FLORHAM PARK, N.J. -- A furious Rex Ryan lashed into his team Wednesday morning, telling his players it was "cowardly" for some of them to anonymously rip Tim Tebow in a newspaper article, sources told ESPNNewYork.com.

The New York Jets' coach rushed to Tebow's defense, listing his attributes to the entire team, according to sources. At one point during the meeting, Ryan asked for the player who called Tebow "terrible" in the article to identify himself.

No one responded.

Tebow was stung by the comments.

"I think there was some frustration and some sadness," Tebow said. "It's never fun to hear criticism. At the same time, it's something I've always used as motivation. You try to get stronger from it."

Embroiled in another controversy that could threaten locker-room solidarity, Ryan clasped his hands several times in his news conference, claiming his team remains close even though there appears to be a mutiny against Tebow.

"This team, in my opinion, is not going to be pulled apart by outside people. Inside the walls, we're going to be like this," he said, putting his hands together as a symbol of unity.

The problem is, it's people inside the walls who have created the latest distraction for a team that ended last season with a fractured locker room.

Several unnamed players, in a New York Daily News story, were critical of Tebow's ability as a quarterback. One player said Tebow is "terrible." Another player told ESPNNewYork.com the team has no choice but to stick with the slumping Mark Sanchez because "we have no other viable option."

Ryan confirmed he addressed the issue in his team meeting.

"I feel for Tim," Sanchez said. "That sucks, it just sucks. It can't feel good. But at the same time, I've been there. You wake up the next day and you keep playing."

The larger issue for Ryan, whose 3-6 team has dropped three straight, is maintaining team chemistry. He made it his "personal agenda" after last season to repair the inner strife, but this latest development certainly raises questions about his ability to keep dirty laundry in-house.

"Quite honestly, I feel extremely confident this football team is coming closer together, than what maybe is being thought of as pulling apart," Ryan said. "I definitely don't see that."

Ryan even said this latest controversy could help the team.