Mark Sanchez Should Not Take Full Blame for New York Jets' Disappointing Season

Ever since the New York Jets' disappointing season ended with a less-than-stellar performance by Mark Sanchez in a 19-17 loss to the Miami Dolphins that ultimately eliminated the Jets from playoff contention on Sunday, football fans around the country have been serving Sanchez's head on a platter.

Well, actually, they have been doing that ever since he came into the league, but they are really ripping him to shreds now.

I can sum up my thoughts on this situation in one phrase: Cut the kid some slack.

Was Sanchez awful on Sunday? Absolutely. He threw three interceptions, two of them to defensive tackle Randy Starks and one to linebacker Marvin Mitchell in the red-zone in the fourth quarter, and finished the game with a quarterback rating of 65.5. Sanchez played poorly the week before against the Giants, too, completing only 30 of his 59 pass attempts for 258 yards (an average of only 4.4 yards per completion). His passer rating? 54.2.

Let's be honest, though. The Jets' late-season collapse (which saw them lose three straight to end the year) and overall underperformance throughout the season in general cannot be placed all on his shoulders.

First and foremost, it's not like Sanchez received much support from the running game this season. The Jets ranked 22nd in the league in rushing yards and were tied with Tennessee for second-to-last in yards per carry (3.8). Neither Shonn Greene nor LaDainian Tomlinson were able to put together any kind of consistency, and some of that blame also has to fall on the offensive line. Speaking of the offensive line, it did not exactly give Sanchez a lot of time to throw the football in 2011.

Second of all, Sanchez's No. 1 receiver, Santonio Holmes, immaturely blew up on the field Sunday and was promptly benched by offensive coordinator Brian Schottenheimer because of it.

That's not all, though. According to ESPN.com, a source says that this has been "boiling over all season."

So, the Jets' run game was below average, their offensive line was for the most part subpar, their No. 1 receiver was causing problems all year and their coach, Rex Ryan, continued to unnecessarily run his mouth all 17 weeks.

Yet, somehow, New York's failure to make the playoffs rests on the right arm of the 25-year-old Sanchez?

I am not saying Sanchez isn't a part of the problem, because he is. However, some people take things to extremes. His numbers weren't even that bad, as he recorded 3,474 yards, 26 touchdowns (which was actually good for ninth in the NFL) and a 78.8 passer rating on the season. Are those MVP numbers? Of course not, but they're decent enough to prove that he was not the sole reason why the Jets aren't going to be playing football in the second week of January.

For some reason, many people have this idea that Sanchez has so many weapons to rely on offensively.

Holmes is talented, yes, but he is clearly a headcase, and that was the main reason why Pittsburgh dealt him to the Jets to begin with. Also, in six seasons in the league, only once has Holmes tallied 1,000 yards, and never has he scored more than eight touchdowns.

His numbers this season? A pedestrian 654 yards and eight scores on 51 catches. Sanchez detractors will use the argument that he had no quarterback to throw to him, but elite receivers should get theirs no matter what.

That brings us to Plaxico Burress. People need to understand that Burress is not even close to the same player he was before he infamously shot himself in the leg in 2009. He is now 34 years old and cannot stretch the field anymore. Yes, he is still a big-time red-zone threat, but you have to get there first. Plax is still a valuable receiver to have on your team, but the fact that he did not even have a single 80-yard-game this season (let alone a 100-yard performance) should tell you something about how far he has fallen as a player.

Sanchez does have one of the game's best tight ends in Dustin Keller at his disposal, and it is obvious that Keller is his favorite target, as he led the team in both receptions (65) and receiving yards (815) this season. Outside of Keller, though, Sanchez has an overrated and puerile No. 1 receiver and a No. 2 guy who is long past his prime.

If anyone needs to take the brunt of the hit for the Jets' 8-8 campaign, it is Ryan. All offseason long, he bragged about how good his team was. He said they were the "big brother" in New York. He even went as far to guarantee that they would win the Super Bowl (again).

Yes, Ryan was funny at first, but after a while, the novelty wears off, and it simply becomes annoying. I can't speak for the Jets players, but I'm sure there were even some people in that locker room who had grown tired of his antics. Maybe if he spent more time coaching his team and less time worrying about being better than the Giants, the Jets would be preparing for this weekend instead of addressing all of the controversy that has been surrounding them since their loss to Miami.

Finally, I think what I find most amusing about the Sanchez bashers is that they refused to give him credit when he took his team to back-to-back AFC Championship Games in his first two seasons in the league (posting a quarterback rating of 94.3 over the course of those two postseasons in the process), essentially saying that he just happened to be the quarterback of a good squad, but then, when the ballclub falters, they jump all over his case and make him the goat.

Again, do not take what I am saying out of context. In no way am I saying that Sanchez is an elite quarterback, because he isn't. What I am saying, though, is that crucifying him for the Jets' underwhelming 2011-12 campaign is ridiculous, because it was not all of his fault.