Despite Rex Ryan vowing to stick with his starting quarterback as long as he is the Jets head coach, the fans in New York have grown tired of Mark Sanchez. It is Sanchez’s third year as an NFL starter, and he has not taken significant strides toward proving he deserved to be selected in the top-5 picks of the draft. Since Ryan has decided to ride it out with Sanchez under center, Jets fans have decided to let it be known that they don’t support the decision. That’s why Sanchez was booed during the pregame on Sunday, which did not sit well with safety Jim Leonhard.
“I think we have a great crowd,” Leonhard told WFAN on Tuesday. “I think probably for one of the first times, I was kind of disappointed. Our starting quarterback gets booed in introductions…. That’s frustrating when … As players, you kind of turn to each other and say, ‘You know what? I guess we’re in this one today by ourselves.’ We can’t rely on the crowd to give us that energy because it’s already started off on a bad note. So I will say that this past weekend was really the first time that I’ve been kind of frustrated going into a game, which is bad.”
Leonard added that he understands where the fans are coming from and that the team is also frustrated with the results, but wishes they would have their back and give the benefit of the doubt. As we all know, there is no benefit of the doubt with NFL fans.
Despite leading a comeback against the Bills and keeping the Jets playoffs hopes alive, Sanchez continued to struggle. He threw a horrible interception from his own end zone and got away with at least two other passes that should have been picked off. If he can’t stop making crucial mistakes like those, it will be difficult for the Jets to even reach the postseason, let alone match their success from the previous two years.
