Rex retreats on Tebow status - New York Daily News

Ron Antonelli/New York Daily News

Mark Sanchez has backing of Jets as he approaches season as starter, but explaining his and Tim Tebow’s roles proves to be anything but a snap for Rex Ryan and the organization.

Six months after Mark Sanchez completed a bizarre season filled with maddening inconsistencies, the Jets quarterback is ready to finally establish himself as the undisputed leader of a wayward offense.

Tebowmania notwithstanding, Rex Ryan has tried to make it clear that Sanchez is the unquestioned starter.

At minicamp on Wednesday, Ryan said that “there may be times” in the future when Tim Tebow plays with the starters before a team spokesman clarified those remarks and said that the coach meant that Tebow will get first-team snaps only in Wildcat packages.

Ryan & Co. may be oversensitive to rumblings of a burgeoning quarterback controversy, but Sanchez will undoubtedly be the starter when the regular season begins.

Although Ryan admitted that Tebow “brings so much more to the table” than just being a quarterback, the coach left little doubt that Sanchez will be the engine of new coordinator Tony Sparano’s offense. So, Ryan declared that Tebow will be exclusively playing with the second team in minicamp (he actually played two snaps with the starters on Wednesday in red-zone team drills), while Sanchez will be practicing with the starters.

Ryan, meanwhile, has praised Sanchez’s ability to grasp Sparano’s system and improve his lower-body strength this offseason, talking points to remind everyone within earshot that No. 6 is No. 1 on the depth chart.

“It’s important to me not just to impress Rex, but really compete . . . against myself, against the outcome of last season, against any kind of negative feelings we had moving on from last year,” Sanchez said after practice. “(So that I can)understand why we didn’t play as well as we did â€" how can we fix it? â€" and now is my chance to do it. I just wanted to make sure I was prepared and ready to handle the season.”

Despite Ryan’s verbal hiccup, his message is clear: Sanchez and Tebow have defined roles. Tebow, who has never wanted to play anything but quarterback in his life, has remained the good soldier since he arrived.

“Obviously when we go out there, we compete hard in everything we do,” Tebow said of his interaction with Sanchez. “But we have a great relationship. I think it really helps when you’re rooting for the other guy as well. I’m rooting for him. I believe he’s rooting for me.”

Sanchez’s erratic play last season prompted several teammates and members of the organization to question his ability to be the franchise quarterback. Sanchez’s career-high 26 touchdown passes were clouded by his career-high 26 turnovers, including nine in the final three games.

He threw 21 touchdown passes inside the 20-yard line â€" fifth-best in the league â€" to help the Jets lead the NFL in red-zone touchdown efficiency (65.5%).

“Were there highlights from last season? Absolutely,” Sanchez said. “There’s a whole boatload of them and a whole reel of them. But we just didn’t have enough down the stretch.

“I just know that I turned the ball over too much,” he added. “As many good things as you do, turning the ball over doesn’t negate them, but it really does hurt. The most important thing moving forward is taking care of the football and making good decisions. If we cut down on a couple of those interceptions, we might be in the playoffs. That’s the way I look at it.”

Sanchez said that the offense is “moving along at a good pace” as everyone learns Sparano’s system. Although there’s plenty of learning ahead, he admitted that he’s eager for training camp next month.

“I’m been as anxious (as) the last few years, but I have a little better understanding each year of what’s coming,” Sanchez said. “It’s going to be a good year for us. We’re ready to get started.”