Peyton Manning Rumors: Jets Should Let Desire to Land Legendary QB Become Public

The New York Jets need to stop coddling QB Mark Sanchez, and let it be known that they are interested in likely free-agent-to-be Peyton Manning. 

While they can't come out and say they are interested in Manning, since he is under contract with the Colts, they can easily let it "leak" to the press that they are interested. 

There are indications that they may have already done this, but they aren't going about it strongly enough, and they are still handling Sanchez with kid gloves. 

ESPN, in an insider piece, had this info on Manning and the Jets:

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One of the teams that's remained somewhat in the mix is the New York Jets. Some outsiders are not convinced of Mark Sanchez's legitimacy as an NFL-caliber QB.

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That is certainly a step in the right direction, but the following quote is not. 

Kevin Armstrong of the New York Daily News had this quote from Ryan:

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The coach eschewed questions related to his starting quarterback. He referred to Mark Sanchez as an “ascending” talent with a “bright future,” but he punted when questioned whether the Jets would pursue Peyton Manning if the quarterback is cut by Indianapolis. Ryan cited league rules that restrict coaches from commenting on players under contract with other teams.

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Ryan needs to drop the praise of Sanchez. It is time for his QB to step up his game, and Ryan needs to let that be known. One way to do this is with the pursuit of Manning. 

Why Jets Must Make Interest Known

The Jets have to be considered outsiders to land Manning, but that is beside this point. They don't need to sign him to gain benefits from this situation. 

They need to get Mark Sanchez motivated and fighting for his job, and not filling his head with glowing comments that only fuel his self-contentment.

The evidence of his complacency can be found in his lack of growth. His QB rating went from 75.3 in his second season to 78.2 this past season.

And while he showed flashes of brilliance, he had the crippling tendency to make boneheaded mistakes. This led to a career-high 26 turnovers. Nine of those turnovers came in the Jets' final three games, all of which they lost and effectively knocked them from the postseason.

Check out his lowlights from this Week 4 contest against the Ravens.

Sanchez had four fumbles in this game, he lost three of them. He also chucked a pick for good measure. 

We don't have to rely simply on his performance to know he is not working hard enough. His teammates have told us so.

Manish Mehta of the Daily News highlights this fact:

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The consensus among players who spoke to the Daily News was that, at the very least, the Jets must sign a legitimate veteran backup to push their young quarterback.

“We have to bring in another quarterback that will make him work at practice,” said one player. “He’s lazy and content because he knows he’s not going to be benched.”

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It is clear that the "Sanchize" can no longer feel he is entitled the keys to the Jets. New York should let it be known that it has a serious interest in Peyton Manning