New York Jets coach Rex Ryan admitted Sunday night that he considered yanking struggling quarterback Mark Sanchez during the Jets' ugly 10-6 loss to the Miami Dolphins.
"Late in the third quarter, I thought about it and I was like, ‘He’s not the only one to blame here.’ If I thought that was the case, we would have yanked him," Ryan said. "I think he gives us the best chance to win. That’s all I felt. Again, he put some balls in there we have to catch (and) we normally catch. We have to protect. We have to give him a chance out there. The kid’s an excellent quarterback. We just have to find a way to do things to execute better."
Sanchez, the second-year quarterback, completed just 17 of 44 throws (38.6%) for 216 yards. He threw one interception and fumbled four times. One of his fumbles led to Miami's only touchdown.
"I have to play better. That’s all there is to it," Sanchez said. "Sometimes I’m making it harder than it needs to be and it shouldn’t be like that. We have playmakers out there and I need to get them the ball."
The Jets have totaled nine points in losses to New England and Miami, and have failed to produce a touchdown.
"That’s pretty hard to believe. I don’t care who you go up against. We have plenty of talent, and we have to find a way to get it done," Ryan said. "You look at our next opponent (Pittsburgh), and if you think this defense is good, just wait until next week. Pittsburgh is going to be a huge challenge, and down the road, we need to make sure we find a way to get better. We have to get better."
The Jets' backup quarterback is veteran Mark Brunell.