It may not matter if Mark Sanchez shows up for the Jets at this point, but they still need to know if he’s their future.
This Sunday against the Cardinals represents a chance for him to redeem his season. The Jets must win their last five games to even have a shot at the playoffs, placing a heavy burden on Sanchez.
“It’s an everyday thing. I don’t think it changes just because we need to win a couple games here in a short period of time. It’s just the nature of the position,” Sanchez said. “The most important thing in these next five games, as important as they are, don’t change and try and do something crazy and make something up and try and be somebody you’re not. [I have to] just keep leading this team and do the very best I can.”
Jets head coach Rex Ryan is convinced the issues with the league’s No. 28 total offense go far beyond Sanchez’s miscues.
“When you look at it, there are things that all of us can improve, and to saddle, to put that blame on one person, I don’t think that’s appropriate. If anything, that would be more directed at me than it is anybody else,” Ryan said. “How am I as a coach? I have to get better and get this team to where we don’t turn the ball over, so I focus on those areas. But as a team we have to get better. You don’t just put that on one individual. If that was the answer, if it’s just one guy, then that’s easy, but it’s not. We have to protect the football as a football team.”
But the pressure still falls on Sanchez to perform against the Cardinals.
“Being the quarterback of a team, there’s always more pressure and attention at that position, so I don’t treat it differently than anything else,” Sanchez said. “We just need to win some games here. We’ve done it in the past, so hopefully we’ll do it again.”
Follow Jets beat writer Kristian Dyer on Twitter @KristianRDyer.
