The Inevitable Finally Happens for the New York Jets–Mark Sanchez Gets Pulled

It has been a longtime coming. Since the preseason there have been some that said it needed to be done. Week in and week out there were near constant calls from fans and the media for it to happen, but it didn't. For one reason or another the man in charge did not think that it was necessary, but maybe the stark realization that he is probably going to lose his job at the end of the season made him do it.

New York Jets head coach Rex Ryan benched the perpetually struggling Mark Sanchez.

As a cruel twist befitting of the drama that has been the 2012 NFL season for the Jets the man that everyone expected to be the go-to guy when Sanchez was finally pulled was not the guy. Tim Tebow was inactive for the game due to a couple of busted up ribs. That left the other guy--Greg McElroy--to come to the rescue.

Funny thing is it actually worked.

In his first appearance during a regular season game the former Alabama QB led the Jets on a nice 10-play, 69-yard drive for the only touchdown of the game, giving the Jets a 7-3 lead early in the fourth. Arizona would tack on another field goal to make the final score 7-6.

On the day McElroy would lead the Jets on four drives, the touchdown drive, a three play drive that ended with a fumble, one three and out, and a 13-play, 71-yard drive that ate up nearly eight minutes of the fourth quarter to end the game. He only attempted seven passes, completing five for 29 yards.

Sanchez had been having another crappy day before getting pulled in the third quarter. His first pass was an interception, he ended up throwing three on the day, and was 10-21 for 97 yards when he got pulled. Apparently watching his team gain just 162 yards on 10 drives with five ending in punts, three turnovers, and two missed field goals (one of which was set up by an Arizona turnover) Ryan had seen enough:

"It's just something that I sensed, that I felt," Ryan said. "When you're around this game long enough, you get that feeling that, `You know what? I've seen enough, and it's time to make that change."

Now you've seen enough? Now? Really?

While one would think that this would be the end of the mess that is the New York Jets, well--it would not be the New York Jets if it was. Ryan stated after the game that he would let the media know who would be the starting quarterback when he figures out who it would be.

Apparently there must be something else that he needs to see.

(Do you want to see Greg McElroy's first NFL TD pass?)