I just got back from SF, was at the game. Sanchez would have put the ball on the turf multiple times yesterday. Eli and Smith had the crap kicked out of them and didn't put the ball on the turf. Both QB's took a horrific beating in that game. Eli made some incredible throws and had no running game to speak of. No doubt the Giants got a little luck but Eli hung on to the ball and made very good decisions all game and made some outragous throws with guys bumping him all night.
Unfortunately our Fan base thinks that one Day Sanchez will be able to do that and it is just not so. He will never be able to stand in there and make plays under duress and that is something that has to be done on the way to the Sb. Period!
The Jets defense would never have held for 5 possessions. Every time the opposing team needs a score (Remember Teebow?) the Jets defense lets them have it. The Jets have good stats not a good defense. They don't make stops when they absolutely have to do it. It's impossible to have a good defense without a good pass rush. But ultimately, the elite QB's made it to the big dance. Look at the history of SB's and it's rare that a team makes it in without an elite QB. Even that year the Cardinals got in it was because of Warner. We see the Colts are nothing without Peyton. Eli is back for a second time. Ben made multiple trips. We all know about Brady. Troy Aikman, Joe Montana, the list goes on and on. When did the Jets last make it in? Joe Namath. It's possible to make it with a second tier QB like Trent Dilfer, Jeff Hostetler, Phil Simms but it's very hard. You need a solid defense and running game. You can't make any mistakes like the 49ers did last night.
Sanchez is not the same kind of thrower Eli is. He is going to have to do it differently. I haven't given up on him at all but I don't like the statistical comparrison to Eli he simply doesn't have the same kind of mechanics to stand in the pocket and throw like him.
Unfortunately those are the Mechanics you need to get to the superbowl. Sanchez can only win if everything is perfect around him and that is a rare thing in the NFL. Because of that dynamic in his first two years his talent was greatly over hyped and expectations for him were greater than his talents.
Eli DID put the ball on the turf and he threw 2 near INTs if not for SF DBs colliding on both- both HORRIBLE decisions. Eli was incredibly fortunate yesterday. Most of the day he had all day to throw, from time to time SF had effective blitzes, sanchez took more of a beating on an average game this year than Eli did yesterday. No we didn't, we had better than good QB play in both postseasons. Oh really? sanchez played well enough to win the last 2 title games. The biggest difference btw Eli yesterday and sanchez last year is that the Sanchez play was ruled a fumble and Pitt scored and the Bradshaw fumble was whistled dead or SF wins yesterday.
there were many times where he went down before being touched or as he was being touched A good portion of the game he had more than enough time to throw but they had some effective blitzes that confused Eli and he went down in a hurry.
He got hit a few times, he didn't take a Sanchez pounding like in most games this year. There were many, many plays where he had all day to throw and when the blitz came he went down wuick not taking big shots. There were a few big shots he took but he didn't take nearly as many as you think.
The 9ers represent one of the finest defenses in football. Don't make it seem that Eli and the Giants should have outsmarted them easily. The was an old school brawl that was settled by turnovers - as might be expected.
Exactly-he was sacked 6 times and hit 20 times without being sacked. He stood in tall all day. Smith also took a pounding. It was an outright brutal defensive game. Willis is one tough mother, one of the best defensive performances I have ever seen live. I would give anything to have a player like that on my team. I think Harris is a pretty good player, he isn't even in the same zip code as Willis.
Th difference is Eli is good enough to find a way to win when he gets sacked six times and hit 20 and we make excuses for Sanchez when he can not overcome adversity. Sanchez didn't do anything to screw things up the last two post seasons but he did nothing remotely close to winning a game on his talent and heart. One day we will have a qb that can stand in and take hits and deliver the ball hopefully.
Take off the blinders junc, I'll give you the one where Rodgers and the other DB collided late in the game but he threw roughly 50 passes and got hit 20 times. The throw he made in OT to Bradshaw while getting slamed was a play that 80% of the QB's in this league would not make. He got crushed multiple times. Give him credit, he took a beating yesterday and made some big plays.
See the thing is Brady, Big Ben, Eli were all not elite when they first made it. They all made it with a strong running game and defense. That is what everyone forgets. Once they won that SB they got better and became elite, but at that time of their first one, they were not elite. Look at Rodgers, nobody considered him elite last year, and now look at this year. This is the wrong thinking everyone has. Looking back, elite QB's make it, but at the time of the play, none of these Qb's were elite. Nobody was arguing in 01 Brady is elite throwing 1 touchdown and 1 int the whole playoffs. Nobody argued Eli was elite in 07, the whole thing was about the defense. In 05 nobody considered Big Ben elite, it was all about the defense and the Bus winning one at his home in Detroit. I agree you need strong QB play to win, but you the general thinking of only elite QB's make it is off based.
You have sour grapes, otherwise you wouldn't be making these posts. Eli stood tall all game long and took a pounding but kept coming back.
