Mark Sanchez is mired in one of the worst slumps of his career, but he will remain the New York Jets’ starting quarterback.
“Yeah, no question,” coach Rex Ryan said Tuesday morning.
But how long Sanchez stays in the job, holding offTim Tebow, remains one of the hottest questions in the NFL. Ryan, whose offense has generated only two touchdowns in its last 45 possessions, declined to hand out any long-term assurances.
“I’m not going to get into any what-ifs,” said Ryan, refusing to comment on whether continued losing would force his hand.
The Jets (2-3) have dropped two straight, with the energized Indianapolis Colts (2-2) coming to MetLife Stadium this weekend. After that, they face the first-place New England Patriots (3-2) on the road. If the Jets drop their third straight at home, something they haven’t done since 2009, it’s not far-fetched to think that Tebow could replace him.
Sanchez has been historically bad over the past month in terms of passing accuracy. He became the first quarterback since Stoney Case of the 1999Baltimore Ravens to have four straight games with a completion rate under 50 percent (minimum: 25 attempts per game), according to ESPN Stats & Information.
Nevertheless, Sanchez received a fairly positive review from Ryan.
“When you look at it, he played pretty good,” Ryan said. “I thought he was accurate with the football.”
Actually, the best throw in the Jets’ 23-17 loss to the Houston Texans was delivered by Tebow — a gorgeous deep ball dropped by recently signed wide receiver Jason Hill. Ryan called it “a perfect pass.” It was Tebow’s only attempt in another frustrating game for him. Despite intense speculation about an increased role, he played only seven snaps on offense.
Ryan decided to ride it out with Sanchez (14-for-31, 230 yards), who played without his three primary weapons — Santonio Holmes, Dustin Keller and Stephen Hill. Despite a patchwork receiving corps, he managed five completions of at least 24 yards, including a 27-yard scoring pass to Jeff Cumberland.
STORY CONTINUES…
WRITTEN BY Rich Cimini | ESPNNewYork.com & FULL STORY HERE
