The common opinion about Jets quarterback Mark Sanchez is that his contract is the only thing keeping him in the mix at quarterback for the Jets.
Cornerback Antonio Cromartie does not subscribe to that opinion. Cromartie believes that Sanchez can be a successful quarterback in the NFL as long as new General Manager John Idzik puts a stronger supporting cast around him.
“If he has good, veteran players around him — ones that know how to practice and compete at a high level every day — then you’ll have a better quarterback,” Cromartie said, via Andy Fenelon of NFL.com. “But when you don’t have a supporting cast around him, you’re going to get an average or below-average quarterback. That’s what we got.”
It sometimes gets lost in the circus atmosphere that surrounds so much of what the Jets do, but the overall talent level of the team is abysmal. When the talent around Sanchez was better in 2009 and 2010, the Jets were able to advance to the AFC Championship Game, so there’s something to be said for Cromartie’s argument.
There’s also something to be said for finding a quarterback who doesn’t need a perfect supporting cast around him to be successful, especially in a year like 2013 when the Jets are going to have to work hard to get under the cap before they can even think about upgrading the talent around Sanchez.
