Gang Green Nation: Ryan Has Settled Sanchez

Early in his rookie campaign, QB Mark Sanchez was cruising along and making the Jets look like geniuses for drafting him. Then, the turnovers started. Sanchez was becoming an interception machine and was shooting down the Jets season along the way. But lately, the kid has been much more judicious about where his passes go and the Jets have relied on their running game and defense to win games. Somewhere along the way, head coach Rex Ryan stepped in and made the difference.

Gang Green Nation:

GangGreen is 5-1 since Rex stated he would become more involved in the offense following the loss in Foxborough. In this time period, Sanchez has drastically improved on turning the ball over. While he did throw three interceptions in the Atlanta game (it should be noted this was his first game back from injury which forced him to wear two knee braces), he has thrown only one interception in the other five games combined. Rex said he was going to help Sanchez make smart decisions with the football, and the statistics clearly back that up. I’m a believer.

Schotty did an excellent job on Sunday of putting Sanchez in a position where he didn’t have to do too much. The play-calling was conservative yet effective, and while Sanchez was inaccurate in a couple of throws, he didn’t turn the ball over and managed the game effectively.

Sanchez is going to have make plays with his arm this week. Zimmer has made it known that he will stack more men in the box and will not allow the Jets rushing attack to beat them again. The key here will be getting him into “third and manageable” situations, and not “third and longs.”