Rex Ryan got an ear full from the media after he opted to keep quarterback Mark Sanchez in the game deep into the fourth quarter resulting in a shoulder injury for the potential starter. Ryan told reporters that he decided to keep Sanchez in because he wanted to beat the New York Giants...in a preseason game...that does not count towards their Super Bowl chances. Naturally, Sanchez has his coach's back and said that no matter what, he trusts Ryan.
"I'm not here to second-guess the coaches," Sanchez said. "If they call you to play, you better be ready to play, and I was. So I went in and played and tried to win. Look, I'm a competitor. And as a player, it's not my job to worry about when you're going in, who's in, what string, this or that. If they call your number, you've got to play and that's what I do, that's what I've always done. That's not my call. That's the coach's decision."
That is a very professional statement. Meanwhile, Sanchez has suffered a shoulder injury to his throwing arm that may or may not hurt his chances at starting Week 1 for the Jets. Sanchez was hit by Marvin Austin with 11 minutes left in the game. He hit the ground and immediately clutched his shoulder.
Normally at that time, the third-string quarterback is in the game and the starters are getting their rest. Since the preseason games mean nothing, most coaches are not stressing about trying to pull out a win. Ryan remained coy with the media after the incident saying he stands by his decision to keep Sanchez in the game and is not concerned with other opinions.
"From my standpoint, I have to move forward, we have to move forward and that's where we're at," Ryan said. "What's happened in the past, you can't do anything about. You've got to focus on the present and the future, and that's where we are right now."
Sanchez's injury puts the Jets in a rough patch with their quarterback situation. Rookie Geno Smith has been struggling in game situations with turnovers. Third string quarterback Greg McElroy is suffering for knee injuries. That leaves the healthiest quarterback being Matt Simms. Ryan is not feeling the pressure. The team still has one more preseason game and then then coaches will make a decision after that.
Sanchez is not expected back at practice for the remainder of the week. An MRI revealed that Sanchez's shoulder is bruised and he is ruled day-to-day.
