In the aftermath of the Jets’ spirited run to within 30 minutes of Super Bowl XLIV and the subsequent sudden ending to their ride, coach Rex Ryan met with his players yesterday and told them to “hold your heads high” and “wear your Jets gear with pride.”
Only hours after their devastating 30-17 AFC Championship game loss to the Colts in Indianapolis put an end to what had the potential to be a magical season, Ryan detailed a litany of reasons why, despite falling short of the Super Bowl, the Jets should enter this offseason with hope.
Ryan’s reason to be cheerful, Part One: rookie quarterback Mark Sanchez and his remarkable late-season development, particularly in the postseason, when he raised his level of play incredibly.
“I think we saw our future, I really do,” Ryan said of Sanchez, who had a 92.7 quarterback rating in three playoff games after posting a 63.0 rating in the regular season.
“After [Sunday], I think he’s potty-trained now,” right tackle Damien Woody said of the rookie quarterback.
WILL THEY STAY OR WILL THEY GO
“Sanchez had an up-and-down year, but towards the end he managed to prevail in ways that we haven’t seen in the regular season,” cornerback Darrelle Revis said.
“This postseason he rose to occasion in every game,” receiver Jerricho Cotchery said. “Every time we needed a big play he stepped up and made it. Every game he’s been taking a step. [Sunday] he took three steps in the biggest game of the year.”
And by coming into his own in the postseason, Sanchez has given Ryan the belief that he can shake up the offense next season.
“I want to be — and I know all our fans want me to be — more multiple on offense, instead of just the run first, run second, run third-type mentality,” Ryan said. “I still think we need to run the ball, but I think we can do other things. As comfortable as Mark got in our system, you just saw him growing by leaps and bounds.
“I think our team believes in him. Not that they didn’t believe to begin with, but we also knew that he needed that experience and he knows how we win.”
Ryan believes the new-and-improved Sanchez, seemingly removed from the 20 interceptions he threw in his first 13 starts, is the centerpiece of a new beginning for the Jets.
That’s why the Jets sent out a recorded message from Ryan to season ticket holders yesterday that had the loquacious coach waxing about the fact that these are not “the same old Jets” and firing them up for next season in the first year in the new stadium they’ll share with the Giants.
“Let’s play this game in front of our fans and our stadium, the new Jets stadium,” Ryan ranted. “I can’t wait. We get our own stadium and we are not visitors in our stadium. This is our stadium. We are the biggest show in town, and that’s what it’s going to be.”
When asked to respond to Ryan’s comments, Giants’ vice president of communications Pat Hanlon said: “The Jets had a very good season, and we congratulate them.”
Nevertheless, if Sanchez continues on the upward trend he has been on the last month Ryan’s words may turn out to be true, because it’s already known that as long as Ryan is coaching here, the Jets defense is going to be formidable.
“I’m excited about the way [Sanchez] finished the year,” Ryan said. “I see him stepping up his game and I see Mark becoming a leader.”
Sanchez completed 60.2-percent of his playoff passes compared to 53.8-percent in the regular season. He threw four touchdown passes and two interceptions in the playoffs compared to 12 touchdowns and 20 interceptions in the regular season.
It was after the Jets lost six of seven games when Sanchez said he felt he made a move.
“These last six weeks is when I just felt I started to scratch the surface, playing the right way and not being a thrower but being a quarterback, making the right decisions for this team,” Sanchez said. “We definitely have something to build on. We’re excited.”
Additional reporting
by Paul Schwartz