Rex Ryan's words about the Jets' tough early slate got us thinking: When will Tim Tebow take the starting quarterback job from Mark Sanchez?
We believe it is a matter of when, not if. Sanchez hasn't developed as a pro -- he started as a C+ and stagnated. The pressure to make a change will be immense if the Jets show their usual inconsistency. Sanchez needs his defense and running game to carry him, and we're not sure the Jets can pull it off this year.
After looking at the full schedule, here's our best guess for when quarterback changes will happen around the league:
New York Jets: Week 6
Sanchez faces a slew of difficult defenses early in the year. Pittsburgh, Miami, San Francisco, and Houston will be tough for Sanchez to survive. The Jets could insert Tebow as a starting quarterback before a home game against the Colts in Week 6.
Tennessee Titans: Week 5
Jake Locker will have a tough time beating Matt Hasselbeck for the starting job in training camp. Hasselbeck will have an even tougher time holding off Locker because of a brutal early season stretch of games. It's very easy to see Tennessee at 1-3 after facing New England, San Diego, Detroit, and Houston to open the year. Locker could take over as a starter before Week 5 when the team heads to Minnesota.
Jacksonville Jaguars: Week 10
New Jaguars coach Mike Mularkey will be patient with Blaine Gabbert. Unfortunately for Mularkey, we believe that NFL Network's Michael Lombardi's assessment of Gabbert will be confirmed this year. That will leave the Jaguars no choice but to make a change. There's a reason the Jaguars were so aggressive going after Chad Henne, paying him a much higher rate than a usual backup quarterback.
San Francisco 49ers: Week 9
I hope I'm wrong on this one. I'm a big fan of what Alex Smith accomplished last year, but repeating his season could be difficult. More to the point: The 49ers can't expect their defense to dominate so much and need their passing game to be more of a weapon. If the team is hovering around .500 or below after a tough early slate, don't be surprised if Jim Harbaugh makes a move to Colin Kaepernick during the team's Week 9 bye week.
