Rex Ryan became known for his defiant defense of Mark Sanchez, but behind the scenes, the former New York Jets head coach often questioned the quarterback's ceiling.
"With Sanchez, I knew he wasn't going to be a franchise quarterback," Ryan told Rich Cimini of ESPN. "But I thought he'd be good enough to win with."
Sanchez entered the league as the No. 5 overall pick in the 2009 NFL Draft, and quarterbacked the Jets to back-to-back AFC Championship Games in his first two seasons. Those squads, however, were led by stellar defenses and strong running games, and often won in spite of Sanchez's turnovers.
The Sanchize, as he was once dubbed, played five seasons with the Jets, spending the fifth one on the shelf due to injury, before being released in March 2014.
"With Sanchez, we just couldn't have it anymore," Ryan said. "The boneheaded interceptions, especially in the red zone, it was mind-boggling. Unfortunately, Mark never really got better. I think that was the disappointing thing to me."
Sanchez finished his Jets tenure with as many interceptions as passing touchdowns. He's currently the Chicago Bears' third-string quarterback.
