Jets coach Rex Ryan was questioned harshly by the New York media about why he played Mark Sanchez in the fourth quarter of Saturday night’s preseason game, only to have Sanchez suffer an injury to his throwing shoulder while playing behind a bunch of backup offensive linemen. And Ryan did not take kindly to the line of questioning.
“I wouldn’t have put Mark in if it wasn’t important,” Ryan said.
When pressed about whether Sanchez would be the starter in the regular season, Ryan began to get angry.
“I don’t have to answer a question. . . . We will make the decision on a starting quarterback when we think it’s the appropriate time. Not when you, not when this person or this person or this person,” Ryan said, while pointing to different members of the media.
When Ryan got a question that began with, “How can you say,” Ryan interrupted it and said, “I can say anything I want. That’s the beauty of this country.”
Ryan then started acting strange, turning his back on a reporter asking a question and saying, “I’ll stand backward and answer a question.”
What Ryan couldn’t answer is whether Sanchez will be healthy enough to play in Week One. An MRI on his injured shoulder may answer that question.