Jets Players Want Mark Sanchez Back In Starting Role Despite Struggles
Mark Sanchez will have his starting quarterback job secured if New York Jets players have anything to say about it.
During his first two seasons of play, Sanchez led the Jets in back-to-back AFC championship game appearances. In the next two seasons, his play suffered as he turned over the football at a troubling rate.
Yes, despite his troubles, players on the New York Jets are still vying for Sanchez to keep his QB1 position. Speaking about the team’s hopes for their QB, Nick Mangold tells Yahoo Sports:
“I think Mark is a fantastic quarterback for us, and I think he can do some good things. He showed some good flashes in the spring, getting [new offensive coordinator Marty Mornhinweg’s] system down and commanding the offense way that he should be. We’ll see how training camp plays out, but either way, the competition will make him a better player.”
Support from his fellow players is a reversal from much of last season in which players often took potshots at their quarterback during anonymous locker room interviews. In fact, those attacks continued through May 23 when an anonymous Jets player told Mike Freeman of CBSSports.com that “80 to 90 percent” of the team believed someone other than Mark Sanchez should be given a shot at quarterback.
For now, it’s likely Sanchez will secure the job. David Garrard retired in May and the only current competition for the QB is 2013 second-round pick Geno Smith.
Tim Tebow is already gone, and the only other viable choice is 2011 seventh-round pick Greg McElroy and Matt Simms who traveled to the Jets training camp in 2012 as an undrafted rookie free agent.
Even if Mark Sanchez keeps his job, there is likely going to be more locker room troubles if the team fails to quickly produce. It is incredibly hard to believe that a team’s entire attitude has done a 180 degree reversal in just one short month.
Do you think Mark Sanchez deserves to keep his starting quarterback position with the New York Jets?
