The Jet like Washington helped create that hysteria. Both of them made a move as soon as it was clear they had no shot at getting him. Working on and making a deal are not the same thing. There is little indication both sides were working on a deal for weeks. It's definetly in both sides interest to pretend they were at this point.
We will never know the answer. The stance you take is the one you're choosing to take and its not based on any hard evidence either way.
Knowing the way the Jets seem to work these days, and given the timing, I think it more likely than not that you are right here, but we can't really say for sure. The downside to this deal is if Sanchez continues sucking this coming year, his pay is guaranteed for 2013. That has to hurt the cap, although I am not aware of what the exact ramifications are. This also makes it unlikely the Jets will bring in a backup who has any hope of starting, given these numbers. Sounds like McElroy will be the backup.
A QB competition isn't doing anything for this team. The Jets are not going to compete for a SB with a second tier QB either taking snaps away from Sanchez in a new system or outright winning the job. We have to hope Sanchez develops into a top tier QB and the Jets fill the many holes on this roster. Without those 2 things happening we aren't going anywhere and that includes having some mythical QB comp with a journeyman NFL QB winning the job in TC. The next 2 years are squarely on Sanchez and what we can put around him.
You don't get to back to back title games w/o quality QB play. There are a million "better" QBs w/ better teams around them that haven't led their teams to 2 title games. In year 1 he was more along for the ride in the reg season then played really well in postseason, in year 2 I'm not sure they make the playoffs w/o all the comebacks he led and again he was really good in postseason. Great #s QBs aren't that difficult to find but finding QBs not afraid of January is difficult and we have one.
Nate Keading missed 3 field goals and Jim Caldwell called one of the worst timeouts in postseason history. Jets scored 3 points against Steelers in 1st half and Sanchez gave them 7.
Although I do not share your disdain for a Qb competition, that was not really what I was thinking about. What I was thinking about is what happens if Sanchez flat out sucks this coming season, and that is evident even before mid-season? With only McElroy behind him, sounds like a lost season to me. Unless of course McElroy is awesome.
For all the missed tackles in the Pitt game, the Jets were not really out of it until Sanchez gave them those seven points.
Nate missed 2 makeable FGs, it happens. Don't be fooled by the final score, up 17-7 late we went into prevent mode which we wouldn't have done if 1-2 of those kicks were made. The TO had nothing to do w/ us winning, if Caldwell doesn't call TO we would have. Sanchez set us up for a chip shot GW FG. Sanchez was blindsided and despite going down 24-0(thanks mostly to the DEFENSE) he brought us back w/in 5 and we needed the D to hold Pitt to 1 or fewer 1st downs- they couldn't do it. Neither title game loss was b/c of the QB.
