-------------------------------------------------------------------------------- October 22, 2009 Jets? Sanchez Trying to Change a Defeated Look By GREG BISHOP FLORHAM PARK, N.J. ? As Mark Sanchez sank last Sunday into an abysmal performance, his body language followed suit. He sat isolated on the bench, shoulders slumped, head hung low. Or he stared far off into space, eyes welling with tears. He looked like a man who had broken up with his girlfriend, or had lost his favorite pet. More to the point, he looked like a rookie quarterback who had thrown five interceptions in a game the Jets dropped, 16-13, in overtime to Buffalo. Whether that body language remains an issue is up for debate, because Sanchez is an emotional player, whether charging downfield after touchdown passes with his mouth agape, or flogging himself after interceptions. But in a league in which teams often take emotional cues from their quarterback, can that work as a detriment, deflating the energy around him? ?The area of concern I have was his demeanor on the sideline as the game started to spin out of control,? Tim Hasselbeck, an ESPN analyst, said on ?NFL Live.? ?You saw a guy on the sideline that really looked like he was moping at times. Honestly, I wasn?t sure if he was going to break down into tears.? Similar comments were delivered after Sanchez stumbled Oct. 4 in New Orleans, his worst game before his debacle against the Bills. Sedrick Ellis, Sanchez?s college teammate at powerhouse Southern California, told The Times-Picayune that Sanchez was not accustomed to losing, and not familiar with how to deal with it. Sanchez had never lost two consecutive games before this season, never faced a situation similar to the Jets? current streak of three defeats. After two of them, Sanchez shouldered full blame, aiming harsh, blunt, mostly accurate criticism at no one but himself. Ellis was quoted as saying that Sanchez ?isn?t used to being down.? He added: ?I think he?ll learn that with time, but I think he definitely got rattled. You could see him on their sideline with his head down. It was very visible.? In his first meeting with reporters since Sunday night, Sanchez on Wednesday acknowledged that his sideline demeanor remained an issue. He said his frustration was so evident, he did everything except wear a sandwich board to advertise it. He said the Jets did not need ?a roller coaster? at quarterback. Sanchez separated the issues with his emotions and his problems on the field, like those with ball security, locking onto his receivers and forcing passes into double coverage. After six games, he is tied for the N.F.L. lead with 10 interceptions, and his 56.7 quarterback ranking is 34th of 36 eligible quarterbacks. Experience will help Sanchez make better decisions, better reads and better throws. ?The thing that needs to change immediately is the attitude part,? he said. Sanchez and the Jets must now navigate the thin line between his failing to control his emotions, and turning into a robot built in the Eric Mangini mold. It will require delicate balance. Kicker Jay Feely remembered playing for the Giants when another young quarterback received criticism for his body language while playing under the microscope in New York. That quarterback was Eli Manning. Last week, watching the Giants play New Orleans, Feely watched one errant Manning throw and noticed the same body language from his former teammate. But critics no longer complain when Manning?s emotions show, currency culled from the Super Bowl championship that he delivered. ?I don?t want somebody who doesn?t care,? Feely, an emotional sort himself, said. ?I want somebody who cares so much that you can see it. You can?t be fake. Or you won?t be at your best.? The Jets head to Oakland this weekend, where they will attempt to win their first game on the West Coast since 2004. They will be without nose tackle Kris Jenkins, who went on injured reserve this week. The Jets have their share of problems ? in-game management by Coach Rex Ryan, a pass rush that belongs on a milk carton, an apparent lack of killer instinct. But central to their success this season will be their quarterback, an emotional rookie who does not need to win games with his arm so much as he needs to avoid losing them with a landslide of poor decisions. To that end, the Jets plan to simplify their offense. Despite the slide, the Jets believe they are built to win this season, even if their quarterback?s best days are likely somewhere in the future. That is the risk of starting a youngster at perhaps the most important position on the field. The Jets knew that going in. Ryan said he wanted Sanchez to be himself, emotional or otherwise. ?He?s in a tough position,? fullback Tony Richardson said. ?Mark, yeah, he gets down on himself. He gets upset. But that?s part of who he is, part of what we signed up for. If he?s laughing, or giggling, people will say he doesn?t care. It?s a Catch-22.? So Sanchez plans to follow the advice of Carson Palmer, the Cincinnati quarterback and fellow Southern Cal alumnus, who sent him a text message recently. Keep slinging it, Palmer wrote.
^Yeah, but you can't sit there and mope. He should have been talking to coaches, studying game photos, and actively trying to get his act together. That's what a professional does.
Considering where he is in his caree and experience, I give him a full pass on the emotions. They were totally normal and understandable; it is part of the QB growing up process. He has to know how awful it feels to bad in order to do whatever is necessary to be good.
If "considering where he is" is the only focus, that is a fair point. But what about the effect on the other players? They are counting on him, and he's moping on the bench. They might be prepared to give him a pass for the Buff game, but I am pretty sure they will not continue to do so if that keeps up.
I'd like to think there is enough maturity and veteran experience surrounding Sanchez that they understand he's 22 year old kid with half the experience most QBs come to the pros with... if anything, I'd think they would be rallying around him when he's down. So he's sitting off on his own... sometimes you just need a few moments where you aren't reliving the mistake and trying to put it behind you.
Great point. You are right and he needs to be sitting with Schotty going over the last series when he comes in. However I actually like the fact that he is emotional and Jay Feely's comment about being real is very true. I don't want a Tom Brady (emotionally), I want a guy who is a FAN playing QB for our team. Someone that actually gives a shit about the team, how its fan base feels, and its future. Off topic: I keep reading posts about naysayers with regard to Rex's coaching decisions, Rex is terrible, etc. Rex Ryan is only 6 games in as a head coach, right? Just want to check. I'm sure he still has a lot to learn as an HC since he was just a DC last year. Compare him to Zorn who interviewed for a Coordinator position and was tossed into the HC job. I wonder what people would be saying if Bill Cowher was the HC and he just lost 3 in a row...
Anybody remember how Tom Brady looked in the 4Q against us a few weeks ago? Some QBs don't like losing and let it show. It's how they respond in future contests that matter.
Last time I checked we had coaches on this team. If Mark goes and sits down, WTF isn't Shotty sitting right next to him? WTF else does the OC have to do when the defense is on the field?
You sure it isn't one of those rookie hazing things where he has to man the gatorade coolers during games? :breakdance:
Yeah but Brady doesnt get sad...Hes has the "i cant wait to get back in" face or hes mad like a bitch on the sidelines
He definitely looked like a bitch that day. And he's a seasoned veteran. People are being far and away too hard on a kid who still has less than two dozen games played since high school. Shit. It's like Jets fans expect him to fail.
I am a huge South Park fan. The last episode wasn't as good as some of the others. 2 Episodes ago was hilarious...........the one with the evidence bag.
people are not being too hard on him, he cant let his bad play affect the team both on and off the field ... how is he supposed to know that the clown was open on a post over the middle if hes not looking at the pics on the sidelines? one of sanchezs alleged strengths is his intelligence, so after any series (good or bad) he should be analyzing the pics and making notes where he can improve ... moping on the sidelines does nothing at best and is a detriment to the teams morale at worst
Which is an issue the coaching staff is responsible for addressing. Schottenheimer not only didn't approach him to go over the photos, he continued to put Sanchez in positions to fail, even with a ground game that was working, and a lead. The kid has never lost 3 games in a row. He probably felt like shit. Good. I want to see him feel like shit. I want it to hurt to the point of tears. And I want him to remember how that feels. Because I want him to never want to feel like that again. I've said it after every game, this kid learns something from his mistakes every week. Every week he shows that he took a lesson from the previous week. Well, here's his chance to show he's learned something else new. He's pretty a pretty damned mature football player for only being 22, with just over a dozen college starts under his belt. Besides, we had a "Rah Rah!" towel-waving cheerleader of a QB on the sideline in recent history. How'd that work out? I wasn't speaking to anyone on Sunday during or immediately after that debacle. I'm glad my QB felt the same way.
theres plenty of blame to go around, but you cant completely absolve sanchez. this is HIS career and HE is responsible for the decisions HE makes after the play is called. granted shotty didnt put him in the best positions to have success, but that didnt mean he has to be reckless with the ball ... there were many times when leon had a linebacker on him in single coverage, check it down and let him make a play for you the thing i liked most about sanchez in the preseason is that you would see him going through his progressions and moving his feet well as his shoulders turned. in fact, it almost seemed like he was going too quickly though his progressions ... now it seems that he has favorites and locks on them the entire play. and back to the photos ... even if hes not looking at the pics, he should be speaking to shotty or clemens and getting their opinions on whats transpiring. now he may be doing this and were only catching his made for tv moments but, judging by his recent performances, i doubt it
I'm sure it is a big deal different when you are winning a game than losing it in terms of playing. When you are winning and things are going right you are going to be looser, more confident, and likely doing the little things like fundamentals or mechanics that make a difference. When you make a couple of mistakes its easy to lose some of that and everything else can slide behind it. The other significant issue is that most of the receivers he's had through the year are ummm... gone, or injured and now he's got Edwards out there. I'm sure he in part feels inclined to get Edwards the ball a good deal of the time knowing he's about the only playmaker WR left. This is all going to disrupt how he plays with his lack of experience. You can call it a perfect storm in a sense to be playing in. And people are making a big deal over this whole photos and what he should be doing on the sideline. You want to mock someone for that, blame the CS. Sometimes when you are having a bad game, or make some mistakes it is good to step aside from everything and get a moment of zen and try and put the issue behind you, rather than beat you over the head about it.
