Amidst boos from Jets fans at practice and criticism everywhere he turns and excitement brewing for the Geno Smith Experiment, it has not been a good training camp so far for embattled former USC quarterback Mark Sanchez. So Tuesday afternoon’s news that he will start New York’s preseason opener against the Lions might have served as the best news Sanchez has been involved in since reporting to camp.
ProFootballTalk reported Jets coach Rex Ryan confirmed on Tuesday afternoon that Sanchez will be the starter when the Jets begin their preseason on Friday night against the Lions. Sanchez’ experience earned him the start over West Virginia rookie Geno Smith, the favorite to replace Sanchez should he continue to falter under the pressure of the quarterback battle.
Ryan added that Smith will also get some playing time with the first-string offense, no surprise considering that many feel that he is the favorite to be the Jets starter this season as Sanchez career continues to crash down to earth.
With Smith looming as the franchise’s potential future quartewrback and Jets fans wanting to move on from the failed Sanchez era as quickly as possible, Sanchez will need to have an impressive showing when he steps out onto the field on Friday as he is running out of opportunities to change the minds of Rex Ryan and the fans.
It appears to be a battle that Sanchez will not be able to win as the boos continue to rain on him at practice despite other players pleas to the fans to stop and Ryan gives more and more of the reps to his rookie. All eyes will once again be on Sanchez Friday as his career may just depend on having a strong showing in a preseason game, a long way away from a few seasons ago when he was a young upstart leading the Jets into the playoffs.