Ryan standing behind Sanchez
Photo credit: Getty/Jared Wickerham | Mark Sanchez #6 of the New York Jets throws a pass against the Buffalo Bills during the game on October 18, 2009 at Giants Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey.
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Oct. 18: Bills 16, Jets 13
FLORHAM PARK, N.J. - Rex Ryan isn't ready to pull the plug on the Jets' rookie quarterback just yet.
Ryan admitted after Sunday's loss, in which Mark Sanchez threw five interceptions - four in the second half - that he thought hard about pulling Sanchez and going with Kellen Clemens. But Ryan didn't waver Monday and said he hasn't lost confidence in Sanchez. "We've got the right guy," Ryan said.
He said the Jets might do a few extra things to help him. They might cut back on some of the plays and scale down some of the pre-snap motion. They also might take a look at Sanchez's workload during the week, making sure he doesn't have too much on his plate.
Ryan is sure Sanchez will rebound. "He's resilient," he said. "He's going to bounce back from this. I believe that. He's mad at himself because he thinks he let his team down. This football team cares about each other and they don't want to see him suffer.''
Discipline coming?
Ryan wasn't the least bit pleased that James Ihedigbo drew an unsportsmanlike-conduct penalty on the opening kickoff of overtime. Ihedigbo threw an elbow at the Bills' Derek Fine - Marques Murrell also appeared to take a swipe at Fine - and cost the Jets 14 yards. "Things happen on the field, but at that time, you've got to be kidding me," Ryan said. "There are some penalties that you don't need to take, and not just focusing on Ihedigbo, because he's been a tremendous player for us, too. You've got to be smart."
