Are the New York Jets Quarterback Killers?

Published on 4-Sep-2013 by Stacey Mickles

Football - NFL    NFL Daily Review

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Are the New York Jets Quarterback Killers?

The New York Jets announced yesterday that rookie quarterback Geno Smith will make his debut this coming Sunday against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers as Mark Sanchez continues to recover from a shoulder injury he suffered in the last pre-season game against the New York Giants.

You know the Jets should have a sign that says: "Where quarterback's careers go to die" because it seems that good quarterbacks are never heard from again after they're drafted by the Jets.

Take Mark Sanchez.

Coming out of USC, Sanchez was thought to be one of the top quarterbacks in the country. When he declared for the NFL draft after his junior year, only Pete Carroll voiced concern about the move. Everyone else, especially NFL scouts, begged to differ. And how did Sanchez fare? He took his team to the playoffs his first couple of years as a starter. But somewhere along the line, his once-promising career has become a dumpster fire. 

His team has not been to the playoffs these last few years, he has thrown more interceptions than touchdowns, and now, to top things off, he's probably more injured than first reported.

Injuries are never good, but in this case, it may help Sanchez to heal and maybe move on. He's still young and has signs of being a useful quarterback; maybe he just needs to be in a better offensive system.

Do you need more proof the Jets are quarterback killers?

Two words: Tim Tebow.

Yes, I know that Tebow didn't play a down last year for the Jets, and that's my point.

When Tebow arrived in New York, he had just taken his team, the Denver Broncos, to the playoffs and beat the mighty Pittsburgh Steelers.

His arrival in New York was big news because Jets fans thought he would compete for the starter's position, but they were wrong. Tebow never got off the bench nor had a chance to compete for the starting quarterback position.

Tebow basically became a toy in the Jets' publicity game. They didn't bring him there to play; they brought him there to get positive publicity, and that failed. The poor kid's career was over once he became a Jet, and now he is out of the NFL.

Before he came to the Jets, Tebow had garnered a certain admit of respect around the NFL for what he did in Denver. Now, all of that is erased because of the Jets.

But it's not just Tebow and Sanchez whose careers have died. Old-school Jets fans remember Richard Todd, who was a good quarterback from Alabama whose career died on the vine in New York.

Or how about Brett Favre?

His Hall-of-Fame career almost ended in New York. Had he not gone to the Minnesota Vikings, our lasting memory of Favre would have been him throwing an interception in a Jets uniform.

But hey, cheer up, Geno! Maybe Rex Ryan will be gone before he can ruin your career.