Espn analyst and former Jets head coach Herm Edwards talks about Rex Ryan’s dubious handling of the quarterback situation, the Giants struggling secondary and more with The Post’s Justin Terranova.
Q: Did Rex Ryan make the right decision going back with Mark Sanchez?
A: Yes, he gives the Jets the best chance to win. Where Rex probably miscalculated was he should’ve gotten rid of all this noise after the game by saying, “next week Sanchez is our starting quarterback.” When you leave it up in the air for a couple of days, now the problem is players are getting asked about it.
Q: Any concerns with how this will affect Sanchez’s confidence?
A: He’s a guy that’s had to deal with that all season since the (Tim) Tebow trade. This has been a season for him that’s had to be a little bit uneasy. The problem for him – and some of it is his own making – but if you look at the line and not being able to run the football, receivers in and out of the lineup, but that’s the NFL and it’s still his job to win. That’s what he has to understand.
Q: You’ve dealt with positives and negatives with the New York media. How should Ryan handle it?
A: The thing for him, and he realizes this, is you have to stay consistent and have a belief in what you are doing. The first two years he had an idea on how he wanted to build this team and was dead on. The third year he kind of got away from it. He saw what the big dogs in New England were doing and thought in order to beat these guys we have to throw the ball a little bit more. They lost their identity and they may not have enough parts to get it back.
Q: Any concerns about the Giants heading into this difficult final stretch, starting with the Saints?
A: You can take advantage of the Giants when you have time to throw the ball. They are not pressuring you and they aren’t hitting the quarterback then there are some holes in that secondary. Drew Brees is going to be a little angry because he knows last week was not one of his better weeks with five interceptions.
Q: Was Tom Coughlin’s win-out comment a motivational ploy for the Giants, who have played best with their backs against the wall?
A: No, these players know it. They are a veteran football team and they know exactly where they are at. They’ve been able to turn the switch on and make a run. A lot of that has to do with Eli (Manning), but Eli is not having the same kind of season he had last year. He’s playing good, but the receiving corps is hurt a lot.