Even though it was unannounced (and unplanned), let's pretend that the large amount of time it's been since I last wrote to you guys was a sort of "holiday hiatus". All of us need breaks, right? Now in reality, sometimes the motivation to write just isn't there. I haven't been particularly enamored with any story I've read recently, so I haven't had much to share with you. Today's story is somewhat minor, but it did get my mind going. I'll share some thoughts on the recent developments with New York's other team (you know, the one that hasn't won a Super Bowl in forever), and then I'll touch on some odds and ends here and there. Sound good? Here we go.
Rex Ryan, coach of the New York Jets, recently announced that he will finally bench embattled quarterback Mark Sanchez in favor of a backup. Everyone's been waiting for the Jets to make this move, feeling that Tim Tebow, with his success from last season, deserved a shot. However, Tebow is not the new starter. Greg McElroy, former quarterback for Alabama and a 7th round pick from two years ago, will take over as the starting quarterback for the New York Jets. Subsequently, rumors are already floating that the Jets will look to trade away Sanchez and Tebow when the season ends. We won't know until it plays out, but what in the world is going on in New York?
Let's address Tebow first. Clearly, the team has no confidence in Tebow's ability as a quarterback. Tebow himself has finally shown his frustration in interviews, though it has still remained within his mild-mannered and classy persona. Remember that last off-season, the Jets gave up a 4th round pick (a pretty valuable pick) to acquire Tebow, and the Jets claimed he would make an impact as a part of the organization. Well, they weren't lying. Mark Sanchez certainly felt more and more pressure as he struggled and fans were chanting Tebow's name in hopes that he'd get a chance. Tebow still sees the field here and there, but he hasn't been "unleashed" like he was in Denver last season. Now, he's been kept on the bench in favor of a 7th-round pick who has looked mildly serviceable in the two NFL games he's played in. Just as Tebow suggested in an interview, it's becoming harder to see why the Jets even picked him up in the first place. My vote goes to the "we wanted attention" idea. Why else would the Jets give up a fourth-round pick and barely use him?
This is the first time in Sanchez's entire football career that he's been benched. Admittedly, it was time: Sanchez has looked really bad this season. I would love to see him traded so that he could get a fresh start, as sometimes, that's all a quarterback really needs for success. However, Sanchez was signed to a pretty big contract last offseason, and teams will not be keen to take on that sort of money when Sanchez will probably be the backup wherever he goes. There are just very few teams interested in taking on a medium-salary, struggling quarterback like Sanchez right now. Either way, Sanchez's time in New York appears to be done, unless he can make some big strides in the offseason to improve.
Finally, it's nice to see a guy picked so low in the draft get a shot now. Since the Patriots' steal of Tom Brady in the 6th round of a draft, and the success stories of some undrafted players, NFL teams have become more aware that the greatest gems could come from anywhere at any time. Greg McElroy has never been particularly impressive, but this opportunity will be great for him, giving him a chance to be named the starter for week 1 of next season.
And note, with the offseason coming, there are some names out there (namely, Michael Vick) that the Jets may be interested in pursuing. Keep your eye on them.
Now for a serious turn. I wanted to quickly touch on my feelings about the incident in Newtown. This tragedy is just so hard to comprehend. Even the innocent children of our nation aren't completely safe from these mass murderers. Though it may be hard to see now, I believe that positive things can spring forth from this situation, and that the attention given to the circumstances of the incident will help to make America a better, safer place. Now, it is a bit alarming to hear that Wal-Mart's gun sales (especially in assault weapons) have increased dramatically since the event, whereas places like Dick's Sporting Goods have temporarily stopped selling those weapons altogether, but I suppose that's capitalism for ya. Whatever the circumstances truly were, I pray that this awful event will stick with all of us and help us to continue to practice the golden rule, as even something as basic as that may make all of the difference.
Nice to be back, and talk to you all again soon!
