Jets coach Rex Ryan has been steadfast in his support of quarterback Mark Sanchez, and he spoke in favor of Sanchez again today when he met with reporters at the Scouting Combine. But when asked to rule out the Jets going after Peyton Manning, Ryan declined.
Instead, what Ryan said is that while he believes Sanchez will be a star, he also said the Jets “will look at any possibility that’s out there at quarterback.”
By rule Ryan can’t talk about Manning until the Colts cut him, but Ryan wouldn’t close the door on the Jets going after Manning once the Colts do cut him.
“We will do what’s in the best interest of our organization,” Ryan said. “That means we’ll . . . look at all the possibilities.”
One of the major questions that came up after the Jets concluded what Ryan called a terrible season was whether the Jets’ locker room has as much faith in Sanchez as Ryan does. In an appearance on the NFL Network set after his press conference in Indianapolis today, Ryan insisted that the Jets will have a tight-knit locker room in 2012.
“I’m not going to promise anything about a Super Bowl,” Ryan said. “But I promise we are going to be a football team and we are going to be tight. There’s no doubt about it.”
But there’s at least a little doubt about whether Sanchez will be the leader in that tight locker room.