Jets fans soured on Mark Sanchez in a big way last season, with the team garnering its loudest cheers of the season when head coach Rex Ryan pulled Sanchez for Greg McElroy late in a home game against the Arizona Cardinals.
The fans had their reasons; Sanchez had his worst season as a pro. Making matters worse, it was his fourth NFL campaign which is the time to show improvement not regression. He threw just 13 touchdowns and was picked off 18 times, as the Jets finished 6-10.
Fed up fans booed the embattled passer during a scrimmage on Saturday, but it appears the organization still has his back. Cornerback Antonio Cromartie, assuming a leadership role following the trade of All-Pro corner Darrelle Revis called the fans booing "bullcrap."
Ryan was more measured in his approach. "Our fans have a right to do anything -- I'm not going to say I'm disappointed with the fans -- but I think we need to move forward," Ryan said. "The things in the past are in the past. Let's focus on what we have in front of us. We're all going to make mistakes. ... I had a bad year also last year. Hopefully, our fans are all united 100 percent."
Last season Sanchez had to contend with Tim Tebow and his rabid fan base. Although Tebow didn't truly have a fair shake at starting, Sanchez's new foe does. Rookie Geno Smith, widely ranked as the top quarterback in the 2013 draft class, displayed pinpoint accuracy in college and has playmaking speed. Sanchez will probably need to have a fantastic training camp to hold Smith off, and booing from his own fans isn't likely to be helpful.
We don't want our guys getting booed, especially from our fans because we all wear green and white, including the fans," Ryan said. "The game is tough enough. We need to support each other. That's probably where [Cromartie] was coming from."
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