Rex Ryan & Jets decide to stick with Mark Sanchez

Should anyone be really surprised here? Really?

The New York Jets have decided to go back to Mark Sanchez after the bumbling quarterback was benched during an inept performance in the Jets 7-6 victory against the Arizona Cardinals.

Ryan defended his decision to go back to Sanchez citing that he gives New York the best chance to win, and that he still believes in him. Ryan acknowledged that the move would not come with much praise, and frankly didn't care. 

However, the real reason Ryan is going back to "Butt-fumble," as Sanchez has been called in recent weeks by Jets fans, is because the quarterback is owed $8.5 million next season in guaranteed money. Not to mention New York signed Sanchez through the 2017 season when they unconsciously gave him a contract extension after failing to spark any interest in Peyton Manning last off-season.

The move by Ryan while ridiculous -- because Sanchez has been on a downward spiral since he has been in New York, has not improved at all in any statistical category in his career, and has never come across as a true leader this franchise needs -- is not surprising.

Sanchez is Ryan's pick. It was Ryan and Mike Tannenbaum who were blown away by Sanchez back in 2009, and decided to trade up to get him, rather than wait for Josh Freeman (who by the way is lighting it up in Tampa Bay right now).

Ryan has spent four years coddling a failed quarterback, and he won't turn his back on him now when everyone else knows he should leave Sanchez in the dust if he wants to save his own coaching career.

But Ryan has tethered himself to Sanchez. As a result whatever happens the rest of this season could be the end of both Sanchez and Ryan's tenure in New York. It is easy to look at the Jets schedule at Jacksonville (2-10), @ Tennessee (4-8), San Diego (4-8), and @ Buffalo (5-7) and think that Gang Green can win out and finish at 9-7; but let's be real, is there anything that the Jets have done when Mark Sanchez is under center that gives anyone confidence that they can even win one of these games?

The answer is clearly no. If Sanchez had remained in the Cardinals game, the Jets were going to lose. They had done nothing for three quarters, and Sanchez was actually being outplayed by Ryan Lindley who was pure garbage in his own right on Sunday.

Greg McElory is not a long term answer for Gang Green, he's an average quarterback at best, but, he gave this team life after it had been suffocated by Sanchez's ineptitude. The team rallied around McElory and played hard for him as New York overcame a 3-0 deficit that Sanchez couldn't erase.

By making this move, Ryan is risking losing his own locker room. It is hard to believe that many players on the Jets feel the team can win when Sanchez is in the game. He rode the coat-tails of a great defense and strong ground game as New York went to back-to-back AFC title games. When he was asked to be "the man" Sanchez failed miserably.

If Ryan wanted to make a statement that he is a man with strong convictions, he would have benched Sanchez for the rest of the season. However, what Ryan showed us on Wednesday is that he is willing to go down with the ship, which he will if this disaster continues to go down the drain.