Roll Tide: Jets Bench Sanchez, McElroy Leads Gang to Win

JETS 7
CARDINALS 6
 

For three quarters the New York Jets, once again, looked like a group of zombies as they struggled to do anything against a reeling Arizona Cardinals team that limped into the game on their third quarterback of the season, riding a seven-game losing streak.

As has been the case all season, Mark Sanchez was at the eye of the storm; every throw he made turned out to be a total disaster for Gang Green, as New York failed to move the football at any point during the opening three quarters of this football game.

From the onset, Sanchez showed Jets fans once again why he is not the answer at quarterback anymore, when he threw a pick to ex-Jet Kerry Rhodes on the Jets first play of the game. That wouldn't be the last mistake by Sanchez, who threw two more interceptions, and completed a woeful 10-of-21 for 92 yards.

With each incompletion on third down (Sanchez was 2-of-9 in that situation) and the Jets uncanny inability to do anything against a Cardinals team that walked around like they were wearing a large KICK ME" sign was infuriating, disturbing and outragous.

The Jets were so bad under Sanchez on Sunday that it wouldn't have been surprising if they lost to a high school football team, let alone the likes of Notre Dame or Alabama.

It wasn't like Arizona wanted to do anything to win this game either. Rookie Ryan Lindey was atrocious. He couldn't move the Cardinals anywhere past mid-field, and the only reason Arizona was able to score in the first half was because of a fancy run on a fake punt by Rashad Johnson that went 40 yards to the Jets 35.

Yet here were the Jets, trailing 3-0, having outplayed Arizona statistically in every facet of the game, with the Jets defense manhandling the Cardinals offense, and still the Jets couldn't muster a point because Mark Sanchez couldn't figure out how to throw on the Cardinals.

With the stadium booing louder and louder after each three-and-out by the Jets, coach Rex Ryan finally made the move that Jets' fans have been waiting for all season long. He decided to remove Sanchez from the football game.

However, it wasn't Tim Tebow, who came in to save the day. Tebow was out for the second consecutive week due to a rib injury, so the Jets went to the guy, who they didn't even bother dressing a week ago, Greg McElroy.

When McElroy strolled from the sideline to the huddle, a palpable sense of releif could be felt in the entire stadium, as the 70,000 plus Jets fans suddenly found their voices and cheered loudly with approval. While it is popular to say that the back-up quarterback is always the fan favorite, this was a move that the fans have been waiting for for a couple years now.

Sanchez has become a drag to this franchise. His inconsistent play, and consistent stupid mistakes have become a trademark of Jets football the past four years. When Sanchez went head-first into the rear-end of Brandon Moore on Thanksgiving, Sanchez guaranteed himself a starring role in the NFL Bloopers 2013 DVD.

The fans have waited for someone to come in a save this sinking ship, and the Alabama product did just that for at least one week on Sunday.

While he wasn't flashy, and was asked to hand-off to Shonn Greene most of the time in the second half; McElroy lit a spark into the stadium and into the team. On his first pass he shot the ball down field to Stephen Hill down the sideline, which he overthrew a tad, as the ball fell incomplete. While the pass was registered as an incompletion, the stadium roared when the young quarterback reared back to throw.

On his next play, McElroy zipped the ball to Hill down the middle for a first down to the delight of the crowd.

After a personal foul on Arizona moved the ball to the Cardinals' 14, the Jets pounded it with Bilal Powell and Shonn Greene to the Arizona one. Finally on third and goal, McElroy rolled out on a naked bootleg, found Jeff Cumberland in the back of the end zone and hit him for the touchdown, giving the Jets the lead and breathing life into MetLife Stadium in the process. 

McElory's final numbers were 5-of-7 for 29 yards and touchdown. Not flashly, but he got it done. If Sanchez had stayed in the game, the Jets probably would have lost 3-0.

Now it is up to Rex Ryan to make a final decision. If he didn't think he would have a quarterback controversy on his hands, he has one now. Ryan wouldn't commit to Sanchez the way he has in the past during his post game press conference, meaning the battle for the starters job is on -- big time.

McElory earned the right to be the Jets starter when New York heads to Jacksonville next week. Yet, there will be many who would like to see Tim Tebow get the start, if healthy, because he has been the miracle man before. However, Tebow has done nothing with this offense. When he did play, Tebow was virtually ineffective.

Yet, Ryan could still go back to Sanchez, and chalk up the Arizona game to a bad week for the "Sanchise." He has $8.5 million reasons to do so. However, the facts are out there, Ryan is going to have a hard time convincing this locker room to go back to Sanchez after this performance today. There were rumblings in the locker room about dislike for Sanchez last year, what must these players be thinking now after McElory led the team to victory over a hapless Arizona team, while Sanchez looked inept?

Ryan will likely wait to make a decision until Wednesday. If he is smart, and if he wants to save his own job, Ryan would stick with McElory and see what the kid has down the stretch. The Jets have nothing to lose -- they likely won't make the playoffs. Now is the time for people to audition for jobs in 2013, and now is the time for Mark Sanchez to look for a new one come the new year.