At this point, the Jets might as well have wide receiver Jeremy Kerley as their No. 2 quarterback this Sunday.
On Thursday, head coach Rex Ryan announced Greg McElroy will not play on Sunday due to a concussion. Ryan named Mark Sanchez the starting quarterback for the season finale. Sanchez was benched in favor of McElroy after throwing four interceptions two weeks ago in a Monday night loss that eliminated the Jets from playoff contention.
Now, it is the beleaguered Sanchez who will start over Tebow.
“Obviously, Tim would like a shot at it. But when you look at the situation the way it is, it’s a short window, really, to get the prep time in and things. I just think it’s best for our football team,” Ryan said. “It doesn’t mean Tim won’t play in this game, but I’m comfortable starting Mark.”
The decision was made based on the short preparation time for this Sunday’s game, with Ryan citing Sanchez’s familiarity with the Bills. Sanchez threw a season-high three touchdowns and had a season-best 123.4 QBR in a 48-28 home win over the Bills in Week 1.
Ryan spoke with Sanchez and Tebow in the hallway of the team’s facility on Thursday morning to inform them of his decision. The Bills are a team, Ryan said, that Sanchez is “very familiar with.”
It is a curious move from the Jets, who had said after his mid-March trade, that Tebow would run the Wildcat and be the team’s backup. Now, with Sanchez’s recent form sinking, it would seem that Tebow would get a chance to start. Instead, Tebow has twice been passed over as the starting quarterback — first by the No. 3 quarterback and now by a player benched just a week ago.
This past Sunday, the Jets went with McElroy as the starter but had both Sanchez and Tebow active. Neither played and it was Kerley who ran the Wildcat formation, not Tebow, adding even more insult.
“Obviously Tim’s not happy with that, as you’d expect,” Ryan said.
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