Rex Ryan to fans chanting for Tebow: Save your breath

Rex Ryan has a message for New York Jets fans who grow impatient with Mark Sanchez and start chanting, "Te-bow, Te-bow, Te-bow" at the first sign of trouble with his starting quarterback: Save your breath, Sanchez is staying in the game.

Ryan is ready to unleash the Wildcat offense against the Bills in Sunday's season opener but won't cow tow to fans screaming for Tebow as soon as Sanchez throws an interception or fumbles.

"I don't care what I hear," Ryan told the New York Daily News on Thursday.  "So it doesn't matter.  They can yell, they can do all they want.  Mark is our quarterback and that's the way it is.  Am I excited to have Tim here?  Of course.  Because  I know we brought in an outstanding football player.  I knew that from day one and that's the way it is."

Ryan has spent the whole week defending his starting quarterback.  A day after Santonio Holmes said Sanchez was "rattled" when the Jets traded for Tebow, the head coach came to Sanchez's defense and disagreed with Holmes' assertion.

"His motivation is much more than having Tim here," said Ryan.

Yesterday Ryan was back to doing what he has become accustomed to — having Sanchez's back.

"I hope fans are always supportive of us.  I understand if things aren't going well that they have every right to voice their displeasure," Ryan said.  "But there is only one guy that ultimately would make a change at quarterback."

After a poor preseason, where Sanchez failed to get the ball in the end zone, Jets fans are getting a little antsy.  The Jets have kept the Wildcat under wraps all summer and fans are anxious to see the Jets' version with Tebow at the helm.

All it will take is a couple of failed drives to fill MetLife Stadium with screams for Tebow.

Ryan is at a turning point with the Jets.  Another post-season without an appearance won't fly with team owner Woody Johnson.  The same owner who said, "You can never have too much Tebow."

Even the head coach doesn't know how well the Wildcat will work because they haven't used it in a game.

"Am I excited to see it? Sure," said Ryan.  "I'm excited because I think it's going to have a place in our offense."

"J-E-T-S Jets, Jets, Jets" may be replaced by calls for Tebow if Sanchez has a rough start.  Let the chanting begin.

Kevin James' 'between-the-legs' fail at U.S. Open

Comedians Kevin James and Adam Sandler played a celebrity match with former tennis greats Jim Courier and John McEnroe Thursday at the U.S. Open.

Even if you didn't like the "Grown Ups" co-stars' movie, you had to get a good laugh out of James' attempt at a between-the-legs shot especially after the racket smashed into his Chuck and Larry.

The all-in-fun doubles match was won by the Sandler/ McEnroe team over James/Courier.

Colin Quinn served as the match's umpire and probably considered James' play a double-fault.

Sandler and James are best buddies who have started NASCAR races, appeared in golf tournaments and performed in numerous skits together.  Never knew they could swing the rackets that well either.

James returned to Flushing just across Roosevelt Avenue from his beloved New York Mets home turf— Citi Field.  The "King of Queens" star just might have left his royal jewels over at Arthur Ashe Stadium as a tribute.

Ryan Lochte belly-flops as Fashion Week correspondent

Olympic swimmer Ryan Lochte loves to be in front of the camera but — after the the 11-time medalist was already hired to appear on E! News as a fashion correspondent this week — he found out how hard it was to be behind one.

Lochte was hired by E! News to cover New York Fashion Week and, even before the starting gun sound went off, producers were saying the gold medalist would be lucky to get a silver for his reporting skills.

E! network executives are privately complaining that Lochte — who came off flat in his Olympic interviews — is even worse at doing the interviews.

It sounds like the splash E! News was hoping to create could turn into a colossal belly-flop.

"E! is regretting the decision.  Even after media training, he's still not sharp," an insider, who added producers are frustrated, told Page Six of The New York Post.  An E! rep called the claim "inaccurate."

The diamond-grilled swimmer had been booked to appear last night, tonight and Monday on E! News and was been spotted Wednesday, sitting front-row at Joseph Abboud and attending parties.  Lochte mingled with other E! News camera-hogs like Paris Hilton, Kim Kardashian and Heidi Klum.

Lochte said he was working on his own clothing line and filming a "30 Rock" episode while he was in New York, but hadn't practiced any lines.

In his client's defense, Lochte's rep said, "I believe under the circumstances he has has done a great job.  Ryan does not purport to be the best speaker or the best interview.  But each time he gets more experience and becomes more at ease."

Lochte is finding out there are a lot of sharks swimming in the reporter's pool.

Rex Ryan, NFL stars to be featured in Nickelodeon cartoon series

The New York Jets already had an Al Toon.  Now it has Rex Ryan the toon.

The Jets head coach has always had an animated side to his larger than life personality — whether it was cursing on the sidelines or wearing a blond wig to a press conference — but now the slimmed down Ryan will be joined by other NFL stars as animated characters in the new Nickelodeon series, "Season of the Guardians."

The cartoon series — based on NFL RUSH ZONE, the league's online site for kids — will also feature Drew Brees of the Saints, Calvin Johnson of the Lions and DeMarcus Ware of the Cowboys as some of the animated characters in the half-hour series set to premiere in November.  It is the first-ever original animated series developed by a major U.S. sports league and a cable network.

"Season of the Guardians" is about a group of kids — led by the protagonist 10-year-old Ishmael — who team up to save the NFL from a master villain.  As far as we know, the Patriots' Bill Belichick or  the Cowboys' Jerry Jones are not involved.  Hell, the Jets themselves are good for about a half-dozen bad guys.

If the NFL is involved with the show, maybe the kids are looking for the scourge of the league —  bounty hunters. First, Little Ish and his group might want to start by eliminating the NFL of replacement refs.

While the new well-behaved version of Ryan seems right for prime-time Nickelodeon, the old profane head coach would have been perfect for Adult Swim.

Strahan boosts ratings and cuteness factor on 'Live!' morning show

Ex-NFL star Michael Strahan scored big ratings when he made his debut as Kelly Ripa's permanent co-host on "Live! With Kelly and Michael"on Tuesday.

The ubiquitous Strahan's appearance boosted the show's ratings by 44% over the same day a year ago.  And that was when the popular Regis Philbin was still hosting the morning talk show.

On Thursday, Strahan upped his cuteness factor after he and Ripa —wearing replicas of the U.S. Olympic Women's Soccer team's uniforms — joined 2012 Olympic gold medal Carli Lloyd and Alex Morgan to a soccer drill challenge on the set.

It was hard to figure out what the rules of the competition were — as everyone kicked balls into metal tubs, little nets and up tiny ramps — but the sight of Strahan in shorts and a "Where's Waldo" shirt had the audience going, "Awwww."

I think Ripa's team won because she jumped around the set more than anyone else when it was over.

Expect to see Strahan — the big lug — donning more funny little outfits and playing silly games in the future.  It's ratings gold.

Justin Tuck: 'Pin everything' on Romo

The New York Giants players know they have a devastating pass rush — a group of speedsters that sacked Tony Romo six times in their last meeting with the Dallas Cowboys — but Justin Tuck believes the key to beating the 'Boys is by making sure Romo doesn't have a running game he can use "as a crutch."

The All-Pro defensive end said the Giants need to take away the threat of Cowboys running back DeMarco Murray, put the bulk of Dallas' load on the shoulders of the Dallas signal-caller and "pin everything on him."

"Him" being their old nemesis Romo.

In order to win on Wednesday night, Tuck knows the Giants defensive line has to rattle Romo but also has to contain Murray — the running back they only faced for less than a quarter last season — after he broke his ankle eight minutes into their first meeting in Week 14.

"The biggest thing is probably stopping the run," said Tuck.  Something the Giants managed against their division rivals possibly because of Murray's inopportune ankle injury.

Murray had already rumbled to 31 yards in those eight minutes before the injury ended his breakout year — keeping the quick Cowboys running back out of their NFC East showdown in the season finale.

"He is one of these, I like to call them ping-pong backs," Tuck said Tuesday.  "He is really going to challenge our gap integrity especially on the edges, he likes to bounce things and he has the speed to get there.  He is a home run type every time he touches the ball."

The former Oklahoma back had a record-breaking college career before making a big splash with the Cowboys.  Murray rushed for a Cowboys-record 253 yards in his first start last season.  He brings a more aggressive running game to the Dallas game-plan — one the Giants have not really faced before.

The mention of Murray taking the field makes Tom Coughlin's stomach churn.

"I was close enough to the field," said the Giants head coach. " Thank you for reminding me.  I thought maybe the indigestion would go away."

Michael Strahan is Kelly Ripa's new permanent co-host

Kelly Ripa officially introduced her new morning talk show co-host Tuesday and it was ... surprise ... Michael Strahan.

In television's worst kept secret since Clint Eastwood's bizarre appearance at the Republican National Convention, Ripa introduced the former New York Giants defensive end as her new permanent co-host on the newly unveiled  "Live! With Kelly and Michael."

After auditioning nearly 60 guests as co-hosts, Strahan has finally filled the void left by Regis Philbin after he retired from the show last November.

At his introduction, Strahan jogged from an SUV on the street and entered the set amidst streams of confetti and hugged Ripa, the woman he will banter with every weekday over coffee.  He sat next to her in front of a new "Live! With Kelly and Michael" logo.

Ripa joked to the audience that she feels like she just "gave birth to a new co-host" after the long auditioning process.

The raspy-voiced Ripa then teased Strahan about how the staff painted the waiting area "49ers' colors."

"It can always be changed with a little paint," joked Strahan before giving her a dozen red roses.

Gotta love the cute interplay already between Strahan and his "TV wife."

The former NFL star first appeared on the show with Philbin and Ripa in 2008 and jokingly predicted that one day he would host the show.

 Strahan, 40, is currently a host for "Fox NFL Sunday" and also starred in the short-lived Fox sit-com, "Brothers," in 2009.  He can be seen endorsing a number of products on television commercials.

Philbin left the show after hosting it 28 years alongside a number of different co-hosts.  Ripa joined him in 2001.