Does anything Rex Ryan say or do surprise you anymore? It shouldn’t really. But his latest stunt caught me by surprise nevertheless. Ryan reportedly will have quarterback Mark Sanchez serve as the offensive coordinator for part of Thursday night’s preseason finale against the Philadelphia Eagles. Sanchez, who was not going to play in the game anyway, will at least be forced to stay sharp and be mentally involved with the game’s proceedings as he calls in some plays via walkie-talkie.
The idea, of course, is to expose Sanchez to a different aspect of the game, giving him a coach’s perspective on why and how certain plays are called. It’s a clever way of doing things. Ryan said he used to do it in Baltimore on defense, letting LB Ray Lewis and S Ed Reed call plays in the preseason. They gave it up, he said, when they realized it’s not as easy as it looks.