Mark Sanchez is back starting for the New York Jets, and once again, Tim Tebow has been passed over by head coach Rex Ryan.
Ryan told reporters at Jets practice on Thursday that last week’s starter Greg McElroy is being checked out for a concussion after experiencing some headaches, and that Sanchez will be back in the saddle and starting for the 6-9 Jets, according to the New York Daily News.
“There’s no way I’m going to play him,” Ryan said of McElroy. “There’s no doubt. I don’t care what the tests say. We‘re going to err on the side of caution. So he definitely will be out for the game.”
Sanchez was benched by the Jets prior to their Week 16 loss to the Chargers, in which Tebow did not play — possibly because he requested not to — and McElroy was 14-of-24 passing for 185 yards with one interception.
“Mark has had success earlier in the season against Buffalo,” Ryan told reporters. “He’s very familiar with them. That’s the reason I’m going with Mark. I had the conversation with both Mark and Tim…. about what I was going to do. Obviously, Tim’s not happy with that. That’s what you expect.”
Now, even after Tebow spoke with Rex Ryan and told his coach that he wants to play “regular quarterback,” the Jets have decided to go with Sanchez over their headline-grabbing backup.
On the season, Sanchez has completed 54.8 percent of his passes for 2,678 yards, with 13 touchdowns and 17 interceptions. Meanwhile, Tebow has attempted just eight passes for the Jets while primarily operating out of the Wildcat formation and as a personal protector on the Jets punt team.
