So here was Rex Ryan facing the firing squad, for what absolutely would have been considered a fireable offense by cult followers of Boss Steinbrenner — exposing his starting quarterback to harm in Garbage Time, and sure enough, watching his starting quarterback’s throwing shoulder harmed playing behind the Jets’ backup offensive line.
Ge-NO Smith (45.7 QB rating) had thrown three interceptions, absent-mindedly stepped out of the back of the end zone while chased by Mark Herzlich for a safety, and somehow, some way, Ryan had a worse night.
As Wrecks Ryan.
Call this one the brainfumble.
Quarterback Mark Sanchez grabs his shoulder after getting hit during Saturday’s game. (AP)
Mark Sanchez stood on the sidelines with his shoulder wrapped after he left the game. (AP)
Jets quarterback Geno Smith reacts after throwing an interception during Saturday’s preseason game. (Neil Miller)
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Sanchez had already won the starting job by default, and yet Ryan decided it would be a good idea to have him work off the rust in the fourth quarter.
Except a hungry Giants defensive tackle named Marvin Austin, who is fighting for a job, knocked the rust off Sanchez, and nearly knocked him into Jets West.
Sanchez writhed in agony flat on his back for several minutes before walking off to have his shoulder iced on the sideline. A source told The Post’s Brian Costello the shoulder was sore and would undergo an MRI exam today.
“The severity of it we don’t know yet,” Ryan said.
Welcome to yet another showing of Stupid Jets Tricks.
The prestigious Snoopy Trophy was lugged into the press conference room and positioned to the left of the podium where Ryan would stand.
When he arrived, he posed with a MetLife Foundation check for $42,500 and acted and sounded as if his Jets, 24-21 overtime winners over the Giants, had just captured the Lombardi Trophy.
Then the inquisition of Wrecks Ryan began in earnest: Whose decision was it to play Sanchez in the fourth quarter?
“That was my decision all the way,” Ryan said. “All week you talk about winning the game and competing. That was my decision.”
Irresponsible decision. Bonehead decision.
“If it wasn’t important I would not have put him in there,” Ryan said.
Apparently the prestigious Snoopy Trophy was more important than the health of the quarterback who deserves to open the season — shoulder permitting.
When Ryan was asked why risk injury to Sanchez in the fourth quarter, he bristled: “Well, why compete, period? We were there to win. We had our starting offensive line out there for three quarters because we were trying to win the game.”
He didn’t come up with an adequate answer as to why he was trying to win the game in the fourth quarter with the rest of his offensive team on the bench. In other words, leaving Sanchez naked (insert joke) on Sanchez Island.
“I understand being second-guessed when injuries happen,” Ryan said.
“But that’s football.”
No, that’s Jets football.
Did Ryan have any reservations about putting Sanchez out there behind offensive linemen who will never be confused for the Five Blocks of Granite?
“Well, after an injury you always have reservations,” he said, “but we’re competing. I tell my players we’re trying to compete to win the game.”
Super Bowl XLVIII, everyone would have understood.
But the Snoopy Bowl?
Austin himself was delighted that Sanchez was available for the walloping.
“They got a huge investment in him, so I was a little surprised,” he said.
At least Ryan saw the play, a 23-yard completion deep left to Mohamed Massaquoi.
“Unfortunately the best play he made all of preseason he ends up getting hurt on it,” Ryan said. “It’s very unfortunate that he was injured.”
Ryan became so agitated with one line of questioning he bizarrely turned his back to one reporter while providing an answer and turned sideways to another while giving another answer to make some kind of point.
The one answer he should have given — that Sanchez had won the job by default — was not forthcoming.
“From Day 1, I said we will make the announcement on the starting quarterback when we think it’s appropriate,” Ryan said.
Sanchez, who entered with 11 minutes 21 seconds remaining in regulation, had reminded everyone why there has been a quarterback competition in the first place when he fumbled away a shotgun snap on his first series.
Smith needed a Phil Simms in Pasadena night to win the job, and he showed up as Richard Todd in the Mud Bowl, even with no mud, instead.
“I don’t think one game, one practice, one day will tell you the type of quarterback I am,” Smith said.
He may be the Quarterback of the Future, just not the Present.
“Obviously there were some good moments and there were some low moments,” Ryan said.
The most brutal moment belonged to him.
steve.serby@nypost.com