Ready for some New York Jets quarterback talk? Regardless of your answer, here it comes:
Newly hired Jets offensive coordinator Marty Mornhinweg told reporters Monday that Mark Sanchez has an edge over the in-house competition as New York sorts out its mess under center.
"Mark will probably have just a little bit of a leg up, it would appear," Mornhinweg said, via The Associated Press. "I would like to have competition at that position as well as all the other positions. There are a select few on this football team that have kind of earned the right to step in there as No. 1 on the depth chart. But I certainly would like competition at all the other spots, including the quarterback spot."
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It's assumed Sanchez -- based on the $8.25 million in guaranteed money he'll earn in 2013 -- is going nowhere. Mornhinweg told The AP he sees "a lot of strengths" in his quarterback -- they have yet to work together in person -- and disputed the notion that Sanchez's play needs fixing as the team shifts to a West Coast attack.
Most who watched the Jets play last season will struggle with Mornhinweg's rosy assessment.
Whatever "leg up" Sanchez has over the competition rests on shaky turf. New York is under the gun to select a quarterback in the draft or pull help off the street.
The Jets owe Sanchez a bundle of money and continue to sing his praises, but that song is a tired one. It's challenging to imagine a quarterback on a shorter leash if this team is serious about improving.
Follow Marc Sessler on Twitter @MarcSesslerNFL.
