New York Jets: Why Mark Sanchez Isn't the Answer at QB

Following a disappointing 8-8 season, New York Jets quarterback Mark Sanchez is going to have a hard time proving that he deserves to be the future signal-caller for the team.

Sanchez found instant success in his rookie and sophomore seasons, but after last season, there has been much speculation as to whether he is the answer at quarterback for the Jets. Not to take anything away from him, but he was a game manager in those two seasons and can attribute his two AFC Championship appearances to a tenacious defense.

When the Jets sold the farm to trade up for Sanchez in the 2009 draft, they didn't do it to acquire a game manager, they wanted a star franchise quarterback.

Due to the team's most recent sub-par performance, the front office has their doubts, Sanchez's teammates have their doubts and Jets' faithful certainly have their doubts as well.

These uncertainties can be contributed to Sanchez's failure to make the leap from his second to third season that his team so desperately hoped for. According to NBCSportsTalk, GM Mike Tannenbaum said his quarterback did not improve enough or consistently in the 2011 season, in which the team lost its final three games.

To say that Sanchez didn't improve enough may be giving him too much credit. The former USC quarterback hardly improved at all. He threw for 26 touchdowns but accounted for 26 turnovers. That's only two less turnovers than his rookie season and eight more than his sophomore campaign.

He finished 28th in completion percentage. On passing attempts greater than 20 yards, he connected on a mere 20 percent of his throws (19th in the NFL).  He's wildly inaccurate and even seemed lost at some points in 2011.

Sanchez's main problem might not be his on-field efforts, but rather his off-field riff with Santonio Holmes. It's well-known that the two are planning a vacation together to try to straighten out their differences, but there's no way it holds up when things start getting tough next season.

All-Pro LaDainian Tomlinson said the spat between Sanchez and Holmes was "as bad as I've ever been around." 

A vacation doesn't fix a problem of that magnitude; on-field performance does. And it's not clear that Sanchez can rise to meet the challenge.

If last season is any indication of how Sanchez's 2012 season will turn out, his time as a starter in New York may have run out. The Jets didn't beat a single team with a winning record last season, and when do or die time came around, "Sanchize" was a huge failure. 

In the final three games, he threw for just 615 yards while accounting for six touchdowns and a whopping nine turnovers. He was dominated by the Philadelphia Eagles, took a safety and fumbled on the Giants' one-yard-line on Christmas Eve and put a cap on the season by throwing three picks in Miami. Just one victory in any of those games would have put the Jets in playoff position.

Additionally, it's not definitive that Sanchez can handle all the criticism he's receiving. He sat behind John David Booty at USC before coming into a great team and winning the Rose Bowl in his only full season as a starter. He was 27-1 in his high school career.

He has triumphed when things are going well, but can he handle himself if things get really rough next season? Signs point to no.

On top of the statistical shortcomings, new offensive coordinator Tony Sparano very well may spell the end for Sanchez. In Sparano's four seasons as a head coach in Miami, the Dolphins ranked 12th, third, 11th and sixth in the league in rushing attempts. That means the ball is going to be out of Sanchez's hands for a good portion of the game, possibly knocking his confidence down a peg as well as preventing any progress that could be made.

Coach Rex Ryan has always stressed the running game, picking his spots with Sanchez, but Shonn Greene will never be a premier NFL running back and Tomlinson isn't getting any younger. If the two backs are unable to produce, the team may no longer need a game manager such as Sanchez but rather a quarterback who can pick apart defenses and take control of a game.

Ryan loves smash mouth football and has relied on a strong defense and ground game to win since his arrival. However, the Jets defense is old in all the wrong places. Bart Scott is 31, so is Calvin Pace, and Sione Pouha is 33. David Harris will be 29 by the end of next season, which means his decline is inevitable. Harris isn't an old man yet, but once you turn 30, your better days are behind you (unless you're Ray Lewis). 

The Jets' defense may not be as stingy as it has been in recent memory, thus the team may need a quarterback who can lead a high-scoring offense. The team finished 13th in the league in scoring, and an aging defense will require them to score more points to be competitive. 

Sanchez has also been publicly (but anonymously) criticized by his teammates for his poor work ethic. One teammate said this of Sanchez: "We have to bring in another quarterback that will make him work at practice...He's lazy and content because he knows he's not going to be benched."

It's not far-fetched to think that Santonio Holmes could have been hiding in his locker making these anonymous comments about a quarterback who was not getting him the ball enough, but if these comments were made by another teammate, there is a real problem.

The Jets are committed to Sanchez opening the 2012 season at the top of the depth chart, but he might not be around for too long. If this next season turns out as bad as 2011 did, Gang Green could be looking for another field general as well as a suitor for the failed No. 5 overall pick.