Drew Stanton says Jets told him he could start if Mark Sanchez struggled

The Jets coaches and front office spend a lot of time reassuring the public that they have confidence in Mark Sanchez. It may be a different story behind the scenes. Most people believe New York acquired Tim Tebow to be more than just a backup quarterback, although that’s all he has been through the early part of the season. But what about Drew Stanton?

As you may recall, Stanton was set to be the No. 2 man for the Jets before Tebow came along. He was reportedly promised that the Jets wouldn’t bring in another backup after they signed him, but obviously promises are meant to be broken in the NFL. Not only that, but they told Stanton he would be given a chance to start if Sanchez struggled.

“Had Mark struggled, they said I’d have a chance to play,” Stanton told Bob Glauber of Newsday. “So there was no better opportunity than that, and I was excited about it.”

Assuming Stanton is telling the truth, that doesn’t exactly sound like a franchise that was — or is — confident in its starting quarterback. We know Tebow chose to be traded to New York because of the possibility of beating out Sanchez, but it’s surprising to hear that Stanton signed for a similar reason.

Despite the repeated endorsements from Rex Ryan, it seems pretty obvious that the Jets weren’t fully confident in Sanchez becoming an elite NFL starter this season. Through the first five games of the season, their alleged concerns seem warranted.

H/T Rotoworld