FLORHAM PARK, N.J. -- The Jets don't want a quarterback controversy. It's a sensitive subject. Consider what happened Wednesday.

Rex Ryan, responding to a question on whether Tim Tebow would get first-team reps in training camp and the preseason, said he could see that happening.

"We'll see," the coach said. "I would think there may be a time when he does that, but right now he'll be with the twos."

That's not exactly a bombshell statement -- after all, every No. 2 QB takes some first-team reps in the preseason -- but the Jets made an immediate attempt to prevent it from mushrooming into a headline.

Moments after Ryan's news conference, a team spokesman returned to the press room to clarify Ryan's remarks. What Ryan meant, the spokesman said, was that Tebow would take first-team reps when the Jets run their Wildcat package, not in the conventional offense.

The Jets' level of paranoia is somewhat hysterical, but they're hell-bent on keeping Mark Sanchez-Tebow from blowing out of control. You could say it's a matter of semantics. If Tebow is on the field, whether it's Wildcat or base offense, he'll be behind center, not Sanchez.

THIS AND THAT: WR Santonio Holmes (hamstring), who sat out Tuesday, will be monitored and may try to practice ... WR Stephen Hill (hamstring) is out. Ditto, WR Patrick Turner (hamstring) ... Rookie DE Quinton Coples (lower back) will be evaluated ... Ryan raved about the defense, saying it has a chance to be a good as the 2009 unit that led the team. "We have no excuses whatsoever on defense," he said ... S LaRon Landry (Achilles tendon) is ahead of schedule in his rehab, according to Ryan, even though he skipped the voluntary program. Landry isn't practicing.