We can sit around and pretend the Jets do not have a quarterback controversy right now. We can pretend Mike Tannenbaum and Rex Ryan saying Mark Sanchez is their starter will be definitive. We can call for fans to keep level heads and ask them to not chant, "Te-Bow! Te-Bow!" at MetLife Stadium the first time Sanchez has a bad half. We can make believe the Tebow fans who booed Kyle Orton in a training camp scrimmage will not appear. We can just act like the media will not look to push a controversial headline by creating a controversy between two high profile quarterbacks. The other option is for us to acknowledge none of these things will actually happen and that a quarterback controversy unlike anything the NFL has ever seen is in its infancy.
Quarterback controversies are not created by teams. They are created by fans and media. With the New York media, the impatience of many Jets fans, and the influx of Tebow fans, this is going to be a perfect storm of people calling for a quarterback change. Mark Sanchez had better get off to a quick start because there will be enormous external pressure on the team and one incredible distraction resulting.
As much as I wanted to see the Jets get somebody to push Sanchez, I do not view any real competition. Sanchez might not be very accurate, but Tebow hit over 53% of his passes in a game once all year. He was under 35% as a thrower just as frequently as he was over 50%. Sanchez is Drew Brees by comparison. Tebow did not protect the ball that well either. While he was a bit better than Sanchez in this area, he had 1.53 interceptions and fumbles per start compared with Mark's 1.75. Running it did not make putting the ball into his hands much safer. That is bad because of the risk relative to production. Tebow accounted for 183 total yards per start. Sanchez averaged 223. Sanchez was responsible for 2 touchdowns per start. Tebow was responsible for 1.3.
I really do not see much of a debate here. Tebow had some clutch fourth quarters, but Sanchez has delivered more clutch performances both late in games and in big games. Sanchez should start.
Do you agree?