NEW YORK (AP)
It
was an embarrassing moment that has already been replayed thousands of
times, and in many ways symbolized this increasingly awful season for
the New York Jets.
There's Mark Sanchez running straight ahead
on a busted play Thursday night - right into the backside of one of his
offensive linemen. Sanchez lost the ball, the New England Patriots
recovered it and took it into the end zone for one of three touchdowns
in a 52-second span en route to a 49-19 thrashing of the Jets.
If
you haven't seen it yet, it's all over YouTube - nearly 20,000 views in
15 hours - and will be included in pretty much every blooper reel from
here on out.
''I'm not a big believer in luck,'' Sanchez said after the game, ''but
that was pretty unlucky.''
That's the type of season this has been for the fading and fumbling
Jets (4-7).
Rex Ryan was still trying to make sense of it all Friday morning, just
hours after leaving MetLife Stadium following perhaps the worst loss in
his nearly four seasons as Jets coach.
''It's still hard to
fathom that one stretch,'' Ryan said during a conference call. ''I've
never seen anything like it in all my years of coaching football or
following football.''
Say this for Ryan, though: The guy is defiantly optimistic, no matter
how silly or unrealistic it seems at the moment.
Sure,
the Jets have lost four of their last five games and are barely holding
on to their nearly impossible playoff hopes. But, Ryan believes his
team might still be able to get this done, especially with their last
five opponents all having losing records.
''I'm responsible for
everything,'' Ryan said. ''I'm responsible for the 4-7 record and I'm
responsible for how we play. But I will say this: I'll also be
responsible for how we finish, and I'm confident that we'll finish.''
In
reality, Ryan's bunch can forget about the playoffs for now. They'll
have enough trouble even getting to .500 with the way they've played.
The
heat has been turned up on Ryan, whose job appeared absolutely safe
just a few weeks ago. Now, it could all depend on these last five
games, and whether owner Woody Johnson regains confidence in him and
general manager Mike Tannenbaum or decides to clean house.
Last
season, offensive coordinator Brian Schottenheimer was the fall guy.
Johnson might hold a few more people accountable this time around, Ryan
included.
''I never thought we'd be in this position, but we
are,'' Ryan said. ''I have to get better right now and we have to get
better, and I'm confident we will. We have five games left in the
regular season, and I think that we will get better. I know we'll get
better.''
Ryan said he and Johnson spoke ''briefly'' but
wouldn't elaborate on what was said. It surely wasn't positive, though.
And, how could it be after the owner pushed to have his team showcased
on Thanksgiving night for the second time in three years? Then, the
Jets went out and allowed the most points to an opponent since giving
up 52 in a season-opening loss to Miami in 1995.
Worse still, it
came at the hands of the Jets' biggest rivals, the team Ryan appeared
to have closed the gap on just two years ago. Now, it couldn't be wider
- not that Ryan would acknowledge as much.
''They're an
excellent football team,'' Ryan said. ''But to say we'll never catch
them, that's ridiculous. There is no chance, there is absolutely no
percent of a chance that I believe that in my heart. And I'll never
concede that.''
This one was all about a few bad breaks, some unlucky moments and the
Patriots taking advantage of them all.
''You turn the ball over five times, what do you expect the score to
look like?'' Ryan said. ''That's it.''
Ryan
again gave a vote of confidence to Sanchez as the Jets' starting
quarterback, something compounded by the fact Tim Tebow revealed he has
two broken ribs. And, despite all the mistakes, Ryan insisted there
were positives.
''I saw us making strides up until this game and
even in this game,'' Ryan said. ''I think our offense is improving, I
really believe that.''
In another example of how bizarre this
season has been, Ryan spent more than half the 19-minute conference
call answering questions about the backup quarterback who never played
a snap in the game.
Tebow was active, but remained on the
sideline - cap on and hands in his pockets - throughout as the Jets
bumbled their way through the second quarter and impatient fans chanted
his name. Turns out Tebow was hurt not last Sunday at St. Louis, but
the previous Sunday at Seattle.
Initial X-rays after the game
against the Seahawks were negative, and Tebow played against St. Louis
and continued to experience soreness. The soreness intensified Tuesday
morning, but Tebow was a full participant in practice that day. An MRI
exam and CT scan Tuesday night revealed the fractures, and Ryan was
informed that night.
Ryan made Tebow active for the game against
the Patriots after speaking with him and the quarterback undergoing a
pregame evaluation. Tebow also refused any pain-killing injections
before the game. He took no snaps on offense or special teams, and
third-stringer Greg McElroy was inactive - leaving the Jets with just
one healthy quarterback in their biggest game of the season.
''I
know Tim was cleared to play,'' Ryan said. ''Obviously, if he was not
cleared to play or if they thought he was in serious jeopardy to
himself, then he never would have been activated.''
But, it was
a curious decision considering that Ryan also told offensive
coordinator Tony Sparano and special teams coordinator Mike Westhoff
that Tebow wasn't to be used unless it was an emergency. Apparently,
49-19 didn't qualify as such.
''People have played with cracked
ribs,'' Ryan said. ''It was never told to me that he could not play. It
was just the opposite, that he could play. It was me that said, `No,
I'm not going to play him unless we absolutely have to.' Tim came to
me, and he's like, `I can play. I want to play.'''
Ryan
acknowledged that he ''considered'' making McElroy active against the
Patriots, but decided Tebow would be the guy to go in if necessary.
Tebow said after the game that he is unsure how long he might be
hindered by the injury, and Ryan would only say that ''we'll see how
the week progresses'' as to whether McElroy might be the backup in the
team's next game against Arizona on Dec. 2.
''He absolutely, 100 percent,'' Ryan said of Tebow, ''could have played
in that game.''
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