ORCHARD PARK — Mark Sanchez and Rex Ryan came to the Jets together. They were a team the moment Ryan fell for Sanchez faster than a college coed during a clandestine visit with him in Southern California and insisted the team trade up to draft him.
The two have been together since. Against all odds, they went to the AFC Championship together in their tumultuous rookie year. Then they did it again the next year. Man, the future looked bright for the duo two years ago, didn’t it?
And now this.
Now the two seem as far removed from those two title game appearances as Joe Namath does from running off the Orange Bowl field waving his index finger in the air in 1969.
Four years after their first date, you have to wonder if Ryan and Sanchez will get a fifth year together.
VOTE: WHO SHOULD THE JETS BRING BACK IN 2013?
Here was Ryan’s terse response to a question yesterday about whether he has received any assurances from team owner Woody Johnson that he will be back in 2013.
“Nope, sure haven’t. We’ll see.’’
Ryan said this from a podium in the bowels of Ralph Wilson Stadium after the Jets were waxed 28-9 by a bad Bills team to finish 6-10, his first losing season. He looked more uncomfortable and unsure of himself than he ever has since his bold arrival to the Jets four years ago.
Sanchez?
Much the way he maddeningly continued to repeat the same rookie mistakes on the field (his two turnovers yesterday brought his season total to 26 and his two-year total to a league-high 52), Sanchez sounded like a broken record standing at that same podium about 20 minutes after Ryan departed.
“It starts with the quarterback,’’ he said. “I’ve got to be better.’’ Then he droned on about “learning about how valuable it is to protect the football, how smart you have to play in the red zone.’’
Raise your hand if you’re tired of hearing those familiar refrains from Sanchez, who not only should know better but play better.
In what amounted to a gift start with Greg McElroy injured, a chance to alter the poor perception of himself with a good showing, Sanchez played as poorly as he had when he was benched, completing 17-of-35 for 205 yards, an interception, a lost fumble and a pathetic 55.1 passer rating. His interception was a pick-six in the red zone.
Quite simply, Sanchez did not look like a starting NFL quarterback yesterday, and he has not all season.
The elephant in the room for everyone whose jobs are on severe notice as a result of this mess — Ryan, Sanchez, general manager Mike Tannenbaum, offensive coordinator Tony Sparano — was the elephant that was not in the room.
Johnson, who generally attends every Jets game, was nowhere to be found. It’s believed to be the first game all season Johnson has not attended. His lack of presence and radio silence of late has been deafening.
From the sounds of Johnson’s silence and his history of not standing pat in the face of bitter disappointment (remember, Eric Mangini was fired in 2008 for going 9-7), there will be a number of key figures in the franchise moving on. Sparano is a goner. Tannenbaum is on shaky ground.
Ryan is scheduled to conduct his usual day-after-a-game press conference at 4:45 this afternoon. Read into that what you will. He’s not likely to be fired, but with Johnson you never know.
Sanchez likely will stay, thanks mostly to the guaranteed $8.25 million he has coming to him in 2013 and the massive salary cap hit the team would take if he is traded or released.
After the game, Ryan and Sanchez made their public pleas to return.
“I want to be here,’’ Ryan said. “Obviously, with only six wins, I’m sure there’ll be some Jet fans that maybe wish I wouldn’t coach the Jets. But guess what? I know I’m the right guy for the job.’’
Sanchez said “of course’’ he wants to remain a Jet.
“I’m contracted to be here,” he said. “I want to be here. I plan on being here forever, so who knows? This is where it all started, this is where we’ve had a bunch of fun playing a ton of games, almost 40 wins for Rex and I.’’
The problem for Ryan, Sanchez, the fans and — most importantly — Johnson, is the fun and the wins have run out. And with radical change likely to come.