The saga of the New York Jets just keeps continuing on and on. Remember when Rex Ryan thought he was eliminating drama by releasing Tim Tebow? That is working out very well for him right now. The head coach continues to come under fire for leaving Mark Sanchez in the preseason game against the New York Giants, a move that resulted in a shoulder injury for the quarterback. After the media drilled Ryan with questions, Jets legend (or former?) Joe Namath is taking a swat at the coach.
"You do not put your quarterback in there in that situation, not the guy that is probably going to be your starter behind a makeshift offensive line in a preseason game," Namath said, via ESPN.com. "Come on. There was no rhyme or reasoning to that. I wish (Ryan) would just say it was wrong -- 'I made a mistake.' But instead he was talking about the competitive feelings of wanting to win."
Ryan has remained defensive about the move to keep Sanchez in the game. Naturally, he wanted to win...in a preseason game...that does not count towards the regular season. Namath understands why Ryan would get defensive of the criticism. He notes that no player or head coach wants to be told when they are doing something wrong.
The injury to Sanchez has resulted in the signing of quarterback Graham Harrell. With Sanchez sidelined, Geno Smith struggling with turnovers and Greg McElroy nursing a knee injury, Harrell is the next option. Rookie Matt Simms could also be considered, but Harrell has more experience.
The Jets planned on taking a look at John Beck but after Harrell was released by the Green Bay Packers in favor of Vince Young, he was the better option. Harrell spent the first part of his career in New Orleans learning under Drew Brees before heading to Green Bay. In three preseason games, he was 23 for 42 for 169 yards and an interception.
Sanchez remained supportive of his head coach's decision despite now suffering from a bone bruise. He believes that Ryan always has the best interests of the team in mind and as a competitor, he wanted to stay in the game anyways.
"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."
The Jets drama is only going to continue. They will have to trim the quarterback roster down heavily before naming the final 53. At this point, all signs point to McElroy and Simms as the odd men out.
