New York Jets fans picked right up where they left off last season: booing Mark Sanchez.
The embattled quarterback heard his all-too-familiar theme music during the Jets' Green & White scrimmage Saturday night. The jeers followed Sanchez throwing an interception to Antonio Cromartie. Earlier in the scrimmage, the quarterback tripped over his own feet and fell on his backside. Beat writers, of course, immediately labeled it the "Butt Stumble," harkening back to the "Butt Fumble."
"I think that's bullcrap," Cromartie said, defending Sanchez after the scrimmage, per the New York Daily News. "My thing is, if you're going to be a fan, be a fan. You don't come out here and boo anybody."
Criticizing fans never got an athlete anywhere, and it won't do Cromartie any good here either. Fans, especially ones hardcore enough to attend a preseason scrimmage, have the right to voice whatever frustration they feel and no amount of tsk-tsking ever will change that fact.
Sanchez, to his credit, dismissed the boos. While he's displayed shakiness on the field, he's shown composure with the media throughout the offseason.
In the battle for the Jets' starting QB job, rookie Geno Smith got most of the first-team reps (it was his turn in the rotation) and went 9-for-16 for 77 yards and took a sack. However, Sanchez, even with his stumble and pick, led the offense to 10 points, while the rookie only put three on the board.
The Sanchez-Smith battle will get full-game analysis when the Jets travel to Detroit on Friday for their preseason opener. We doubt Lions fans will be as quick with the boo trigger.
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