Of all the misadventures in the New York Jets' Thanksgiving Night Massacre, the one that truly defied explanation was Rex Ryan's decision to dress Tim Tebow as the No. 2 quarterback.

It was wrong on so many levels. Ryan always talks about doing what's in the best interest of the team, but how was that helping the Jets? Tebow has two broken ribs and has been experiencing considerable discomfort since Tuesday, when an MRI and CT scan revealed the fractures -- nine days after the injury occurred, for crying out loud.

Rex Ryan should have had Greg McElroy, not Tim Tebow, ready to go on Turkey Day. Elsa/Getty Images

Ryan talked a lot about his decision Friday in a conference call with reporters, and he kept going in circles. At one point, he sounded like a concerned father, saying he didn't want to jeopardize Tebow's health by putting him into the game. In his next breath, he said, "He absolutely, 100 percent could've played."

Maybe Ryan's head still was spinning from the three-touchdown, 52-second meltdown in the second quarter of their 49-19 loss to the New England Patriots.

Tebow was in uniform, but he never stepped foot on the field. But what if Mark Sanchez had been injured? What if he had suffered a concussion on the now-infamous play in which he was clotheslined by Brandon Moore's backside? Don't laugh, Sanchez's head snapped back on impact.

If being an NFL head coach were akin to the presidency, this would've been an impeachable offense. Third-stringer Greg McElroy should've been the No. 2 quarterback. At the very least, Ryan should've dressed all three, giving him insurance.

Imagine the fallout if the Jets, their season on the line, had to play a severely limited Tebow while the game was still competitive.

On Friday, Ryan didn't want to go there.

"I don't know what you want me to say," he said. "I know Tim was cleared to play in the game. He wanted to play. I'm not going to get into the 'what ifs.' Obviously, if he was not cleared to play or they thought he could be in serious jeopardy to himself, he never would have been activated. He never would have been cleared to play. Tim was cleared to play. He wanted to play and that's just the way it is."

Know this: Ryan's decision wasn't universally supported within the organization. It left some people shaking their heads.