Mark Sanchez Ignores Girardi, Hurts Knee, Angers Rex Ryan

TORONTO -- So they go to all this trouble to bring in a very famous outside instructor to help you learn how to slide -- for your own protection, mind you. And the first chance you get to put the lessons into practice, what do you do? You dive head-first, hurt your knee and have to come out of the game. Mark Sanchez, you are in the doghouse.

"He's got to understand that it's in the organization's best interest to slide," Jets coach Rex Ryan said of his rookie quarterback, who left Thursday night's 19-13 victory over the Bills with an injured right knee that's now bound for an MRI tube. "I love the kid, but he's got to grow up and understand what's in the team's best interest and what's best for him, too."

Concerned about this very issue -- Sanchez's tendency to dive head-first at the end of runs instead of taking advantage of the rule that affords quarterbacks protection if they slide feet-first -- Ryan on Tuesday called the World Series champion Yankees and asked if they could send over a coach to teach Sanchez how to slide. The Yankees did Ryan one better, sending over manager Joe Girardi, who spent 10 minutes after Tuesday's practice working on sliding techniques with the rookie QB.

But in the third quarter Thursday, on 3rd-and-6 from his own 13-yard-line with the Jets up 16-7, Sanchez took off on a run and dove head first to get the first down. As he dove, he banged his right knee on the ground. Two plays later, he felt pain in the knee and came out of the game for Kellen Clemens.

"I'm probably going to take some heat for not sliding," said Sanchez, who hadn't yet heard from his irate coach. "But in the heat of the moment, I was just trying to get the first down. I'm sorry to Coach Girardi. He spent all that time trying to help me. And I know Rex wants me to slide and everybody wants me to slide, but in the heat of the moment I was trying to get the first down. That's just the way I play."

To hear Ryan tell it, that's got to change.

"I know why he did it," Ryan said. "He's trying to make a first down. But he's got to understand, I don't care about the first down. I care about him. This guy is crucial for our organization's success, and he can't be reckless. Maybe this setback will shown him how serious we are about this. I never want him diving forward. I don't want to see that, and I thought we were clear on it."

The Jets don't play again until next Sunday, this Thursday game giving Sanchez extra time to heal. He was wearing a brace on his right knee after the game (and wore one on his left knee during the game for a prior injury, so he's in real good shape) and said he was optimistic but didn't know for sure if he'd play in Week 14. Ryan said the team would send him for the MRI but that they were optimistic that it's just a sprain. More information on that Friday, most likely. The Jets are 6-6 and still alive in the race for an AFC wild card spot, and Clemens showed in his relief appearance that he's not the guy to get them home.

So they'll hope Sanchez gets better quickly. And that he's learned his lesson.

"He's our knucklehead and we love him," Ryan said. "But man, oh man."

Girardi was not available for comment.