Dolphins Look To End Mark Sanchez Era
By Matt Patrick
Well folks, it’s official. The sky is falling and the end of the world is near….to Jet fans. They have all but thrown in the towel on their weakest link, QB Mark Sanchez. Even his most loyal fans have turned on him. Jet fans are blogging and calling their local sports talk radio stations begging for a new quarterback. It’s taken our slow friends up north three entire seasons to realize Sanchez is a lemon, incapable of leading his team to a Super Bowl. This Sunday, the Miami Dolphins not only have the chance to nail up the playoff “coffin” for the Jets, but they can also officially end the Mark Sanchez era in New York.
Two weeks ago, the Jets were eight and five and in control of their own destiny. However, with back to back ugly losses to the Eagles and Giants, they are outside the circle of trust looking in. Sanchez played terrible in both games throwing four interceptions, completing only 54% of his passes with a QB rating of 61. He also got tackled in the end zone for a safety in a critical situation late in the game against the Giants. This time of the year separates the boys from the men when they are competing for a wild card slot in the playoffs. Much to the chagrin of Jet fans, Sanchez simply choked and came up short…again.
Even though the season quickly turned sour for the Jets, they can technically still make the playoffs, but it will take a miracle. And as everyone knows, as long as there is a “slim” chance of a playoff berth, Rex Ryan will run his mouth and continue to trash talk. Like a broken record, Ryan always claims to have the best team in the NFL who will win the Super Bowl. In fact, he even “guaranteed” the Jets would win the Super Bowl at the start of this season. Ryan can talk the talk, but unfortunately for him and the Jets, Sanchez will have to walk the walk. Well Rex, if you plan to make it to the big dance this year, it all starts this Sunday in a “must win” game in Miami. And even with a win, the Jets still need the Bengals and Titans to lose as well as a Denver or Oakland loss.
To make matters worse for Sanchez and the Jets, this will be the last game for the future Hall of Famer, Jason Taylor. Even though Taylor played for them last year, he still despises the Jets and considers them his biggest rival. With 139.5 career sacks, he just needs two more to be tied for fifth all time in NFL history. Playing at home in front of his fans, he will want to go out on top and retire off in the sunset as a winner by beating the hated Jets. If I was a betting man, I would put my money on Taylor picking up those two sacks. Sanchez better keep an eye on number 99.
Sanchez’s relationship with Ryan has diminished and is on and off like a Hollywood romance. His own teammates are starting to lose faith and the ship has slowly been sinking all season. The water is caving in on Sanchez and he has reached his final hour. With a win, he could temporarily buy some time and possibly continue as a Jet into next year. With a loss, they will finish eight and eight with no invitation back to the playoffs. In return, they will surely look to address their current liability behind center during the offseason, either through the draft or free agency. The end result would be Sanchez either holding a clip board or playing for another team next year.
The weight of the world lies on the back of Sanchez to play well and win this Sunday. According to his fans and even his loud mouth coach, his career is on the line. There are no more excuses. As for us Dolfans, we would love to see Jason Taylor retire as a winner against our biggest rival. Most importantly, the Dolphins could officially end the Mark Sanchez era in New York and send the Jets reeling in disarray into the offseason.