Rex Ryan won't question Mark Sanchez; he's their guy

Rex Ryan hears them all, the pundits and the prognosticators constantly criticizing his team and questioning its talent.

But it's the shots being taken at his third-year quarterback that are most off-base, the Jets' coach said Friday.

Ryan came to Mark Sanchez's defense as only he could during Friday's conference call with the media after Thursday night's 17-13 loss to Tim Tebow and the Denver Broncos. In the wake of the team's most crushing defeat of the season, Ryan maintained that Sanchez will remain the face of the franchise as long as he's the coach.

"I'm extremely confident. We'll go out there and play tomorrow. That's how I feel about Mark," Ryan said. "This is our quarterback. He's going to be our quarterback for as long as I'm here, which I hope is a long, long time."

Sanchez threw a third-quarter interception that was returned 26 yards for a touchdown that tied the score at 10. It was his third interception returned for a touchdown this season and second in five days.

After the game, Sanchez stood stone-faced in front of the media and accepted full responsibility for the loss. "I let the defense down, however you want to phrase it," he said. "It's just an embarrassing day for me."

And while Sanchez faltered, Tebow -- considered by many to be among the least talented quarterbacks in the NFL -- excelled. Now 4-1 as a starter, he accounted for 92 yards on the Broncos' winning 95-yard drive, capped by his 20-yard touchdown run with 58 seconds left.

A Thursday Night Football audience witnessed the Jets get trampled by Tebowmania, and that only raised more questions about Sanchez's long-term future. But Ryan said his quarterback is not solely to blame for the Jets' two straight losses.

"It doesn't belong on Mark's shoulders," said Ryan, who acknowledged Sanchez has made some poor decisions at times. "He's just a player, he's a big piece of the puzzle, but it wasn't all on Mark Sanchez . . . Everybody earns wins and everybody earns defeats. And I think Mark certainly doesn't need to take more of the responsibility than he should. But that's the kind of guy he is. He wants to put it on his shoulders. He's a super-competitive young man, but certainly that game was not his alone in that defeat."

And if the Jets are to make a playoff push, Ryan said Sanchez isn't the only one who needs to play better.

"We all have to get better," Ryan said. "There's no doubt. We all have to get better. I'm confident. This group wants it in the worst way. And it's a resilient group, we've done it before and we just have to do it again."