(1) This talk about Sanchez not exhibiting leadership is BS. He can't pull a McElroy and lash out at his teammates during or AFTER the season -- if he does, he'll lose them in the future. Even if he was a Brady/Peyton/Montana, he can't point out the cancers. Until I hear from a Brandon Moore or a Nick Mangold -- someone who was THERE and who I RESPECT -- then I don't want to hear 2nd-hand sources or guys no longer on the team telling me what the problem was. Because if the Pre-Madonna Holmes hadn't quit on this team the last 3 games (ironically, after making the winning catch against the DeadSkins -- although he didn't get many catches so maybe he was STILL ANGRY AND SURLY that week of practice, too ??), maybe we are discussing Houston this week. (2) We keep hearing that his teammates had no faith in Sanchez. Um.....excuse me ? The guy finished in the middle of the pack in QB's. Same place as in 2009 and 2010. Did they have faith in him those years and not this year ? His QB rating WENT UP !!! He played well in the 4th Quarter. He had the team at 8-5 after 13 games, which was 1 GAME WORSE than 2010 and 1 GAME BETTER than 2009. This talk that the QB took a big 'step back' is horseshit. He was PUSHED BACK by selfish pricks -- notably, Holmes -- who we know quit on the team. Sanchez held off-season workouts. I believe Edwards was there. Holmes wasn't. Edwards got let go. Holmes guzzled champagne after signing his $50 MM contract. Good luck with Holmes in a year or two when he wants a new contract because he's underpaid. Don't talk to me about Sanchez' attitude. This 'pouting' crap I hear about -- maybe his body language could be better -- but if was 180-degrees different then they'd be saying he is too much like JaMarcus Russell and doesn't care. He had the same 'down' attitude at times in 2009, less so in 2010 (the team lost less and when they did lose it was after a playoff berth was pretty much secured) -- were his teammates upset with him then ??? Total BS. (3) I don't hear the OL, RB's, coaches, or ex-WR's (Smith, Cotchery) blasting Sanchez. I see Mason expressing doubt (he didn't get the ball), Holmes (he bitched after the AFC CG, for chrissakes), & Jenkins (not on the team). Yes, I thought Sanchez would be better, even if we use the 13-games as the cuttoff before the wheels fell off the last 3. Yes, Sanchez needs to complete more passes, miss fewer open WR's, stop the bad overthrows/underthrows, and stop getting picked off by DL. On a positive note, he rarely got picked off compared to previous years on medium-to-long routes (he seemed to see the field better). My point is this: I cannot believe that THE MAJORITY OF Sanchez's teammates -- and especially the key offensive guys -- really believe he was a problem this year compared to 2009 when he was wearing a wristband and throwing 5 INTS to Buffalo when we ran for 300 yards in that game and lost.....or last year, when they got off to a 9-2 start, finished 11-5, and OUTPLAYED TOM BRADY IN NEW ENGLAND IN THE PLAYOFFS in a game NOBODY (i.e., 1 in 20 'experts') said the Jets could win. If they do, they really aren't that smart. Look, I remember Richard Todd's QB rating going down nearly 15 points from 1982 to 1983 -- THAT was a major regression (and he had 8 years in the league at that point). Sanchez' overall stats are flat-to-better in 2011 compared to previous years. If you want to grade on a curve and say he should have been better....no argument. But the notion that this was some major regression is PREPOSTEROUS. You want to see regression, check out Colt McCoy or Josh Freeman's years (anybody seen the "JOSH vs. SANCHEZ" thread which talked about if we should have taken Freeman since the Jets were reportedly high on him).
Yeah wheres all those people saying we shoulda taken Freeman?!?! havent seen you guys in a LOOOONG time now.
Count me in... I agree also. Its def the ny market, and its media. Sanchez did not regress, and has shown good leadership considering that criticism he had received. The guy always says the right things, and that can't be said abt a lot of our team
You recall that T-shirt that John Cena wears, right? I think Sanchez is exemplifying it. RISE ABOVE THE HATE, indeed.
Effective leadership happens when you're in a group of people that are receptive to it and you then put out the effort to initiate it and you're then successful as a result. The 2011 Jets didn't have the very basic ingredients for effective leadership to occur. The talent was there at some levels but there was never a team there. Too many people who had leadership roles in the past couple of years had left the locker room by the time the very abbreviated off-season process was over. Too many mercs, intent mainly on their own success, had been brought in as replacements.
Easy for these guys to open their mouth. It is hard for a young guy to just take charge. Some of the older guys have to leave. It is always a when did you too come on the scene thing in most teams. They seniors guys make it hard for young people. Eli went through it and was ridiculed. Sanchez will be a star. I think he will win the Superbowl next season where people will be calling for Rex to be fired at the end of the season but we will make a late hard run, go on the road, beat the Pats, the Steelers and the Ravens, get to the super bowl and beat the cowboys. I have said it, watch this space
All I will say here is that the guy is a tough competitor. Look at all the hits he's taken this year and in years past and he's gotten up and went back in there after almost all of them. I've said it before and I'll say it again. The Jets had a bad year, just like any other team can. Get over it and let's try to improve. Sanchez is the guy until he falls apart, which I don't see happening. In due time he'll be leading, if he's not doing it already. If he does fall apart and he isn't the one, ho hum. I'm a Jets fan, I can take it.
I don't think everything Mason said was sour grapes. Nobody is going to consider Sanchez a leader until he improves, that's just how it is. He certainly deserves recognition for trying, but he just isn't quite there yet. Until he is at least more consistent, nobody is going to rally around him, whether that's fair or not.
One of the problems we have is that we still haven't gotten the full story on WTF happened during Weeks 4 & 5. (1) Why was Mason let go ? (2) Were the WR's bitching about Schotty or Sanchez ? (3) Who was the instigator, Holmes, Mason, or Burress ? (4) If Mason was let go to allow for more catches to the remaining guys, why weren't we told ? Look, I am a HUGE Rex Ryan fan, but he had a DISASTROUS 2011. If I was the owner, I would not tell him that he was on the hot seat but I would tell him "Rex, if this was ANYBODY BUT YOU they'd be on the hot seat or FIRED and here's why: (1) You claim you didn't know about the problems in your own lockerroom even thought it was a major press story for 2 weeks earlier in the year OR (2) you DID know but you failed to correct the problem which reflects poorly on you OR (3) you DID know and for some reason ignored it or thought it was fixed when it clearly wasn't which reflects even worse on you." Rex was in-tune enough to discipline David Clowney, a 4th WR, but was not aware of 'his guy' Mason or Holmes/Burress ? Rex absolutely does meet with his OC and Offensive Staff so he had to know about these things. I think he thought that the problem would fix itself just by winning. Clearly, he was wrong as Holmes was a cancer even when the team was winning. And when the team stopped winning......ugggh.
Probably not a good post...I never thought taking Freeman was a good idea but Freeman has never had a completion percentage as low as Sanchez and that is playing on a horrible team with no receivers and with a complete idiot for a coach... Bad comparison...
But then we get people who want to compare Sanchez to Stafford and he's throwing to Calvin Johnson !!!!! Or Matt Flynn who's throwing to 4 top-notch WR's !!!
Here is something else to think about. Many guys keep saying things like , "when I hear it from Brandon Moore or Mangold or Revis " that Sanchez is not a good leader " blah blah blah What has bothered me for days now is not only has no one defended Sanchez but also that NOT ONE OF THOSE GUYS has stepped up to say " this place is NOT a zoo " or that much of what we are hearing and reading is BS----I hate to say it but I think by saying nothing they are saying alot :sad:
A very astute observation. Football players are taught from Pop Warner to be good teammates (they don't all get that, but that's what they're taught). The guys who are "team players" and not divas are NOT going to air the team's dirty laundry in public, but they may very well be unwilling to lie about the situation as well. I noticed when I watched Jets games, that Sanchez didn't seem particularly involved in working with his receivers/coaches when the offense was on the sidelines. Mostly, he seemed to be sitting or standing by himself and not interacting with others. I think if you watch some of the elite QBs (and even not so elite) around the league, you'll see them much more involved on the sidelines. FWIW, it seems that McElroy was somewhat shocked at the situation in the Jets locker room. However, maybe that's his own reaction to what might be fairly normal in pro locker rooms. I don't know one way or another, but we all know that many pro athletes are divas, and probably all teams have some selfish players whose prime focus is to look out for Numero Uno. FTR, many teams, perhaps most, have player-elected leaders (captains). Maybe that's a better way to go than having the HC name the captains.
Excellent point!!!! It is curious and disappointing that none have stepped up to defend Sanchez or deny McElroy's claims. It is damning of what is going on with the team in the locker room and under Rex's "leadership."
The Jets went the 'Daniel Snyder' route during the offseason (meaning going after and signing high-profile players at the expense of 'team' guys). That strategy has failed for Washington year after year. It should not be surprising that it failed for the Jets this year. Over the previous 2 seasons, there were several 'heart' wins. This year= no heart = less wins. Also, a big problem going forward. It will take a while (and perhaps require blowing a lot of this year's apparatus up) to regain what Rex was weeping about in the locker room after the season- you just can't assemble a bunch of hired guns and plead them into a strong functional unit. What was good about the Jets in 2009 and 2010 (fight, cohesiveness, heart) left when the make-up of the team was shifted. Without a big shakeup to return to the 'us against the world' team atmosphere they seemed to really love and thrive on over the last 2 years, I predict the Jets will finish behind both NE and Miami next year.
