ESPN NFL

I'm sure the Detroit Lions have an on-field explanation for why they claimed former Chicago Bears safety Chris Harris on waivers Friday. Whatever it is, however, wouldn't seem as significant as the information Harris could pass along about his former team.

Consider these circumstances:

• The Lions already have two young starters at safety who have played relatively well this season. Both figure in the team's long-term plans. I wouldn't think the Lions envision Harris as replacing either Louis Delmas or Amari Spievey, although I guess I could be wrong on Spievey.
• The Lions opened the season with two veteran safety backups in Erik Coleman and John Wendling. When Coleman was injured and lost for the season, the Lions signed another veteran, Vincent Fuller. But Coleman and Wendling, at least, were both key special teams players at the beginning of the season. Harris wasn't a part of the Bears' special teams this season.
• We should note that Lions special teams coordinator Danny Crossman was on the Carolina Panthers' staff during Harris' time with that team. Perhaps Crossman thinks Harris could help the Lions in that area.
• I wouldn't think Harris would play Sunday against the Denver Broncos, and the Lions have a bye in Week 9. Quite frankly, that gives the Lions two weeks to decide if they think Harris can help them at all before making him a part of their gameday roster. Harris' play in Week 5 against the Lions was a big reason he lost his starting job.
• In the meantime, however, it stands to reason that the Lions will do their best to mine everything they can about the Bears. The teams are NFC North rivals and should know each other well, but they're likely to be in a second-half dogfight for a playoff spot. Their second matchup of the season is coming in Week 10 at Soldier Field, and every advantage will help.

Never a dull moment here in the NFC North, is there?

In which we look ahead to preseason football in the NFC North over the next two days. I'll post a dedicated preview Monday afternoon for the Chicago Bears' game at the New York Giants, to be televised Monday night on ESPN.

Detroit Lions
Opponent: Cleveland Browns
Location: Cleveland Browns Stadium
Day/Time: Friday/7:30 p.m. ET
Personnel notes: Starters could play into the second quarter but coach Jim Schwartz will determine that based on snaps and possessions. ... Tight end Tony Scheffler won't play because he has stitches in his hand, but tight end Brandon Pettigrew should return from an ankle injury that caused him to miss the preseason opener. ... Safety/special-teams ace John Wendling (knee) could be held out, but Schwartz would not dismiss the possibility of an appearance by either of his starting cornerbacks, Chris Houston and Eric Wright. Both have been nursing leg injuries this week.
Focal point: Quarterback Matthew Stafford did everything you could have hoped for last Friday against the Cincinnati Bengals, throwing for two touchdown passes among seven attempts. Except for one thing. Unless I missed it, he didn't take a significant hit. Obviously no team wants its quarterback battered in the preseason, but it's going to happen some time for Stafford. There is some significance to taking the first hit after a long injury recovery, popping back up and symbolically moving on.

Green Bay Packers
Opponent: Arizona Cardinals
Location: Lambeau Field
Day/Time: Friday/8 p.m. ET
Personnel notes: Linebacker Clay Matthews' hamstring injury probably will get a rest Friday night. After all, he's done pretty well in his career with limited preseason work. It's hard to imagine defensive end Mike Neal (knee) or running back James Starks (ankle) playing. ... On the flip side, tight end Jermichael Finley, running back Alex Green and the team's top three cornerbacks -- Charles Woodson, Tramon Williams and Sam Shields -- should get on the field. ... Some starters could play a half this week.
Focal point: While their former left guard is in a Cardinals uniform, the Packers will continue their tryout for his replacement. Veteran T.J. Lang will get the start in his quest to beat out rookie Derek Sherrod and replace Daryn Colledge. Not unexpectedly, Lang has provided a steadier presence during practices as well as in last week's preseason opener. Teams always prefer to get their first-round draft picks on the field, but Lang is probably better suited to start right now.

Minnesota Vikings
Opponent: Seattle Seahawks
Location: CenturyLink Field
Day/Time: Saturday/10 p.m. ET
Personnel notes: Coach Leslie Frazier expects starters to play into the second quarter. ... Receivers Percy Harvin (ribs) and Greg Camarillo (groin) won't play, giving significant opportunities a number of younger receivers, including Jaymar Johnson. ... Tight Visanthe Shiancoe (hamstring) and guard Anthony Herrera (knee) also aren't expected to play. ... Rookie quarterback Christian Ponder is expected to follow starter Donovan McNabb and work with the second team after serving as the No. 3 quarterback in last weekend's preseason opener.
Focal point: There's no question the Vikings would like to see progress from their offense, particularly the first team, after a three-point effort last weekend at Tennessee. Protection for McNabb is important, but quite frankly, the Vikings just need to find a way to sustain a few drives so they can practice their new scheme in a game environment.

We have two items to note at this juncture for the Detroit Lions.

First, they have agreed to terms with former Chicago Bears receiver/special teams ace Rashied Davis, according to ESPNChicago.com's Jeff Dickerson and others. The Bears didn't express much interest in keeping him, but the Lions got a veteran for their locker room who can play all four special teams and still contribute as a receiver as well. Via Twitter, Davis said: "I have to go where I'm wanted!"

Second, coach Jim Schwartz confirmed the NFC North's first "uh-oh" moment of training camp. Left tackle Jeff Backus does indeed have a pectoral injury that will force him to the sidelines at least during the early stages of camp. Schwartz is typically tight-lipped about injury specifics, but he did tell reporters: "That's not going to be a day-to-day thing. That's going to be a little bit of time."

(Full audio via the Lions' website.)

Schwartz said he's sure Backus will be ready to play when the regular season begins, noting he has not missed a game in his NFL career. But a pectoral injury, even a partial tear, is not to be taken lightly, and at the very least the Lions' offensive line will open camp in disjointed fashion.

Among the possibilities to work in Backus' spot are Corey Hilliard and Jason Fox, Schwartz said. There is no immediate evidence that the Lions are planning to acquire veteran help to hedge against Backus' injury.

At this point, I don't think the injury is enough to squash the optimism surrounding the opening of Lions camp. But we'll keep an eye on this one. All successful teams need a healthy and competent presence at left tackle, but for the Lions -- whose quarterback has missed 19 games in the past two seasons -- it's especially crucial.

Recent Lions posts: Free agent linebacker Justin Durant has agreed to terms. Special-teams ace John Wendling and backup quarterback Drew Stanton will return. The Lions have pursued free-agent linebacker Spencer Tulloch. Quarterback Matthew Stafford said "my play will do my talking" this season.

While we await word on the Detroit Lions' pursuit of linebacker Stephen Tulloch, let's pass along several moves the Lions have completed.

Safety John Wendling has agreed to terms on a three-year contract and quarterback Drew Stanton has re-upped on a one-year deal, according to ESPN's John Clayton. Wendling was a Pro Bowl alternate last season after making 30 special teams tackles. Stanton will resume his role as the No. 3 quarterback for at least one more season.

The Lions have now brought back three of their unrestricted free agents: Wendling, Stanton and place-kicker Dave Rayner.

» NFC: East | West | North | South » AFC: East | West | North | South » Unrestricted FAs

A look at the free-agent priorities for each NFC North team:

Chicago Bears

1. Assemble a starting offensive line: As we've noted many times, the Bears have held off any public discussion about their five linemen pending the results of free agency. Well, we're here. It's time for the dominoes to start falling. The first will be whether center Olin Kreutz re-signs. It's generally expected, but nothing is guaranteed. Then, the Bears need to decide whether to pursue any starting-caliber guards or tackles. You would think they'll seek at least one new starter. Will they raid the Atlanta Falcons' glut of linemen? Might they take a flyer on Robert Gallery? We'll know soon enough.
2. Establish a strongside linebacker: The position has largely been held by Pisa Tinoisamoa and Nick Roach over the past two years, but both have expiring contracts. It makes sense to re-sign at least one given the lack of offseason work for a presumptive new starter, and Roach is the younger of the two. If the Bears have another player on the roster they've targeted for this job, it's not readily apparent. While they're at it, the Bears should seek depth at defensive tackle following the release of Tommie Harris. They did draft Stephen Paea, but the Bears might pursue Seattle Seahawks free agent Brandon Mebane as well.
3. Sift through receivers: From a media perspective, at least, there has been more offseason talk than ever suggesting the Bears will/should/might/ pursue a free-agent receiver. This year's class is deep, from Sidney Rice to Santonio Holmes to Randy Moss, and a number of other veterans could be available via trade. Coach Lovie Smith has said he wouldn't mind a receiver bigger than his current trio of sub 6-footers, and Devin Hester has lobbied publicly to sign Santana Moss. I think the increased discussion is largely a product of lockout boredom, but it wouldn't hurt the Bears to add depth so that Hester can be used more efficiently.

Top five free agents: Center Olin Kreutz, safety Danieal Manning, punter Brad Maynard, linebacker Nick Roach, linebacker Pisa Tinoisamoa.

Detroit Lions

1. Sign a starting cornerback: The Lions' top cornerbacks under contract are Alphonso Smith and Nate Vasher. Chris Houston, who started 15 games last season, is a free agent, so it's possible the Lions will bring Houston back. Or they could seek an outside upgrade, be it Nnamdi Asomugha or Ike Taylor or Johnathan Joseph. Lions Fever would spike if they can land Asomugha, but they would have to use most of their salary-cap space to do it. For several reasons, the odds are against it.
2. Sort out the linebacker position: DeAndre Levy is the only linebacker assured a 2011 starting job, but even Levy can't be totally sure if he will play outside or in the middle. That answer will come only after the Lions sift through the available free agents. They could pursue one with a background in the middle, perhaps Stephen Tulloch. Or they could seek an outside linebacker to replace the released Julian Peterson. One of their outside positions is likely to be decided by a training camp competition among incumbents.
3. Evaluate right tackles: Early indications have been that Gosder Cherilus has made progress from microfracture surgery on his knee. If there is any question, however, the Lions might want to bolster their depth. Corey Hilliard did a decent job as Cherilus' replacement late last season. But keeping quarterback Matthew Stafford healthy is at a premium this season. Do the Lions want to face the possibility of opening the year with a backup plan at right tackle?

Top five free agents: Linebacker Bobby Carpenter, cornerback Chris Houston, linebacker Landon Johnson, quarterback Drew Stanton, safety John Wendling.

Green Bay Packers

1. Stay the course: It's been well-documented that general manager Ted Thompson hasn't participated much in free agency over the past few years, and it's hard to imagine him changing tack dramatically this summer. Thompson's most important decisions will be deciding which of his pending free agents to re-sign and which ones he should allow to depart.
2. Re-sign place-kicker Mason Crosby: Thompson gave Crosby a second-round tender in February in the event Crosby wound up as a restricted free agent. That move suggested Crosby is in the Packers' future plans and makes re-signing him one of the first orders of business now that he is an unrestricted free agent. Crosby has had some difficulties over the years, but kicking in Green Bay is difficult given the weather and he has made some important adjustments. Concerns about his kickoffs should be minimized by the NFL's decision to move them up 5 yards.
3. Think twice: The Packers appear set to let defensive end Cullen Jenkins depart. They can do so knowing they have a number of intriguing young players to compete for that job, from Mike Neal to C.J. Wilson to Jarius Wynn. But another player the Packers might lose, Daryn Colledge, doesn't have an obvious replacement. Would the Packers shift T.J. Lang from backup tackle to guard? Would first-round draft pick Derek Sherrod, their projected left tackle of the future, get a crash course on step down? It's something to think about and, given the lack of an offseason, might spur further discussion about re-signing Colledge.

Top five free agents: Guard Daryn Colledge, place-kicker Mason Crosby, defensive end Cullen Jenkins, receiver James Jones, running backs John Kuhn/Brandon Jackson.

Minnesota Vikings

1. Address receivers: Are the Vikings about to bid farewell to receiver Sidney Rice, a 24-year-old who is one year removed from an 83-catch Pro Bowl season? There is nothing they can do to stop it at this point, and Rice seems intent on at least testing his value on the open market. The Vikings spent most of last season searching for a suitable replacement when Rice was injured, and that job will intensify this summer. They have added an additional pass-catching threat in rookie tight end Kyle Rudolph. But if they lose Rice, the Vikings must either sign or trade for an established veteran to join Percy Harvin and Bernard Berrian (if he makes the team).
2. Find a kicker: The Vikings made no known effort before the lockout to re-sign veteran Ryan Longwell, who has converted 43 of 46 kicks over the past two seasons. It's possible they'll make their move now. But they did not draft a kicker, and if Longwell signs elsewhere, the Vikings will have to scour the always-murky free-agent market. I'm guessing they already have a plan on this issue, but we haven't smoked it out yet.
3. Establish QB depth: We all know that rookie Christian Ponder eventually will assume the starting job. But are the Vikings comfortable with Joe Webb and Rhett Bomar as their only alternatives should Ponder need some development time? I'm not sure about that. I also wonder if making Webb the No. 2 quarterback would limit his opportunities to contribute in other ways, perhaps as a receiver or a kick returner. For that reason, it would make sense for the Vikings to seek a quarterback with more experience to pair with Ponder.

Top five free agents: Defensive end Ray Edwards, linebacker Ben Leber, place-kicker Ryan Longwell, receiver Sidney Rice, nose tackle Pat Williams.

A few thoughts on the Detroit Lions' latest road defeat:

What it means: The Lions lost their 26th consecutive road game, falling to 2-8 on the season and 4-22 during the Martin Mayhew-Jim Schwartz regime.

Today's bizarro moment: If you look at the box score, you see that the Dallas Cowboys took the lead for good with nine minutes, 16 seconds remaining in the third quarter on Bryan McCann's 97-yard punt return. What you won't see, of course, is that McCann had decided to let the ball bounce -- he hoped -- into the end zone for a touchback. Lions gunner John Wendling made a nice play to tip the ball away from the goal line. But in a play that can only happen to the Lions, McCann grabbed the ball on an unusually high bounce and raced up the left sideline for the score. The play put the Cowboys up 14-12. What will they come up with next?

Hair-pulling: Defensive tackle Ndamukong Suh was called for a horse-collar tackle of Cowboys tailback Marion Barber on a key second-down play early in the fourth quarter. In fact, Suh tackled Barber by his hair -- a completely legal play that was confirmed on the FOX broadcast by former NFL vice president of officiating Mike Pereira. The Cowboys should have faced a third down from their 10-yard line but instead got a new set of downs from the 5, culminating in Miles Austin's 5-yard touchdown reception to extend the Cowboys lead to 28-19. Schwartz's livid reaction was completely justified.

What's next: The Lions have a short week to prepare for their annual Thanksgiving Day game. This year, they're matched up against the 8-2 New England Patriots.

ARLINGTON, Texas -- The key with any NFL team is to feel good about itself on a weekly basis and the Cowboys are doing that. A 35-19 victory over the Detroit Lions at Cowboys Stadium gave the home team its first win in their $1.2 billion palace this season and its first win streak of the year.

What it means: The Lions extended their road losing streak to 26 games. Detroit (2-8) is in the middle of a three-game losing streak. The Cowboys, meanwhile, have won their second consecutive game, the first time this season, and are 3-7 heading into a short week before taking on New Orleans on Thanksgiving Day.

McCann makes a big play: The game changed in the third quarter on a punt return by the secondary guy on the return. After Dez Bryant allowed a punt to bounce free inside the 5, Lions safety John Wendling knocked the ball from landing into the end zone for a touchback. But rookie Bryan McCann grabbed the ball and returned it 97 yards for a touchdown. It gave the Cowboys a 14-12 lead and changed the momentum. On the season, the Cowboys have returned three punt returns for touchdowns.

Jones gets hurt, comes back: Felix Jones injured his right hip in the second half. He left the game for X-rays, and they were negative. Jones returned to the game and finished with 11 carries for 51 yards. Jones had a slight limp as he walked off the field late in the fourth quarter.

Cowboys defense plays well: The Cowboys are not a bunch of blitzing fools anymore. Under Wade Phillips they were. Now with Paul Pasqualoni as the defensive coordinator, the Cowboys play more zone in the secondary and try to force turnovers in other ways. Sean Lee forced a fumble that was recovered by Jason Hatcher. There were three sacks on the day, and a Terence Newman interception with 2:33 to play ended any serious threat by the Lions.

Kitna with a strong day: There were many plays on Sunday that were highlights, but Jon Kitna's 29-yard touchdown run, a fake handoff to Marion Barber then a sprint down the Lions' sideline, was the best. Kitna finished the day with three touchdown passes on 18-of-24 passing for 147 yards. While it appears Tony Romo is coming back at some point in December, Kitna is giving the Cowboys some comfort.

Barber draws horse collars: The Cowboys' starting running back finished with 36 yards on 13 carries in the victory. But it was Barber's hair that caused one penalty against the Lions. Barber was yanked by the hair by Lions rookie defensive tackle Ndamukong Suh, drawing a horse collar penalty. You can grab a player by the hair and it's not a penalty. But Barber was pulled down again by Julian Peterson for another horse collar penalty.

What's next: Thanksgiving Day and a rematch with the New Orleans Saints for the Cowboys. Last year, the Cowboys went to the Superdome and knocked off the then-undefeated Saints in December. Now, the Saints, who by the way are the defending Super Bowl champs, will try to get revenge.

After they dumped quarterback Trent Edwards and traded running back Marshawn Lynch in consecutive weeks, a lone member of the Buffalo Bills' 2007 draft class remained on the roster.

Just three years later, one keeper is a lousy return.

But consider how the rest of AFC East drafted in 2007.

Only six of 30 AFC East draftees from 2007 still are with the team that drafted them: two New York Jets, two Miami Dolphins, one New England Patriot and one Bill. (See chart below.)

The Jets were most effective. They drafted just four players. Their first two have been stars, and the last pick helped them acquire a standout receiver. They traded up to select star cornerback Darrelle Revis 14th overall and top inside linebacker David Harris 47th. Seventh-round pick Chansi Stuckey was sent to the Cleveland Browns in the trade that landed receiver Braylon Edwards.

The Patriots were the least efficient on nine picks, but they had only two selections inside the first four rounds. Their lone keeper was Pro Bowl safety Brandon Meriweather in the first round.

The Dolphins made 10 selections in what was the final draft class for general manager Randy Mueller and the only one for rookie head coach Cam Cameron. They famously misfired on ninth overall pick Ted Ginn, who was traded for a fifth-round pick this offseason, and second-round quarterback John Beck. Still around are defensive tackle Paul Soliai and punter Brandon Fields.

The last man standing from Buffalo's seven-man 2007 draft class is second-round linebacker Paul Posluszny.

So that's a 20 percent retention rate for the AFC East on all draftees and a 40 percent rate for those selected in the top three rounds.

With help from ESPN researcher Keith Hawkins and the Elias Sports Bureau, I wanted to find out how those percentages compared leaguewide.

Poorly, it turns out.

Of the 225 players chosen in other divisions that year, 100 have remained with the teams that drafted them. That's 44.4 percent overall, more than twice the AFC East rate.

When narrowing the field to players taken within the first three rounds, 89 prospects were absorbed into other divisions, and 54 have stuck, a success rate of 60.7 percent.

A few notes turned up by the research:

• The Dolphins are the only team that has gotten rid of their top four picks.
• Twenty-six teams have parted ways with at least one of their picks from the first three rounds.
• Of the 19 teams that had at least one pick in each of the first three rounds, only the Pittsburgh Steelers retained all of them (Lawrence Timmons, LaMarr Woodley, Matt Spaeth).

A week ago, I solicited your help to select the AFC East's best players at every position for 2009.

Your votes have been counted and your comments read at ESPN.com and on my Facebook page. I believe we've come up with a rock-solid All-AFC East team.

In almost every case, the player who received the most votes made the squad. So consider this the team you selected. The only time I had to make a call was to break a tie or for a position that generated scant attention.

I also exercised my right as AFC East blog czar to revoke a ballot for stupidity and only considered the votes of people who made an honest effort to field an entire ballot -- not just throw out a name or two of a player from their team. Anybody who submitted an idiotic selection -- Buffalo Bills rookie Andy Levitre at left guard over two Pro Bowlers? -- got their entire ballot killed on account of credibility.

The biggest debate involved fullbacks Tony Richardson and Lousaka Polite, for whom passionate Dolfans made a convincing case. The vote was close enough that my influence would have allowed me to pick Richardson for the All-AFC East team, but you Polite zealots wore me down.

The biggest surprises from my perspective:

• Dolphins running backs Ricky Williams and Ronnie Brown received a combined four votes and finished third and fourth behind Thomas Jones and Fred Jackson. Based on the crush of support for Polite, you would think Williams and Brown would receive more votes through mere homerism. That's a credit to Dolfans and actually played a factor in my being won over on Polite. You voted with your heads.
• Response for Bills inside linebacker Paul Posluszny. New York Jets leading tackler David Harris had one of the spots locked up. I thought New England Patriots linebacker Jerod Mayo, the NFL's top defensive rookie in 2008, would be the other. But Posluszny received almost twice as many votes as Mayo.

The close votes I made the final call:

• New England strong safety Brandon Meriweather over Miami's Yeremiah Bell in a tie vote.
• New England's Wes Welker, the only player to make the team at two positions, at punt returner over Jackson in a vote that had three players within two votes.
• Buffalo special-teamer John Wendling in a three-way tie with Miami's Jason Allen and New York's Larry Izzo.

	Andrew Mills/US Presswire
	Jets quarterback Mark Sanchez blames himself for the team’s loss to the Bills.

Posted by ESPN.com's Tim Graham

EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. -- Mark Sanchez climbed the steps up to the podium and stopped for a moment to gather himself. He peeled a scribble of black athletic tape off the bottom of his shower sandal, buying himself a couple extra seconds. Then he drew a deep breath and emphatically exhaled before assuming his position behind the lectern.

Sanchez, the New York Jets rookie quarterback, was going to try to answer questions after Sunday's deplorable performance at the Meadowlands.

Week 6 Coverage " Walker: Steelers in a good spot " Yasinskas: Why Saints are best in NFL " Seifert: Vikings better lucky than good " Mosley: Giants' D disappears " Williamson: Criticism inspires Oakland " Sando: Seattle has fallen far " Graham: Sanchez throws away Jets' start " Clayton: Saints, Vikings living large " Pasquarelli: Falcons step up " MNF: Denver's reaction game | MN HQ " NFL Nation: Reactions | Wrap-ups | Live

He threw five interceptions to facilitate a 16-13 Buffalo Bills overtime victory, the Jets' (3-3) third straight defeat.

"Just an embarrassing day," were the first words Sanchez spoke into the microphone. "I just gave that team the win. Credit to them for catching all those passes."

None of the outside factors mattered, not the opposition, a missing go-to receiver or the unlucky bounces.

The weather wasn't the reason either. His arm was warm enough, the ball dry enough.

Sanchez simply wasn't good enough.

"It was just a poor day accuracy-wise, a couple misreads," Sanchez said. "I really let this team down. There's no excuse for that."

Interceptions weren't his only problems. Sanchez fumbled with nobody around him 38 seconds before halftime. He fell on it at the Buffalo 32-yard line, but the Jets had to call their final timeout and, two plays later, had to hurry Jay Feely off the sideline for a 44-yard attempt that sailed too far left.

Sanchez also took a bad sack in the fourth quarter, turning a second-and-8 into a third-and-24 with about 4:30 remaining in regulation.

Sanchez was so wretched, head coach Rex Ryan considered yanking the player who looked so smooth through the Jets' first three games, his teammates started calling him the Sanchise.

On Sunday, the offense was disenSanchised by his interceptions, which have become commonplace.

In a 14-point loss to the New Orleans Saints two weeks ago, Sanchez chucked three interceptions -- Darren Sharper took one back 99 yards -- and lost a fumble in the end zone for another touchdown. Sanchez bounced back with a decent game last Monday night, but the Miami Dolphins still beat the Jets.

"In six games, we have three losses, and I feel like two of those losses you can blame on No. 6," Sanchez said, referring to his jersey number. "It's not a good feeling. I've got to turn this thing around."

Over his past three games, Sanchez has completed 36 of 80 passes for 429 yards and one touchdown with eight interceptions. He has a 26.5 passer rating for those games. He also was sacked seven times.

"Mark is going through a learning curve," Jets right tackle Damien Woody said. "We just have to ride it out. We are going to have a tough stretch, but he is still our quarterback."

Jets fans frequently booed him Sunday. If his struggles resume, fans will begin to wonder if Kellen Clemens would provide an offensive spark.

The Jets' defense is playing well enough to win. The Jets' running game is holding its own, especially Sunday. Thomas Jones ripped off runs of 64 and 71 yards on his way to a 210-yard day, the best of his career. The Jets amassed 318 rushing yards, second-most in franchise history.

But their blue-chip quarterback has been throwing it away. The Jets became only the seventh team in NFL history to have a 200-yard rusher and lose the game. What's worse, the Bills won their first AFC East game since 2007, and they pulled it off with their backup quarterback.

"You're not going to win too many games throwing five picks," Ryan said. "I thought about pulling him, but I still believe in him.

"He gives us the best chance to win, and he will remain our quarterback."

Those weren't acrobatic interceptions by the Bills (2-4), who picked off six passes total. Sanchez hung passes up for grabs or sent them right into their receptacles. Rookie safety Jairus Byrd came down with two interceptions. Linebacker Paul Posluszny absorbed one with his torso. Reserve defensive backs Reggie Corner, George Wilson and John Wendling had one apiece. In fairness, Sanchez did not throw the pass Wendling intercepted: Punter Steve Weatherford, who bobbled a snap on Jay Feeley's 50-yard field-goal attempt early in overtime, tossed a prayer that Wendling snatched.

"We had their quarterback under stress all day long," Posluszny said. "Our defensive line really put a lot of pressure on Mark Sanchez, forcing him to move around a lot and make him uncomfortable. Any time you can do that to a quarterback, it usually works out for your back seven."

The golden boy from Southern California never had bestowed five interceptions in a game at any level. He threw four his entire senior season at Mission Viejo High, five his entire sophomore season at USC. He tossed 10 as a junior at USC, but three was the most he ever threw in a game, a 28-0 laugher over Arizona State.

Sunday was Sanchez's first game in the type of weather a New York quarterback has to cope with on a regular basis. The wind was gusty, the air frigid, the sky gray.

"I don’t think it affected me at all," Sanchez said. "To be totally honest, I don't know if I could have played any worse. The ball wasn't slipping out of my hands. The weather isn't a factor when you're making all the wrong reads. The weather isn't a factor when you're missing Dustin [Keller] wide open over the middle.

"There's no way I can blame it on the weather. The wind didn't blow the ball to the defenders."

True enough. Sanchez went into Sunday with five interceptions. Three of them were thrown in the Superdome, another in Reliant Stadium with the retractable roof closed.

The dazzling first impression Sanchez made in his NFL debut against the Houston Texans has been nullified. He threw for 272 yards and a touchdown, becoming just the fourth rookie to win his NFL debut on the road on opening day.

Despite being composed in managing the Jets to a 3-0 start, Sanchez hasn't eclipsed 175 yards passing since his debut. He has fumbled at least once in four of his six games.

After the game, Sanchez's teammates gave him encouraging nods, slapped him on the pads, offered words of support.

As he stood behind the podium at his news conference, Sanchez was self-deprecatingly confused.

"I don't know how they do it," Sanchez said. "It says a lot about how they feel about me and the kind of faith they have in me. So I have to perform.

"It's the first time something like this has happened to me, and hopefully it's the last."