Mark Sanchez vs Tim Tebow: Where Does Jets QB Controversy Stand After Week 5?

Mark Sanchez did just enough to stave off Tim Tebow for another week against the Houston Texans on Monday Night Football, but by no means is this quarterback controversy going anywhere anytime soon.

To be fair to Sanchez, his receivers surely don't do him any favors.

To be fair to his receivers, Sanchez doesn't do them any favors, either. 

When Sanchez throws strikes, you can be sure that his receivers have a 50 percent chance of dropping his passes. When his receivers get wide open, you can be sure that Sanchez has a 50 percent chance of throwing the ball high and behind them (artistic license included). 

This is an old story that's only getting more and more tired as this season wears on for the Jets, and nobody's winning with this narrative. 

In Week 5's contest against the Texans, Sanchez completed 14-of-31 passes (45 percent) for 230 yards with one touchdown and two interceptions—both of which came off of tipped passes that were partly Sanchez's fault. 

Tebow attempted one pass in the game—a gorgeous deep throw that was perfectly placed and then dropped by newly acquired receiver Jason Hill. Tebow also ran for 19 yards on five carries.

About the only things I know for certain about this Tebow vs. Sanchez battle is that Tebow couldn't throw a decent short pass if his life depended on it, Sanchez can't throw an accurate deep ball, and offensive coordinator Tony Sparano has no clue how to make any of it work. 

Put them together, and you've got a pretty good quarterback. On their own, both have serious flaws. 

It's difficult to pin all of Sanchez's accuracy issues on him, though. Sanchez is playing with a bunch of receivers that probably wouldn't make half the rosters in the NFL, and his offensive line is as reliable as an old Ford truck (Fix Or Repair Daily). 

Furthermore, the Jets don't have any semblance of a running game. In this past game, Jets runners toted the rock 23 times for only 69 yards. For the year, this team has rushed the ball 130 times for 415 yards and one touchdown—good for a 3.2 yards-per-carry average that isn't scaring anyone. 

Plus, there's this, from Bleacher Report's Matt Miller:

"

Rex Ryan does not believe in letting his QBs get into a rhythm.

— Matt Miller (@nfldraftscout) October 9, 2012"

It seems like every time Sanchez does start clicking with his receivers, Sparano calls for Tebow to come in and run an ineffective Wildcat play. 

The bottom line is that the entire Jets offense is defunct.

With no running game to speak of, an offensive line that can't block anybody and receivers that drop passes at an alarming rate, neither Sanchez nor Tebow can save this sinking ship.

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