New York Jets: Rex Ryan Has a Big Mouth and Mark Sanchez Isn't Elite

The New York Jets head coach, Rex Ryan, put his foot in his mouth once again in the team's lackluster performance against the Patriots, and Mark Sanchez once again proved he isn't an elite quarterback.

Ryan's mouth is getting more attention lately than some of the real issues facing the New York Jets. For a team that has been pronounced by Ryan to be Super Bowl-bound, the Jets have underwhelmed the fans in their pursuit of that promise.

When Joe Namath has asked you repeatedly to chill out on the pomp and bluster, that may be your first sign to slow down and reevaluate. 

Sanchez is looking far from elite these days, and I wonder when the Jets will start to take a more reasonable approach with this talented young quarterback.

Against the Patriots, who have been atrocious against passing offenses this season, Sanchez and the Jets attempted 39 passes, but only completed about half of those. Additionally, Sanchez was picked off twice by linebacker, Rob Ninkovich, who took one of them to the house for six.

So, when will Ryan and Brian Schottenheimer finally begin to open their eyes to what's been obvious to the fans all season long? Mark Sanchez isn't Tom Brady or even Eli Manning. He isn't elite.

When the Jets moved up in the draft to pick Sanchez, Ryan dubbed him the "Sanchize" to build up the young man's confidence and drum up some hype. But I wonder if the team has made a tremendous error in their evaluation of Sanchez. It seems like they want a work horse to win the Kentucky Derby.

Even if the Jets made a mistake in their initial evaluation, I can't understand why they are continuing to bang their head against the same wall, time and time again.

Ryan would do well to install a filter that fits nicely between his brain and his mouth. When the team had some miscommunication late in the second quarter, Sanchez called a timeout with just under a minute and a half. This blunder gave the Patriots a chance to drive down the field before halftime and score. 

Ryan told sideline reporter Michelle Tafoya that Sanchez's decision to call the timeout the, "stupidest thing in NFL history." This isn't the way to build up a quarterback, coach.

The only way the New York Jets can rescue this up-and-down season is to stop relying on an average quarterback to win games with his arm. The Jets and Rex Ryan won't make the playoffs unless they change this ill-conceived strategy.

Hubris runs deep in the Ryan family tree. It remains to be seen if Ryan can suck up his pride, quiet down and go back to playing some New York Jets smash-mouth football.