The New York Jets have a quarterback controversy on their hands, though most would agree they needed one a couple seasons ago. Quarterback Mark Sanchez has been ... poor since being drafted by the team. This offseason is the first time they've legitimately brought in some competition for him to push him to improve.
Jets will see the best Mark Sanchez ‘they’ve ever seen’, says Rex Ryan
The New York Jets are adamant that there will be a quarterback competition, and Rex Ryan thinks we’ll see the best Mark Sanchez we’ve ever seen, whatever that means.
Tom Szczerbowski
That competition comes in the form of dependable (when healthy) veteran David Garrard and second-round rookie Geno Smith out of West Virginia.
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Many feel like Smith will win the competition handily and earn the Week 1 starting job, especially given just how much Sanchez has struggled lately. That said, the Jets are expecting Sanchez to rise to the occasion and make the competition interesting. As noted at NJ.com, head coach Rex Ryan expects that the public will see the “best Sanchez they’ve ever seen.”
Unfortunately, that’s not an altogether impressive statement. Last season, Sanchez had miserable stats, with 2,883 yards, 13 touchdowns, 18 interceptions, too many fumbles to count and a paltry 54.3 completion percentage. As far as his “best” goes, he did have 26 touchdowns to 18 interceptions in 2011, but still had a 56.7 completion percentage.
So perhaps we will see the best Sanchez we’ve ever seen to this point, but even given that random resurgence, Smith would still probably be the favorite to win the job. At this point, many in the fanbase believe Garrard would beat Sanchez, and the long-time veteran makes more sense to mentor Smith, regardless. It will be interesting to see how this plays out.
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