Quarterback Mark Sanchez has been one of the targets of a bewildered fan base of the fading New York Jets.
As the Jets limp into the season-finale against the Miami Dolphins, two straight losses have fueled speculation that Sanchez isn't the long-term answer he once was considered to be.
"I'm going to say this, I'm going to tell you there is no way we are looking to replace Mark Sanchez, there's no doubt," Ryan said, according to The Star-Ledger.
That would even be the case if four-time NFL MVP Peyton Manning was made available, according to Ryan.
"I've said from Day One I thought he was the best quarterback in the National Football League, I even put him over Tom Brady, so of course I recognize Peyton Manning is an unbelievable quarterback," Ryan said during the ESPN 1050 interview, per the report. "But do I think it's even a consideration for us? No, I don't."
Manning has missed the entire season after his third neck surgeries in the last 18 months. It's conceivable the Coltscould part ways with their franchise quarterback -- who is owed a $28 million option bonus next year -- if they land the No. 1 pick in the 2012 NFL Draft.
"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," Ryan said. "Of course, I'm not telling that lie; of course I would take him.
"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, and (none of us) are. But, we think he has the ability to be special."
Ryan specifically addressed an Internet report that the team would explore other options at quarterback beyond Sanchez, whose five-year rookie contract lasts through 2013.
"It's just not true," Ryan said. "I've said repeatedly, 'This is my guy, there's just no question.'"
