Rex defends Schottenheimer, Sanchez

With the Jets' potential postseason fate nearly sealed, Rex Ryan's defensive-minded approach soon may take on a new meaning.

After yet another uninspiring performance by the Jets' offense in Saturday's 29-14 loss to the Giants, Ryan is being forced to line up on defense, in a sense. Mark Sanchez's yo-yo-like outings and offensive coordinator Brian Schottenheimer's play-calling are coming under serious fire, leaving Ryan to offer his evaluation of the two people in the organization who are drawing the most public criticism.

"I have a huge amount of confidence in both guys," Ryan said Monday in a conference call with reporters. "I've stated over and over my feelings about Mark Sanchez. I've said it before: No quarterback's going to look great when that's all you do and you fall behind and things like that. It wasn't Mark's best day by any stretch of the imagination, but we know he's done it. He's been doing it.

"And as far as Brian Schottenheimer's concerned, shoot, we'll just keep working side-by-side, shoulder-to-shoulder, and we're trying to find a way to beat Miami. I have confidence in him. I have confidence in all of our coaches. It's just that we have to find a way to get it done."

The Jets haven't been getting it done regularly on offense, ranking 27th and averaging only 307.7 yards per game. This after entering the season with high expectations; some observers thought they would score at least 28 to 30 points per game.

Ask them for answers and they're almost at a loss.

"It's hard to say," tight end Dustin Keller said. "We've definitely had our ups and downs and really never at any point have we been consistent.

"I'm very surprised. I would've thought that with this team, because we have the veterans that have been around, that we'd be one of the teams that would start out a little bit faster because of the 'Jets West' camps and stuff like that."

The offensive struggles have led to growing speculation that Sanchez might not be good enough to consistently get it done. One Internet report suggested that some in the Jets' organization are privately questioning if the No. 5 overall pick in 2009 indeed is the long-term answer.

Ryan, speaking to guest host Stephen A. Smith on 1050 ESPN's "The Michael Kay Show," shot down the report.

"Quite honestly, it's not true," he said. "I've said repeatedly, 'This is my guy.'

"There is no way we are looking to replace Mark Sanchez."

During that interview, Ryan also was pressed about the possibility of going after Peyton Manning in the offseason as a replacement for Sanchez. Manning, who turns 36 in March, has missed the entire season while recovering from neck surgery.

Because of the uncertainty surrounding Manning's injury and the fact that he is due a $28-million bonus in March, there's talk that the Colts might not be willing to pay that large sum, especially given that they could land the No. 1 overall pick in April's draft and select Stanford quarterback Andrew Luck.

Said Ryan: "I recognize Peyton Manning is an unbelievable quarterback. But do I think it's even a consideration for us? No, I don't.

"If they were both out there and you were starting a draft, would you take Peyton Manning? Yeah, I'd take Peyton Manning over anybody. I'm not saying that. Of course. I'm not telling that lie. But right now, when you are looking at our football team and our franchise, we feel great about our quarterback situation.

"He's young. Is he going to get better? He absolutely is. Is he perfect? Not by any stretch of the imagination right now. But we think he has the ability to be special."