Asked after the game about his team’s quarterback competition, Jets coach Rex Ryan had an easy way to avoid committing one way or the other: He said he wasn’t paying attention.
Ryan said he was mostly focused on the defense in Friday night’s preseason loss to the Lions, and so he doesn’t have a strong opinion about how the offense played.
“I had my own issues on the other side of the ball, so I really never focused a whole lot when he was in there,” Ryan said of rookie quarterback Geno Smith, according to the New York Post.
When reporters asked Ryan about Mark Sanchez throwing an interception that was returned for a touchdown on the Jets’ first possession, Ryan said he didn’t see that throw, either, although he did look up in time to see Detroit rookie Ziggy Ansah running into the end zone.
“We’ll see it on tape. You guys probably saw more plays than I did,” Ryan told reporters.
You’d think the head coach would want to pay attention to his team’s quarterback battle, which very well may shape the future of the franchise. But perhaps Ryan is just going to ignore the situation and let John Idzik make the decision.