Sanchez OK with giving Brunell a few reps

FLORHAM PARK, N.J. -- Rex Ryan dipped into his superstitious bag of tricks, hopeful that what he pulled with his franchise quarterback a season ago will work again.

Ryan took a grand total of six out of 80 practice snaps with the first-team offense away from Mark Sanchez over the past two days, opting to have 41-year-old Mark Brunell line up under center instead. That tactic ticked off Sanchez last December before he gave a solid performance in a road win over the Steelers.

So that's why Ryan is looking for a little deja vu for the reeling Jets, who may need to win all six of their remaining games to make the playoffs for the third straight season.

"Just like a 'Hey, look, I told everybody we're going to play everybody on our roster,' " Ryan said Tuesday. "Mark has played well, but do I want to get the one guy a snap? Absolutely, and I think it does send a message that every single player, no matter how good -- Darrelle Revis doesn't take every snap in practice a lot of times, but I did.

"You know me. If I think something is working, we'll go with it. If we played better when we did it last year, then I will do that."

Sanchez seemed unfazed.

"That's the coach's decision," said Sanchez, who practiced in full Tuesday despite a neck injury suffered against the Broncos. "I'm just controlling what I can and that's trying to improve, make better decisions with the football, and taking the reps I have and doing well with them."

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If Ryan's ploy got under his skin, Sanchez was coy about it.

"I guess maybe last year it did, but I don't know," said Sanchez, who typically takes 99 percent of the reps. "That's Rex's deal."

Brunell had fun with the situation. "It was a big day," he said with a chuckle. "I think I got four plays. Out of the 40 we ran, I got four. So I was pretty excited about that. I think three of them were runs, but it was good to go in there a little bit."

Still, don't expect to see Brunell on the field against the Bills on Sunday if Sanchez struggles early. "I'm not going to take him out," Ryan said. "He's our quarterback."

When Sanchez plays well, the Jets usually win. But he hasn't looked good in the last two games, throwing three interceptions -- two returned for touchdowns -- and only one TD in successive defeats.

"I think it's just been a couple plays a game, but they've been the plays that have really hurt -- interceptions, the interception for a touchdown," Sanchez said.

"Other than that, it was a solid game. I made good decisions, good reads and then you let it get away from you a couple times and that's when you can really hurt the team. But I know this team, what our potential is, I know how I can play and I know how I can improve."

Plaxico Burress said he is confident Sanchez will become more consistent.

"I think he has that kind of determination," Burress said. "I wouldn't have made a decision to come play with him if I didn't think he had that potential, and have that commitment to go out and be a great quarterback."

Ryan believes the same thing, and that's why he's giving Brunell a few extra reps, even if it might cause the slightest bit of tension between the coach and Sanchez.

"We're close, no question," Ryan said. "But I'm close with my kids and I have to rip them every now and then. So it's the same thing. It's really not that. He knows how I feel."