Jets Name Mark Sanchez Starting QB

N.Y. Jets head coach Rex Ryan named rookie Mark Sanchez their starting quarterback for the 2009 season this morning at a press conference. Mark will begin his journey as the Jets starting QB on September 13 at Houston. I’m not surprised by this decision. A lot was made of Mark’s less-than-perfect performance (3-of-8 passing for 43 yards with a touchdown and interception) in Monday night’s preseason game against the Baltimore Ravens. But he made some good throws, too. Make no mistake. There are going to be growing pains. The Jets would be pretty naive to think there won’t be interceptions at inopportune times. Because there inevitably will be. But they drafted Mark in the first round and gave him $28 million in guaranteed money. He’s going to start. And for every mistake he makes, he’ll learn from it and become a better quarterback. I believe he’ll be an outstanding player in this league.

Mark Sanchez, N.Y. Jets / Image: Zuma Press

Coach Ryan shouldered the decision and felt strongly about going with Mark as his starting QB:

“I think this is the appropriate time to make the decision. I feel very comfortable with my decision to go with Sanchez as a quarterback. I’ve relied on a lot of people, but more than anything, I’ve relied on myself. My instincts as a coach — I’ve been around the game a long time. I feel that the best move for our franchise and for our team is to go with Mark as our quarterback. That’s not a slight to (backup) Kellen Clemens at all. I think we can win with Kellen also as a quarterback. But right now, I think Mark gives us the best opportunity to win. And that’s what I owe this franchise. That’s why I made this decision. It’s not based on any other decision ….. I certainly leaned on people, guys that I have a great deal of respect for, but again this was my decision.”

Source: NFL.com