Rex Ryan on Mark Sanchez pick-six: 'I never saw it'

The view from the hot seats just got a little toastier for Rex Ryan after the New York Jets head coach claimed he never saw Mark Sanchez's pick-six toss until it was captured on tape.

The Jets quarterback competition between Sanchez and Geno Smith got off to a wobbly start on Friday night when Sanchez tossed a pick-six to Detroit Lions first-round defensive end Ziggy Ansahon the team's fourth offensive play of the preseason.

Ryan —along with GM John Idzik — will be involved in selecting the team's starting quarterback this season. After the game, he was asked about Sanchez's interception and the coach — who is depending on their pick to save his own job — admitted he didn't see it happen live.

"I think, obviously, the interception, I never saw it, I just caught the tail end of it, when the kid was running in for a touchdown," he said.

"I had my own issues on the other side, so I never really focused a whole lot while he was in there," Ryan said. "We'll see it on tape. You probably saw more plays than I did."

Considering how anything involving the Jets immediately affects his future, Ryan's admission last night has raised some eyebrows on Saturday morning.

Ryan did catch the rest of Sanchez's night, which saw the 2009 first-round pick rebound and complete 10-of-13 pass attempts for 125 yards and a 26-yard touchdown to tight end Jeff Cumberland before turning it over to Smith.

"Obviously, we can’t have that," Ryan said of the interception. "But yeah, he made some nice throws, he made some throws under pressure, which was good to see. We could have done without the pressure, but the fact that he stood in there, made some nice throws, and then led our team down the field, scored a touchdown. I think that was encouraging about Sanchez."

And you thought those $50 nosebleeds at MetLife Stadium were bad.