Rules changes favoring the passing game make comparisons to Qb's in earlier eras more than a bit of apples and oranges, unless you factor in the effect of those changes. I also think it should be evident that the named famous Qb's had different levels of talent on their teams early in their careers. It's just not a helpful comparison to Sanchez, today, on today's Jet team.
I specifically picked developmental QB's on teams that had more talent than the Jets have this year. All of the guys I named were big names in the process of being developed heading into their third season. Only Aikman was an average QB for his era at that point in his career. Eli Manning and John Elway were big names attached to disappointing results given all the hype surrounding them. Troy Aikman was carried by the Cowboys for games at a time early in in 1991. Comparing them to Sanchez isn't just the right thing to do, it's a no-brainer. Comparing Sanchez to Tom Brady doesn't work because they were not similar talents at any point in the developmental process. Brady was a 6th round pick who found lightning in a bottle when given the opportunity and with the considerable assistance of Charlie Weis and Bill Belichik has turned it into a Hall of Fame career. Comparing Sanchez to Aaron Rodgers doesn't work because Rodgers didn't start until he was in his 4th season in the NFL. They're just not similar talents and never will be. Their opportunity cycles kind of guaranteed that their careers would be different shapes. Next season we'll figure out what Sanchez looks like compared to Rodgers first season as a starter. It'll be interesting to see what they look like at that point given the different shapes of the offenses they inhabited. Nothing Sanchez has done so far can be compared against anything Rodgers has done because as of the opening game next year Rodgers numbers will be 0-0-0-0-0 compared to whatever Sanchez has accumulated at that point. The guys you have to compare Sanchez to are The Mannings, Elway, Aikman, Roethlisberger, Flacco, Ryan, Stafford, Bradshaw, etc. The guys who started from day one and built a record that could be compared season to season through season three. Right now he's ahead of some of those guys and ahead of some that had more talent surrounding them than he's had. In season three Terry Bradshaw had Franco Harris lined up behind him and the Steel Curtain defense in it's first great season on the other side of the ball. Eli Manning had Tiki Barber lined up behind him and a very strong defense on the other side of the ball. Joe Flacco had Ray Rice lined up behind him and a very strong defense on the other side of the ball. People seem to think Sanchez has been give a highly unusual amount of support at this point. The fact is that he's had no more support than a lot of other guys who started from day one and there's a lot of numbers out there that say he's not only doing just fine now but he's actually ahead of the game.
Nothing has caused me to deviate from my initial instinct that Sanchez is the guy who will bring the Jets a ring.
Sanchez made some strides in this game. He looked a lot better. I still have faith in him long-term for sure, but he needs to start showing signs now. He made a lot of really nice plays in this one, and he made up for the one bad throw he made (which looked like it could have been Plaxico's fault at the game).
What signs could you possibly be looking for at this point that he has not already shown? Can make tough throws in traffic - check. Plays well under pressure in competitive games - check. Does not throw lots of interceptions - check. Can engineer long drives - check. Can finish in the red zone - check. Is mobile enough to avoid the rush - check. Is tough enough to take a hard hit - check. I just don't understand what people are looking for out of Sanchez. Is this a good list of what is missing? Is perfect - ?
Is Tom Brady - no Is at his peak in Year 3 - no Won 2 Superbowls - no cool looking spirals - only sometimes I can keep going.
It looked to me like Sanchez wanted a jump ball at the goaline, and Plax may have been looking for something towards the sideline 3 yards into the endzone. It still looked like they weren't on the same page. I'd like our skill position players to dive on opponents with the ball too. Cro and Plax both need to just jump on the bastard instead of being dopey.
Peyton Manning and Aaron rodgers are probably the only QBs that can play with crappy lines. Just because of their release, accuracy and they know where they're going with the ball right away. Aaron rodgers is also mobile enough. Not saying that the packers line is crappy, because they've played a helluva lot better than they did 2-3 years ago, but i think Rodgers makes them look better than they are. I don't even put Tom Brady in that category becuase we're never really seen him with a crappy line. Belichick isn't stupid, he's made the offensive line a priority ever since he's been there. They may not always be great run blockers but they're always in the upper echeleon of pass protection for the past decade. The colts used to have pretty good pass protection also until the last 2-3 years, and that's when Manning actually started taking hits. he was still good enough to hide their flaws, but he never went down as much as he did the last couple of years. Even Drew Brees...the Saints have one of the best offensive lines in football and have had it for years. That's one offensive line that gets NOwhere near enough attention for how good they are, but football people know they're one of the best in the league. they have some of the highest paid o line men in the game, and that's not by accident When people say "<so and so> is a great quarterback even with a crappy offensive line" they should just say "He's a great QB with a poor run blocking line". Because if a team can't pass protect, there's almost no one in the sport that can excel
And those are the next HOFers. Their releases are so quick and they have such mastery of defenses and their offenses maximize their skill position players' potential
Yesterday turned out great, and Sanchez had a very good game. Perhaps what I like best about him is he can certainly rise to challenges, and the more challenging the game the more likely he seems to be to have a good game. We also saw him get better protection from the OL, and put that to good use. Comparisions to other Qb's aside, we can see how OL protection allows him to overcome his tendency to hold onto the ball too long, and also cuts down on the happy feet. The fundamentals of his passing motion also are better when he does not feel rushed. That INT was not in the same league as the really dopey ones he threw against Oakland and Baltimore, so despite having one yesterday, it was not a regression to that poor level of play a few weeks ago. He seems to be on a good streak right now when it comes to (lack of) turnovers, despite the INT. In a way as others have noted, the bye comes at a bad time as the Jets suddenly seem to have momentum, but hopefully Sanchez can keep it together coming back from the bye.
The bye is coming at a great time. Mark Sanchez could have a strong game against Buffalo and the Jets would still lose to the rushing attack if they haven't tightened things up by then. The Jets are not going to live and die with Mark Sanchez as the primary cause. The rest of the team isn't good enough for that right now. The Jets need a team effort to beat everybody they play. All it will take is one component out of whack this year and they'll lose games. That describes the Oakland game perfectly and it will describe the Bills game in two weeks if the Jets don't tighten things up on the defensive side.
thought this was worth a bump even though i mentioned it another thread. right now sanchez is on pace for 26 tds, 14 ints and 3600 yards. granted, the weather will be a factor but we're also playing some sorry ass pass defenses. That said,weather hasn't really bothered sanchez that much with the exception of ridiculous 40 mph swirling windows against buffalo in the old stadium and last year against the packers (which even affected aaron rodgers)
Tom Brady's 3rd season as starter (4th season in NFL): 527 Att, 317 Comp, 60.2 Comp Pct, 3,620 YDS, 6.9 YPA, 23 TD, 12 Int, 85.9 rating. Mark Sanchez's projected stats in his 3rd season as starter (3rd season in NFL) 518 Att, 298 Comp, 57.5 Comp Pct, 3,550 YDS, 6.9 YPA, 26 TD, 14 Int, 84.0 rating. What are we all arguing about here anyway?
I'm one of Sanchez's biggest supporters but his decision-making inside the red-zone still leaves a lot to be desired. Nothing kills a team like turnovers to take points off the board.
