Sanchez Needs To Sit As Patriots All But Eliminate Jets From Post Season

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At 4-6, the New York Jets don't have to worry about the post season.

There isn't going to be a post season.

There will be coal in your stockings Jet fans, that's for sure.

The Patriots 31-14 win over the Jets confirmed several things on Sunday:

* The Jets have no viable pass rusher and truly miss Kris Jenkins.

* The Jets refusal to establish the run only fueled the Patriot early 14-point lead.

* The Jets really miss Leon Washington.

* Braylon Edwards looks like the Braylon Edwards that had hands of stone in Cleveland.

* You can't give Tom Brady all day to throw with receivers like Moss and Welker.

* Bill Belichick is a great coach and knows how to prepare his team after a loss.

But most of all, Mark Sanchez needs to sit and watch.

With nothing left to play for except draft position, the New York Jets need to come to grips with the hard reality that Mark Sanchez is not working out and needs to be benched.

Does that mean Kellen Clemens is the answer?

No.

Does it mean Eric Ainge is the answer?

No.

What it does mean is that players who have 16 interceptions in 10 games don't start.

It means a guy who looks confused play after play despite pretty good protection needs to watch from the sidelines and see for himself the mistakes that are costing this team the ability to compete from week to week.

The worst play of the game came when the Jets needed Sanchez the most was his fourth and probably worst interception of his short career.

Instead of running out of bounds, taking the sack or just throwing it away, Sanchez once again forced a pass that he had no business tossing. The result was another INT while sealing a win for Patriots and closing out whatever faint playoff hopes were left.

You get the feeling Sanchez is just not improving.

The Jets need a real and established NFL quarterback to manage the offense.

Note my wording.

They don't need a gun slinger. They don't need a risk taker. They need a mature, disciplined leader who doesn't make mistakes. They had such a leader in Chad Pennington, but that's a topic for another day.

The fact Ryan refused to find himself a credible back-up leaves his offense exposed and vulnerable. Pressure Sanchez just enough in passing downs and he's bound to make the wrong decision.

The Jets have mortgaged the house as well as the pool on Mark Sanchez and it's not working out.

That doesn't mean he won't, but the Jets need to find out what Kellen Clemens can do at least to elevate his trade value come the off season. To leave Sanchez as the starter after a performance like this tells the rest of the team that the best players don't play, only the most expensive!

The Patriots beat the Jets. But in the end, the Jets really beat themselves.

No pass rush, turnovers and an obvious loss of confidence has the Jets reeling into December with no answers on how to turn things around.

If the Jets finish under .500, one really needs to consider all that owner Woody Johnson and Mike Tanenbaum have done in 2009.

Are they really competent to manage a successful NFL franchise?

What will be the excuse this year?

Losing a player or two to injury is not the reason the wheels should fall off your season.

The Jets made the decision to simply hand Mark Sanchez the starting position. A decision that was the wrong thing to do.

Now the Jets need to right that wrong by letting Sanchez ride the pine and hold the clipboard. Let him think about the mistakes he's made and let him fight his way back to be the starter. That if nothing else will tell us if Sanchez is truly the future and how he handles this current adversity will tell all Jet fans if this team currently constructed has any future at all.

It's looking more and more like 5-11 people.

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