Why is Rex Ryan afraid to let Mark Sanchez play? Is there a secret mandate from ownership that the face of the franchise not be risked to injury? Did Ryan forget that his fat new contract and new celebrity status would not have happened without the play of his young QB and young RB in the playoffs last year? Sure, Ryan built a very good defense, but this team did not become a "contender" until they took the wraps off Sanchez (and Greene for that matter) in the playoffs and let the young players try to make plays. I was there for the conference loss to the Colts and I maintain that the best player on the field that day was Sanchez, and that he could've won the game if the Jets continued to throw the ball as they did in the first half of that game. I believe Sanchez can succeed given some rope to play with. His beautiful throw down the seam in the first half (called back due to holding) is testament to his accuracy as a passer. But Ryan continues to undermine his ability (and probably his confidence) by shackling him to a conservative approach. The message that keeps getting hammered home is "don't let Mark lose the game for us." I got news for you Rex, your defense is not that good. Yes, they caused a lot of turnovers tonight, but once team's adjust to the blitz, the Jets are exposed. They get NO PRESSURE unless they blitz. By the time the 2nd half rolls around, the defense is exhausted. They need better D-linemen so they can get pressure without having to blitz, but that's a Tannenbaum thread. Why, with Ed Reed and the Ravens starting corner out of the game, didn't the Jets attempt one deep throw down the sidelines to Braylon Edwards? The guy is 9 feet tall and pretty quick and chances are good that even if they don't connect, they might get an interference flag. If I'm the Ravens CB on the Jets final possession, I'm terrified that the Jets will send this giant receiver deep and I'm going to lose the game for my team in the final minute. All Sanchez has to do is take a quick drop and send the ball down the sideline over Edwards outside shoulder--he doesn't even need to hit him--and there's a really good chance the DB will panic and grab him. And with the way the flags were flying, maybe the refs would've even things out a little. But no...no long pass on the first 4 plays and no long pass after the first down. Ridiculous, I mean Joe Walton ridiculous. Guess what, Rex, you don't HAVE TO play it close to the vest. It's OK to try and blow them out sometimes. It's actually OK to put points on the board and give your defense some help. My problem with Ryan is that he's full of bravado and bluster on defense, but he's a coward when it comes to offense. NO BALLS. MY SUGGESTION: Spend less time boasting and sneaking candy and harrassing the female media and more time on your offense, Buddy Junior. And BTW, Hard Knocks was the giant distraction that I thought it was going to be, but it did reveal one thing to me...the best coach on this team is Mike Westhoff. Can't imagine the team would've pulled the hamburger stunt if Westhoff were running the show. Can't imagine that a Westhoff coached team would have a 140+ yards in penalties either. He should be the HC of the NYJ and Rex should be swapped back to DC where his true talent lies.
