Rex Ryan still trying to explain why Tim Tebow was active Thursday night

Nearly a year ago New York Jets coach Rex Ryan was under fire for admittedly not having a clue about the fact that he coached a team in mutiny, one that had a fractured locker room full of malcontents when the season ended.

This season, with the Jets at 4-7 and their season imploding, are we right back their again? Have we reached a point where Ryan has no idea what is going on with his football team? Or seems not to have any idea how to run it.

Considering the mess Ryan made out of the Tim Tebow situation Thursday night, leaving him active when he had two fractured ribs and could not be depended on to play, it's fair to wonder.

Ryan continued trying to explain that choice during his Friday post-game conference call, and really only served to make it worse. Here are some of the beauties Ryan fired off on Friday:

"I think people have played with cracked ribs. Guys have played, and it was told to me that (Tebow) could play. But I wasn’t going to play him unless it was an absolute emergency."

"(I was told) that he could play, it was me that wanted to say, ‘No, I’m not going to play him unless we absolutely have to.’ Tim came to me, he’s specific, he’s like, “I can play, I want to play.” And again, it was something that I went in and absolutely said, ‘Listen, I don’t want you to play him.’ I told that to (Coach) Westhoff (and) I told that to (Coach) Tony (Sparano). It was just the thing where it’s like, he was cleared to play, but I did not feel comfortable on it and that’s the truth."

"I was told the day before (Tuesday) about his cracked ribs. And literally, I saw him and I could tell that he was (injured)."

"It was something [activating third-stringer QB Greg McElroy] I considered. But, like I said, he was cleared to play. And you’re facing an opponent, that it’s obviously the biggest game of the year. And Tim’s like, “Hey look, I can play, I want to play,” and he’s cleared to play. I think when you factor those things in, it’s like if we absolutely 100 percent had to have him, then I would’ve played him. But, like I said, I’m not the trainer. I’m not a doctor or anything else, but I’m a human and that’s why I felt for him. It was to the point where I know when the doctors are telling you he can play, the young man’s telling you he can play and knowing that he was going to be in the role he was as the backup quarterback, he had gotten reps the entire week, that was why I had him active."

So, does everybody understand now why a backup quarterback with two fractured ribs who can't throw even when healthy was active, and a healthy third-string quarterback was inactive?

Neither do I.

Sadly, this is just another example of Rex being a punchline at the end of a joke aimed at the Jets. These jokes won't go away until he does.