It took the man who told off his teammates at the end of last season to get the Jets their first touchdown of the preseason.
Greg McElroy, starting at quarterback as both Mark Sanchez and Tim Tebow get the evening off, threw a six-yard touchdown pass to rookie running back Terrance Ganaway in the second quarter against the Eagles. And so ends the much-discussed and often-ridiculed preseason touchdown drought of 2012.
It took the Jets more than 200 minutes of game action, but they have finally earned a reminder of what it feels like to score six points at the same time. The Jets had 36 drives without a touchdown before finally crossing the goal line and became the first NFL team since the 1977 Falcons to go without a touchdown in their first three preseason games.
Thursday’s touchdown doesn’t do much to quell any fears about the quality of the Jets offense this season. McElroy led a band of backups to a touchdown against a defense outfitted the same way, although there’s not much point in turning up your nose at a touchdown of any stripe when you’ve gone so long without one.