Sprint Game Ball: Mark Sanchez

This post is sponsored by Sprint.

Yes, another sponsored post. I'm sorry. We have to pay our bills.

After a rough preseason and a brutal first game, Jets fans were understandably worried about Mark Sanchez. The quarterback was not showing signs of progress. He was not making good reads. He was not going through his progressions. His throws were inaccurate. In that opener against Baltimore, it looked like he was afraid to take any shots down the field.

An excellent second week gave everybody hope. The question was whether it was an isolated game or the start of something big. It's too early to say for sure, but the game he had against the Dolphins might be a sign that things are finally starting to click, and Sanchez is in the process of making the leap to franchise quarterback.

The game he had against the Dolphins was more significant than the one against New England because of how spotty the defense was. The Jets needed the offense to pick up the other side of the ball.

The improvement of the passing game is important this season. Like we saw on Sunday, even a great defense is going to have rough days. No team can bring it on that side of the ball 16 straight weeks. A high powered offense can win those games. The passing game will also make life easier on that defense. Instead of playing defense and ball control and trying to eek out a tight win, a good passing game will let the Jets jump ahead. The defense will be able to pin back its ears and attack. When Rex Ryan is cooking up schemes for your defense, that's a very good thing.

The Jets have a lot of offensive playmakers. The biggest question entering the year was whether the quarterback could utilize them. That quarterback, Sanchez, gave this team a big sign on Sunday that he is ready to do so. That's why he gets my Sprint Game Ball.