When was the last time an NFL franchise benefited from the acquisition of an aging quarterback who's playing in the September of his years?

Did Joe Montana deliver a Super Bowl for the Kansas City Chiefs?

How about Donovan McNabb for the Redskins or Vikings?

Brett Favre with the Jets or the Vikings?

Yes, Doug Williams as well as Jim Plunkett resurrected their careers with the Redskins and Raiders that resulted in Super Bowl championships, but generally speaking, do aging quarterbacks who changes clubs in the NFL reach that winning pinnacle?

If not for Dan Pastorini getting injured in Oakland, Plunkett may never have snapped a single down.

Did Ken Stabler bring his winning ways to the New Orleans Saints?

A few more examples of aging quarterbacks having success in other uniforms:

Fran Tarkenton was traded back to the Minnesota Vikings to win three NFC championships.

Craig Morton was traded to the Denver Broncos to lead the "Orange Crush" to Denver's first AFC championship.

In more recent history, Kurt Warner had a resurgence with the Arizona Cardinals in the twilight of his career.

PEYTON TO THE RESCUE? After a season of injury and frustration, would Peyton Manning consider a move to the Big Apple to share his services at MetLife Stadium with brother Eli?
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So after a sobering 8-8 season after a year of Super Bowl expectations, should the New York Jets take a chance on a healing Peyton Manning, theoretically one hit from retirement?

After three seasons of incremental progress in a league demanding instant gratification, should the Jets give up on Mark Sanchez, who's won four playoff games on the road and averaged 10 wins a season?

For this is the fork in the New York Jets road and future.

Do the Jets have the discipline and patience to develop young Sanchez, or is it simply more important to win today than hope to win tomorrow?

For a sub-.500 franchise lifetime who shares a building with a three-time Super Bowl champion in the New York Giants, the pressure to win today seems to trump building a sustainable football team that competes season after season.

The calls for Peyton would transform the Meadowlands into a MetLife Stadium the Manning's built.

To have both Manning's sharing the same stadium would certainly develop the kind of buzz we haven't seen in some time between the franchises.

But at the end of the day, does getting Peyton Manning and his monster contract make sense in the long-term?

YEARNS TO WIN NOW Will Jets head coach Rex Ryan dump third-year starter Mark Sanchez for the opportunity to compete with the Patriots with Peyton Manning calling the signals for Gang Green?
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Probably not.

While even the most aggressive defenders of Mark Sanchez find themselves speechless given the former USC star's play over the final three games, does it make sense to simply bench a player that you've invested over 50 starts in three seasons?

And after the Brett Favre debacle that saw the Jets flying high at 8-3 only to finish 9-7 and not make the playoffs in 2008, does experience over youth make sense when it comes to the teams' future?

While there's no question Rex Ryan respects and loves Peyton Manning, is he willing to lose all that's been invested in Sanchez?

Is Mark Sanchez willing to ride the pines in lieu of a Peyton Manning invasion of New York for the sake of winning it all right now?

And most importantly, are the Jets truly a championship caliber roster that just needs a quarterback?

No way.

For if the Jets think Peyton Manning could withstand the beating Sanchez absorbed this season, we're not watching the same team.

With 39 sacks and a multitude of pressures that translated into turnovers and interceptions, Joe Namath himself could not tolerate the lack of protection Mark Sanchez was forced to endure this season.

The New York Jets have plenty of holes that need to be filled to be competitive next season.

They need a sustaining pass-rusher as well as some help to retool an offensive line that does not protect the quarterback. They need a second back that can contribute right now with LaDainian Tomlinson now flirting with retirement.

Santonio Holmes has probably played his last game as a New York Jet, and that might not be a bad thing after all. The so-called captain cannot lead and the Jet garage sale of quality locker room leaders such as Jericho Cotchery, Brad Smith and Shaun Ellis was an unqualified mistake.

But first things first.

The Jets need to bring in a serious backup to Sanchez.

The days of "Father Time" in the name of Mark Brunell no longer cut it.

Anointing starters in key positions such as quarterback can no longer occur.

Mark Sanchez needs the rigors of a competitive camp.

If that means competing with Peyton Manning as option so be it. But don't move out Sanchez simply under the assumption Manning can still play and win at a high level in the NFL.

Rex Ryan will be challenged like no previous season as head coach. He needs to take ownership of this offense and play a leadership role in rebuilding it.

That means getting heavily involved on the offensive side of things moving forward..

Secondly, the New York Jets have little room for error in this year's draft.

They need to find a pass-rusher either in the draft or through a trade.

To compete in the AFC East, Tom Brady cannot sit in the pocket for decades waiting for someone to get open.

This outright inability to pressure Brady is why they were easily swept in this year's season series with the New England Patriots.

The problems of the New York Jets do not rest at the doorstep of any single player or coach.

The Jets need to make a series of strategic personnel moves that can get them back to the playoffs in 2013.

It starts by thoughtfully resolving the issue of quarterback by conducting an honest and open competition in training camp come next summer.

It means finding a pass rusher who can sack the quarterback. It means finding a credible replacement for LT and trading Santonio Holmes as well as finding replacements for Eric Smith as well as Jim Leonhard.

The current formula is not working.

It's time Rex Ryan and Mike Tanenbaum recognize that reality.