Rex Ryan and Mike Tannenbaum sure sound sincere.

So far this offseason the Jets' coach and general manager have consistently supported the quarterbacks — Kellen Clemens, Brett Ratliff and Erik Ainge — on the roster and did so again last week during the voluntary minicamp.

"(Clemens) certainly has the confidence and I think (Ratliff) does as well," Ryan said Friday. "It's going to be a great competition."

"Right now, we're comfortable with the three players that we have," Tannenbaum said in Friday's pre-draft news conference. "As I said before, in Kellen and Brett's case, they've earned the right to compete."

But the possibility exists they could end up competing with more than each other.

Because as much as the team has expressed confidence in what's on the roster — Ainge is currently away from the team dealing with a personal issue — its actions say otherwise.

The Jets inquired about trading for Jay Cutler, who was dealt to the Bears, and they've done extensive legwork on this year's quarterback draft class.

"I think they still have some deciding to do," ESPN draft analyst Todd McShay said Tuesday during a conference call. "Clemens has some upside but has not played to potential so far, but he hasn't had a lot of game experience. Ratliff has a little potential as well."

Former Chiefs and Jets coach Herman Edwards, on the same call, said he thinks the Jets will give Clemens, "a shot," but didn't discount the possibility of drafting a quarterback.

"I still think they might draft a quarterback," Edwards said. "Will they draft one high? I don't think so."

That would bring quarterbacks such as Mike Teel (Rutgers), Nate Davis (Ball State) and Rhett Bomar (Sam Houston State) — all projected as Day 2 picks and all of whom visited the Jets — into the mix.

But clearly the intrigue surrounds the Day 1 quarterbacks, specifically Mark Sanchez, who a league source said would like to play in New York, and Josh Freeman. Sanchez will not fall to the Jets at 17 but, should the quarterback get past Seattle at No. 4, the Jets might try to make a move, though they'd be competing with several teams, to get him.

Freeman, whom the Jets worked out privately during an on-campus visit in March, is considered more of a project who has taken on a "boom" or "bust" label, depending on the scout or analyst. McShay is wary of Freeman; NFL Network's Mike Mayock is a fan.

"I think they both bring different things to the table," Jets vice president of college scouting Joey Clinkscales said last week. "I think Sanchez is a fantastic leader. He's played in Los Angeles which is like the 33rd NFL team and he's led that team. I think Freeman is a guy who is physically gifted. He has a big arm. He has not had as much success at Kansas State as maybe Sanchez did at USC, but he's a very talented, athletic quarterback."

"I hope they liked me as much as I liked them," Freeman wrote on the Web site imatopprospect.com on March 17, shortly after his Jets workout. "I guess only time will tell."