I agree that we are stuck with Sanchez and have to ride his contract out until he's gone for good. But saying he's like every other NFL Qb - that I cannot agree with. Sanchez cannot read an NFL defense. Name any other QBs with his experience level who can't. There are none. Sanchez is a lot like Tavaris Jackson, except Jackson has about 2 full seasons less experience. Neither of them can really read a D and make effective throws downfield based off a progression.
I feel the same way about him now compared to how I felt about him as a rookie. He has tools and some potential. He may eventually develop into a good to very good QB. However, he's the wrong QB at the wrong time for this team. Over the past 3 seasons (a bit less so this season), the Jets were a stacked team. The Jets had a Superbowl caliber team outside of the QB position. Sanchez held & still holds this team back with his inexperience, inconsistency & contract. He would have been fine if we drafted him onto a rebuilding team, but he's not capable of taking this team to the next level.
I really think the Jets have never been close to a Super Bowl caliber team in the Ryan era. I think they've heavily over-achieved with a defensive coaching staff using smoke and mirrors as well as they've ever been used to create the illusion of a great defense. I don't think the defense has actually ever been more than good in the last three years and that's why it eventually broke down both years when it got pushed to the limit. I think you could have put any NFL QB short of the top 5 or so on this team and the Jets would have gone just as far as they actually went in the end. It's the expectation that we all have that things would have been better if only we had Philip Rivers (or insert any non-HoF QB here) that is really damaging to our ability to enjoy the teams we had and have now. Philip Rivers would have bowed out exactly where Mark Sanchez did in 2009 and for the same reasons: the defense could not maintain control of Peyton Manning and the hot offensive player got hurt during the game. He would have bowed out in 2010 for the same reasons: the defense was not up to the task of playing smashmouth football with the Steelers in Pittsburgh on a cold January day with a sellout crowd waving those damned towels. We're right where we should be at the moment. The last two years were the over-achieving illusion and we should thank Rex Ryan for them and hope he can turn this into a really good team someday soon.
The QB position wasn't what held us back from the last 2 Super Bowls. Edit: As always, Br4d beat me to it in a far more articulate fashion.
Here is a textbook example of how one can go about trashing the whole rest of the team in order to minimize Sanchez's adverse effect. Among other things this analysis ignores how difficult the road to and through the playoffs was in both the last two seasons, due to the regular season won lost records and the resulting seeding in the playoffs as the road team throughout. And as if Sanchez had nothing to do with those regular season records. It's absurd plain and simple to suggest that Sanchez was just as good in his first year as, say, Philip Rivers.
Yeah, that 11-5 record was a travesty. Rivers sat on the bench for two years. But he was way better at holding a clipboard than Sanchez would have been. When Rivers did finally become the starter, he inherited a high-powered offense with one of best RBs of all time in his prime.
About those roads in the playoffs - Sanchez had a big role in winning those games. His January performances are why we are frustrated with him now. Why cant he do that all the time is the question, and the source of the fans angst. I for one see the good in the kid. Its just going to take longer for him to be consistent. Especially with this fucking joke of an OL with two elite players on it, but an embarrassing right side. Moore is officially old. Sad, he's been good his whole career.
What's absurd is to suggest that Philip Rivers would have gotten any further with the Jets, without his mainstay receivers and Antonio Gates, than he got with San Diego. We lost in Indy because Peyton Manning was better than our defense by a lot once he got his feet on the ground and Donald Strickland got hurt. We lost the offense in the second half because Shonn Greene got hurt. Give Philip Rivers exactly the tools that Mark Sanchez had that day and he walks away empty-handed. Don't believe it if you don't want to. Your illusions are your own. There's a reason that Philip Rivers has never played in a Super Bowl despite playing with a solid to excellent defense over the years. He went 9-7 last year with a top 5 defense. Sound like anybody you know?
He had his moments but for the most he isn't ready to be leading a team to a super bowl. He has a lot to learn and it's been evident in his play. I think he can eventually become a really good player. But for now he's average.
They said the same about Eli Manning 3 years into his career. So as long as these defenses stay around, Sanchez will have a ring either next year or in 2014 when the SB comes to Jetlife.
Similar number of 4th quarter wins 3 years in. Eli throws more ducks, though. I will say that Eli has better vision, but Sanchez has better elusive mobility. Its close, but in the end Eli won a ring in year 4 and he's been good since. And he's been consistent. The one thing that Sanchez has is that he has been known as a leader from day one. Eli was known as a leader midseason in 07.
Sanchez has turned out be a mediocre QB. You give the guy three years before you judge. year one: He was babied by one of the best D's I have ever seen and a #1 rushing attack yet he looked horrible. Year two: I bought into the whole "sophmore slump", give him time, his stats are better then his rookie year BS. Of Course his stats where better year two, if they weren't, he would have been benched. Sanchez had two great WR's, a great running attack and an amazing defense giving the offense plenty of opportunities yet he looked average. "give him another year before you judge" I was told. Last years team was Super Bowl ready, all we needed was good play from the QB. We got Sanchez... Year 3: Sanchez is still making boneheaded plays. His accuracy is still garbage for a guy who gets paid as much as he does. Stats are better but is the offense better? No, its not. You expect a franchise QB to take the reigns and become a playmaker, not a liability in his third year. Sanchez is a liability. Don't give me the whole "team around him is now suddenly trash" BS. We lost Woody and Braylon, two players an offense does not make. Look at the team Newton has around him. garbage D, one WR and he still is performing better as a rookie then Sanchez in his third year with Mr. 50 million Holmes, Keller, Plax, LT and Greene not to mention a monster D that gets off the field and gets the ball back to the offense. Rex clearly does not trust the kid. Back to "ground and pound". Ground and pound Rex? Why spend money on WR's if you're going to ground and pound with a depleted Oline and RB's that can't truly "ground and pound"? If you truly trust the kid, let him air it out. Oh wait, they did, and then Rex pronounced that the Jets were going back to "ground and pound" Laughable.
I take it that you haven't looked at statistical comparisons of Sanchez to other QB's in their third year?
i like sanchez alot but the fact that its been almost 3 seasons and he still cant read a blitz makes me highly concerned that said i want him to get a chance in a better offense
I dont have enough experience of watching NFL games to be able to judge a players ability to read a defense and sound convincing so I cant really say. But the thing he is often criticised for is throwing too many picks but if you look at his two peers (freeman and stafford) this season he has thrown the same number of picks as Stafford (with fewer TDs I admit) and 5 less than Freeeman. certainly I am not saying sanchez is great (clearly he is not) I am just saying that he is not the only QB to make poor decisions and there are not a whole heap of options out there for us next year. the only two realistic options would seem to be Alex Smith (safer than sanchez but still meh) and Matt Flynn (pretty much unproven) otherwise its back to the crapshoot of the draft.
i thought sanchez improvement into a near elite qb would be enough to make up the difference? i guess this proves sanchez isn't what they thought he was.
But you cant blame any single player for any single loss so whats your point. I iwll say this...if ever there was an example where you might blame one player for a loss it was Sanchez last week for the pick 6 as that was the only way we could end up losing that game
QB is more important on a football team than a right guard. QB is more important than an RB or an LB or a safety. If everyone sucks equally, your biggest problem is your QB. Thats just the way it is. Sanchez needs to step up, start making some plays and leading this team. He isnt doing that. Not in the least
