New York Jets: Why Mark Sanchez Is Only Part of the Problem

The New York Jets offense is knee-deep in a quicksand pit.

Nothing good is happening, that's a given for anyone that has witnessed that which has transpired the past two weeks for the J-E-T-S. And the quicksand of December is sending out that sinking feeling.

Nothing good is happening on offense when a team goes nine straight quarters without a touchdown.

Don't blame it all on Mark Sanchez. Just don't. Somewhere along the road to the 9-2 record a couple of weeks ago, no one thought anything bad about the second-year, 23-year-old signal-caller. Now it's time to dump on Sanchez?

It shouldn't be.

Anyone check those Jet running game stats lately? They don't lie and in this case, statistics ARE for losers.

The ground game has vanished like something in a David Copperfield show. The team went for less than 100 yards for the fourth time in 32 games under Ryan, it's been there and suddenly now it's gone.

Check out first downs, shall we?

Sanchez handed off 18 times on first down last Sunday against the Dolphins. Those 18 handoffs were good for 46 yards, total. Bleah!

Unless the last name is Brady or Brees or Ryan, you really don't want your quarterback looking at second and long. Third-and-long, forget it. The defense knows you're passing on second and long, even moreso on third-and-whatever.

That's what Sanchez was up against last week. Yes, a Brady or Brees or Ryan can throw an offense on their backs and carry it to victory. A second-year quarterback? No way.

This kid had to drop back 52 times last week. Wait a minute, something's wrong there. Did we say 52 times? You betcha. He ended up on his caboose six of those times. Six sacks. Did we already mention there's no ground game?

Sanchez threw the ball 44 times. Now isn't that a formula for disaster with a sophomore out there?

Yes, this is all Mark Sanchez's fault.

Forget the seven dropped passes in the Miami secondary. Forget that drop of an easy touchdown pass by Santonio Holmes, forget that Jerrico Cotchery's hands short-circuited late in the game on the final drive when he had room to run.

Blame it all on Sanchez.

Someone save Mark from all of this, please!

"The struggles in the run game have clearly had a ripple effect," proclaimed Cotchery—thank you very much, Jerrico, for confirming our suspicions. You have a great future as a New York police detective.

Yes, the closer you look at this mess called the Jets offense, the worse it looks, and there's plenty of blame to go around.

What's disturbing to Jets fans is that 9-2 team that was seriously thinking about home-field advantage in the playoffs is now down on all fours, crawling desperately in December and that's never a good thing. Playoff teams are born with their December performances.

Two years ago the 8-3 Jets went from playoff-bound to early vacation and it cost Eric Mangini his job.

The current boss, Rex Ryan turned 48 on Monday—that's 48 going on 68 the way things are going right now.

Trip-Gate deflected some attention away from the quicksand that is rapidly sucking this team down.

Things don't get any easier the next two weeks. Rex and the Gang that is Green head to Pittsburgh and who would wish that on anyone this time of year? Go to Pittsburgh with no running game and you'll come home with 53 heads in duffel bags.

If that's not bad enough, write down Chicago the following week. Yeah, that's the ticket, play the Bears in Chicago with no running game.

No running game the next two weeks means the J-E-T-S will go down to the wire and at least they'll be at home against the Bills if that 10th win is still missing.

But losing games in December is never a formula for success.

Point fingers wherever you please but don't single out Mark Sanchez.

After all, he's just one young man standing knee-deep in the quicksand of December.