanted to be used as a conventional quarterback or not at all.
Tebow was active but did not play in the Jets’ 27-17 loss to the Chargers.
Instead, Ryan used wide receiver Jeremy Kerley as the Wildcat quarterback, the role that was previously Tebow’s.
“He is a competitor and he was disappointed,” Ryan said. “He was disappointed that he was not named the starter.
“With that being said, I’m not going to get into private conversations that I have with players. It was my decision to use Jeremy Kerley in the Wildcat, without question.”
Ryan was evasive during the call on what exactly took place last week. He never denied Tebow asked out but never confirmed it either. A source confirmed Tebow apologized to Ryan on Friday and offered to do whatever was asked of him. By that point, Kerley had practiced the Wildcat all week and was part of the game plan.
“I believe if Tim’s number was called, he would have went in and played,” Ryan said. “I don’t think there’s any doubt about that.”
The Jets had all three quarterbacks active with Tebow and Mark Sanchez watching from the sideline. Ryan would not reveal which quarterback would have played if he needed to take McElroy out.
“We had both the quarterbacks up,” Ryan said. “Depending on how the game was going, how I thought we could use the quarterbacks, that was what I was going to. Was there a clear second guy? I just wanted to make sure I had both options open. That’s kind of how we went into the game. This week, I don’t know what that’s going to look like game-plan wise.”
Ryan bristled when asked about why he has become more tight-lipped lately. When Ryan arrived in New York he was very open and honest about nearly any topic. Now, he avoids giving many direct answers or providing insight into decisions — such as why he chose McElroy as his starter last week.
“Have I lied about anything?” Ryan said. “I’m not going to share a private conversation that I would have with a player. Quite honestly, that’s nobody’s business but mine and that player.”
Even the most dire predictions for how the Tebow trade would work out fell short of this. The Jets have barely used him (76 offensive plays), he’s miserable and is surely on his way out the door after the season.
Despite a limited role, Tebow still is the center of attention for the media. There were only three non-Tebow related questions in the 20-minute call yesterday.
Ryan avoided the question of whether the Tebow trade has been a failure, turning it into a team answer.
“I think when you look at the overall picture with our record being what it is I think if there’s something you’re going to change about this football team, we’d change the record without question,” Ryan said.
“I think, more than anything, it’s been the level of consistency or the lack thereof I think has been the biggest issue. That’s across the board. To put it on anything else, the record is what it is.”