Leave it to the New York Jets to give Tim Tebow, Mark Sanchez and every armchair quarterback one more reason for living.
Attempting to put last year's Jets offense behind him, new offensive coordinator Mary Mornhinweg let it be known that he wouldn't let a minor thing like quarterback accuracy derail the team going forward.
"Some of the great ones have really not thrown for such great accuracy," Mornhinweg said. "Steve Young was astronical accuracy-wise. Brett Favre wasn't. They all come in different shapes and sizes. Those guys that throw for a little bit less accuracy typically generating a little bit bigger plays on occasion. There's a little bit of a tradeoff there."
With all due respect, it's that kind of crazy talk that has a 300+ pound Jamarcus Russell attempting a comeback. Even Vegas won't take that bet and they let you use a slot machine in the bathroom.
Comparing Favre and Young to Sanchez and Tebow is all well and good. They all have things like arms, leg, corneas, and can put QB on their resumes but that's where the similarities end. Favre and Young were playmakers. Favre may have his critics, but Mornhinweg ignores the fact that Brett Favre was a playmaker who, more often than not, completed over 60% of his passes and even at his worst was considered one of the elite quarterbacks, due to his abilities as a playmaker. Those same skills took him to several playoff appearances and two Super Bowls, winning one.
Mark Sanchez threw for 54% completion rate last season. He had more interceptions (18) and fumbles (14) than touchdowns. He wasn't benched for the 3rd stringer Greg McElroy because of his hairstyle. He simply wasn't making throws or making big plays. His best decision making was actually off the field when he managed to snag a contract that made it nearly impossible for the Jets to trade or drop him despite being one of the league's worst quarterbacks.
Tebow completed 46% last season...nuff said.
Mornhinweg is excited to take the Jet's 30th ranked offense to another level by installing the West Coast offense. He believes there's more than one way to skin a cat, but hopefully that includes scoring touchdowns.
"We're going to go after people," Mornhinweg said. "There's different ways to go after people, but we're going to go after 'em and we're going to play to our player's strengths rather than concerning ourselves too much about their weaknesses."