Getting Closer To Tebow Time?

Sanchez is running out of time

By Michael Quagliana

(AP Photo/Bill Kostroun)

Before I put in my two cents, let me just tell you a little about how New York Jets quarterback Mark Sanchez has been fairing through five games this season.

He’s thrown 159 passes and completed 77 of them. This equates to a 48.4 percent completion rate, the worst in the NFL. He has thrown six interceptions to go along with his six touchdowns and has accumulated a passer rating of 66.6, which is good for thirty-first in the league behind the likes of the Jacksonville’s Blaine Gabbert and Miami’s Ryan Tannehill.

Not exactly the numbers you would expect to see from a quarterback in his fourth season. And certainly not the numbers Jets coach Rex Ryan would like to see.

The Jets took Sanchez with the fifth overall pick in the 2009 NFL Draft, which was arguably a stretch. He has never been one to brag, and the media is at fault for rendering Sanchez so quickly as the next big star, and even going so far as to draw comparisons between him and former NFL great Joe Namath. Therefore, although the “OVER-RATED” chants might not be entirely fair, when you are performing at such a low level you are not exactly helping your own cause.

While Sanchez continues to struggle, backup quarterback Tim Tebow looks on. Tebow has seen a minimal share of snaps this season, accounting for one pass completion and 14 rushing attempts for a total of 66 yards.                   

Last season “Tebowmania” took the NFL by storm. After taking over as the Denver Broncos starting quarterback, Tebow led his team to a 7-4 record and into the playoffs. His unrivaled energy and ability to run the ball proved to be the deciding factors, as his ability as an NFL quarterback remained questionable. Over the 11 game stretch with the Broncos, Tebow only completed 46.5 percent of his passes. How Tebow won games, such as a 17-10 victory over the Kansas City Chiefs in which he completed just 2 of 8 his passes for 69 yards, is almost incomprehensible.

But he did it.

Tebow’s ability to throw the ball can be doubted, but his leadership cannot. His vitality could go a long way for a decimated Jets team that has suffered setback after setback. Could it really hurt to give him a chance? Despite his setbacks through the air, Tebow only threw six interceptions in all of last season. He accounted for 18 total touchdowns and rushed for 660 yards on just 122 attempts.

           

That being said the Jets should not abandon the Sanchez project all together, even if they do decide to go with Tebow. He has been too big of an investment. And regardless of how he has played through the first five games of this season, he did lead his team to back-to-back AFC Championship games in 2009 and 2010. No matter how good your defense is, you don’t get that far without solid quarterback play. If a quarterback controversy, or even a spot on the bench isn’t enough motivation for Sanchez to reach his full potential, then I would say he isn’t the right man for the job.

On a side note: through Week 6, Mark Sanchez has 6 touchdowns, 6 interceptions, and a passer rating of 66.6, while averaging 6.6 yards per pass attempt, and his longest completion on the season being 66 yards.