Rex Ryan takes shot at Tim Tebow with false Eric Decker stat

Rex Ryan is hoping Eric Decker will give the New York Jets something they have been lacking in recent years — a reliable wide receiver. Guys like Santonio Holmes have been good for stretches, but the Jets haven’t had a consistent threat at wideout since Ryan was hired. Rex is so high on Decker that he is throwing around false stats to make him sound better.

Earlier this week, a reporter asked if there is any concern over Decker’s stats being inflated over the last two seasons because Peyton Manning has been throwing to him.

“He did catch eight touchdown passes when [Tim] Tebow was the quarterback,” Ryan replied, via Newday’s Kimberley A. Martin. “Hey, that’s pretty impressive.”

While Martin chose not to address Ryan’s factual inaccuracy, Eric Edholm of Shutdown Corner pointed out that only four of Decker’s touchdown receptions in 2011 came from Tebow. He and Tebow hooked up for five scores total, and one of them came in the final week of the 2010 season. So yes, Decker managed to catch eight touchdowns in a season without Manning. That doesn’t mean they all came from Tebow.

“Clearly, he is going to be a go-to guy,” Ryan added. “We know what we’re getting. This is going to be a guy that you can get him the ball in critical situations.”

The Jets signed Decker to a five-year, $36.25 million contract, so they obviously expect him to make a huge impact. He’ll certainly be an upgrade for New York, but I doubt he can duplicate the numbers he put up with Manning.

As for Rex’s phony stat — that seems like it was more about taking a shot at Tebow than it was pumping up Decker. That just goes to show you how much Ryan enjoyed his time with the Florida Gators legend.