Well, the New York Jets have officially imploded.
Third-string quarterback and rookie Greg McElroy called the Jets a team comprised of "extremely selfish individuals." Players are accusing Santonio Holmes of quitting on the team and being a "cancer" and "distraction."
The general manager has admitted that the team he put together had poor chemistry and simply wasn't good enough.
And people, once again, are asking whether Mark Sanchez is a franchise quarterback.
That's a fair question. But calling out his leadership is another matter all together, as Kris Jenkins did on the Mike Lupica Show today.
He pointed out that Mark Sanchez—and not Greg McElroy—should have highlighted the issues in New York's locker room. From PFT:
“The No. 1 quarterback should have said that a long time ago,” Jenkins said. “It would have been all part of the process of him growing a pair and standing up and being a man. But the thing is, he lost his because he got caught up in the wash that is New York, the spotlight, taking pictures in the magazines and doing all that stuff. That’s just what everybody has seen with Mark Sanchez, they got tired of it.”
He wasn't finished.
“Mark wants to be a leader but there’s a difference between wanting it and taking it,” Jenkins said. “He’s always trying to be a crowd pleaser. He’s always trying to be nice. He wants to be a leader but he won’t take it.”
Yes, because nothing says "I'm a leader" like calling out your teammates publicly. Yes, Mark Sanchez is the only quarterback to do magazines or commercials or whatever else Kris Jenkins is talking about.
You know what you should do, Kris Jenkins?
Shut up.
If you want to call Mark Sanchez out for turning the ball over 26 times (18 interceptions, six fumbles), fine. If you want to call him out for his 56.7 completion percentage, fine.
If you want to call him out for failing to establish himself as a reliable quarterback in his third pro season, hey, that's fair game.
But calling him out for his leadership?
C'mon.
A rookie, third-string quarterback has no business—and I mean NO BUSINESS—calling out anybody in the locker room, first of all. You don't handle your issues publicly, especially if you are a rookie backup.
If Mark Sanchez is going to handle the issues in the locker room, he's not going to do it publicly.
And Santonio Holmes hasn't exactly proven to be a model citizen during his stay in the NFL—the Steelers had no problem shipping him to the Jets for a fifth-round draft pick after being suspended for violating the leagues substance abuse policy, after all.
So is the issue with the Jets really Sanchez's leadership, Kris Jenkins?
Or is it easy to blame the guy who sometimes looks lost playing quarterback rather than identify that the Jets have become a franchise of selfish individuals and big talkers who no longer do what it takes to win?
The "Sanchize" hasn't proven to be a fitting nickname. But the franchise he plays for hasn't exactly surrounded him with winners, either.
Hit me up on the Twitter—all the cool kids are doing it.
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