"This was an NFL front-office executive from an out-of-contention team speaking yesterday morning after spending a good portion of his Sunday night watching tape of the Jets' 26-3 rout of the Buccaneers.

"If I were the Jets," he said, "I would lose no sleep about who my quarterback is going to be. The kid, Sanchez, is going to be a good one, but you don't want to turn his knees to spa ghetti. Kellen Clemens is no more than a career backup, and Brad Smith can take more snaps than he has, and it really shouldn't matter. All of it doesn't matter, and here's why:

"The Jets can win any game they have left with Thomas Jones carrying the ball 25 to 30 times, and by making sure you never give the defense a short field. You know how much of a gift that is? Protect the ball, score three at a time, then put everything in the hands of the defense. That seems a sensible plan to me."

It seems a sensible plan to a lot of the guys in the Jets' locker room, too. Look, they realized late Sunday afternoon that they hadn't throttled the 1972 Dolphins in the searing Florida heat. They are also well aware that this three-game winning streak that has revived the season and re-sparked playoff possibilities has been gained at the expense of Jake Delhomme, Ryan Fitzpatrick and Josh Freeman, three tomato-can quarterbacks who could help any defense look like the Steel Curtain."