It may have been one of the best highlights from Week 3, but when Mark Sanchez lowered his shoulder at the goal line against a pair of Titans defenders, head coach Rex Ryan was far from excited.
On Tuesday, coaches, teammates and trainers warned their prized possession about the dangers of such a risky play.
During his 14-yard touchdown rush in the first quarter of Sunday’s 24-17 win over Tennessee, Sanchez scampered towards the goal line and took on a pair of Titan defenders at the goal line, risking every muscle, bone and nerve in his 22-year-old body.
“He does need to realize that he’s got to take care of his body through the long haul and he’s got to take care of the football as well,” Ryan told The New York Daily News. “Those are things he’s going to have to learn.”
The Jets sacrificed a lot of picks and money to pluck Sanchez at No. 5 overall in April’s draft. The team is hoping the future of the franchise is actually around in the future, not sidelined with some injury that could have been prevented.
“The way he is, it’s going to be hard to get him to understand that completely, to buy into that completely,” Ryan said. “He really needs to.”
