http://blogs.nypost.com/sports/backpage/archives/2009/05/slow_down_on_th.html By MIKE BATTAGLINO Yes, Mr. Vaccaro, it's time for everybody around the Jets to calm down, at least a little. sanchez.jpeg Yes, Mark Sanchez has a 41-3 record as a starter dating to his junior year in high school, a fact the Jets won't mind mentioning when praising the new face of their franchise and latest way to sell more jerseys. But with the teams he had around him, maybe it wasn't that hard. Mission Viejo High School won 28 straight games Game reviews in the two seasons before Sanchez transferred in to become its starter his junior year. It then won 27 of 28 with him. His senior season, when the team went 14-0, it outscored its opponents 628-158. Every game but two was decided by at least 26 points. USC was 23-3 in the two seasons before Sanchez played; 9-1 without him in 2007 (2-1 with); then 12-1 with him in 2008. So that's 60-4 without Sanchez; 41-3 with. Those who see the Gatorade bucket as half-full could argue that Sanchez made his teams so great. Those who see it as half-empty could argue his teams made Sanchez so great. (Consider his senior high school team had seven other Division I players, and the next year sent 13 to college. USC had 11 players chosen in this year's NFL Draft, four more than any other school. In fact, Sanchez's toughest career competition may have come in practice, though he likely could not be hit.) Rex Ryan said it himself: "If your team is good enough, you can win with anybody." (Which makes one wonder, if true, why a team would trade up and pay $40-million-plus for a quarterback, but that's for another time). In Sanchez's only season as starter for USC: The Trojans were double-digit favorites in every game, more than a 17-point favorite in 10 of the 13. In those games, they never trailed by more than seven points, and in the 12 wins, never trailed in the second half. The average margin of victory was 31 points. At USC, Sanchez played in four games decided by a touchdown or less (one in 2007, three in 2008). He was 2-2 in those games. In each of the losses, Sanchez had the ball in his hands with a fourth-quarter chance to pull out the game. In 2007 at Oregon, he threw this interception: [YOUTUBE]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zsfpoh97OdQ&e[/YOUTUBE] In 2008 at Oregon State, he threw this interception: [YOUTUBE]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TKvcHlbS0nw&e[/YOUTUBE] Against Arizona in 2008, leading 17-10 with a chance to put away the game, his final six drives were five punts and a missed field goal. His only game-winning, fourth-quarter drive since 2004 came in his senior year in high school, breaking a tie with a late field goal. He hasn't trailed in the fourth quarter of a game he's won. And Sanchez played all of his college games in ideal weather conditions. He never played on a day when the temperature was lower than 46 degrees. He played once -- once -- on a day when there was more than one-tenth an inch of rain. At USC, Sanchez couldn't beat out John David Booty for the starting job, playing only after Booty was injured, then heading back to the bench when Booty was healthy. Booty was the Vikings' third-string quarterback last season, unable to play ahead of Gus Frerotte and Tarvaris Jackson, and he could be looking for a new home if Brett Favre lands in Minnesota this offseason. The Jets aren't nearly as good, relatively, as Mission Viejo and USC. And there will be bad weather in the AFC East, and there will be close games, and the Jets likely will trail by more than eight points at some point. No matter what the Jets say -- or how they say it -- there is no way to know if Sanchez is able to lead a lesser team on a game-winning drive, or can rally a trailing team at halftime, or can handle bad weather conditions (or temperatures in the low 40s). And those situations probably will come up at least once during his career. This isn't to say he can't handle it. The people who expressed complete confidence in Kellen Clemens and Brett Ratliff Brett Ratliff sure think Sanchez can do it. There is just absolutely no proof that he can. Until there is, let's not build the statue yet.
omg he threw an interception in college!?!?!? cut him now. hes got bust written all over him. worst draft pick ever.
The first one there were like 18 seconds left, he's got to throw it down field. Vinny would have thrown a 5 yarder in the middle of the field. The second one was a bad throw, but the receiver made no effort.
They did this to Peyton Manning in college as well. Hows that for a comparison. Fuck the crusades against the optimism. I'm enjoying my minicamps, I'm enjoying the hype. I'll come back down to earth around the end of august and get real about it then. For now, this thread is fail due to a man named Mike Battaglino
Yea this guy def has to tone it down a little...the argument about the number of USC grads in the draft is pretty bogus considering all the other big names were on the defensive side of the ball
Exactly, he had to throw it down the field, even thou there were 8-man deep. What else should he have done? I don?t see anyone open, so just air it out and hope something good will happen. btw, great play by harper on that pick.
And still would have been picked lol. Yeah I agree the second one was about three feet off target and the receiver never made an effort to even tip it. I think he though he had another receiver there but it screwed Sanchez's career and now he'll never be great becuase he failed to make a 4th quarter come back... BTW, if you're team is great, do you still have to have a great play by the QB to win? Sanchez went to excellent football teams and won. Atleast he didn't let them down. Besides, football in school and college change a lot every year. On average, probably half the players graduate, get drafted or even transferred after every year. Past doesn't really matter. Having said that, Sanchez still won and never really had to lead the team in the 4th quarter. He atleast met the expectations, if not exceeded them. I'd take that in the NFL as well. Meet the expectations.
Hey, can't we just re-chisel the face of the Favre statue that we erected last year as our testimonial to unrealistic optimism to make it into a Sanchez statue? It would save money in these troubled economic times.
Wow, he threw INT's? Did the Jets know this when they drafted him. I bet they didnt. Like usual, SOJ got caught up in the hype. BUST
I actually LOL at all the people that are putting in so much energy to keep the excitement levels down.
"Against Arizona in 2008, leading 17-10 with a chance to put away the game, his final six drives were five punts and a missed field goal. His only game-winning, fourth-quarter drive since 2004 came in his senior year in high school, breaking a tie with a late field goal. He hasn't trailed in the fourth quarter of a game he's won. And Sanchez played all of his college games in ideal weather conditions. He never played on a day when the temperature was lower than 46 degrees. He played once -- once -- on a day when there was more than one-tenth an inch of rain. At USC, Sanchez couldn't beat out John David Booty for the starting job, playing only after Booty was injured, then heading back to the bench when Booty was healthy. Booty was the Vikings' third-string quarterback last season, unable to play ahead of Gus Frerotte and Tarvaris Jackson, and he could be looking for a new home if Brett Favre lands in Minnesota this offseason." All your attempts at humor do nothing to overcome these facts. Remember, you are the same people who disagreed with me when I criticized Mangini. Your the same people who criticized me halfway through the 08 season when I said Favre was useless on deep sideline passes and that was going to hurt the team. The prognostication record of this forum is not very good. We'll see about MS.
If you think those handful of youtube ints. are bad...get this......he also threw some picks in HIGH SCHOOL! What's more, I heard that several times in 1987, he actually SHIT HIS PANTS!! And then cried! Do we really want that type of person leading our team? BUST.
I think the people who are keeping the excitement levels down are more excited about it than the people who are excited.
So... -Here's Sanchez, his teams did well without him, and they did well with him. But I'm gonna conclude that he lucked out and played for some of the best teams in America. It's not all him at all always. -Sanchez never trailed with USC therefore they did really well. USC a college team is waaaay better than the New York Jets...relatively...therefore, Sanchez will trail always and forever and never ever (for never ever?) for NEVER EVER win. ...and... -There's no way to tell he can lead a lowly team like the Jets from behind...and it WILL happen. So Jet fans, don't get fooled by your front office and believe the hype. - There's no way to tell that he can't do it either, but forget that. Forget that, because the focus right now is how there's no proof that he CAN lead poor teams. Yup. Great article. By the way, who the hell is building this kid a statue? Did I miss something?
Boy, know one is allowed to say anything negative about your boy Sanchez huh? You are the Jet god, only you decide when its appropriate to rag on someone. Is he your Son? I am admitting that I am over the top with my negativity towards him and I hope I am wrong, but you are over the top with positives towards him. There is a chance he is gonna be a bust, no doubt. It has happended many times to teams, its has to be considered. I need to consider that we actually drafted our franchise QB, I know, I just need to see him in action
I don't think abyz has been over the top with his excitement towards Sanchez at all. Actually he's been quite reserved about it.
You admit that you've been over the top with the negativity ("He's gonna be a BUST! the Jets were HAD! etc, etc."). BTW, the problem anyone might have with your stance is that you also admit that you know nothing about Sanchez and never watched him play...but whatever. Being over the top with positivity, IMO, amounts to someone saying "Golly gee, he's a can't miss! Mark Sanchez will be our franchise savior for years! He will shatter records! Pro-bowl, here comes Sanchez! Oh, by the way, I've never seen him play a snap." As of yet, I haven't seen anyone say those things. I've seen people excited about our prospects and happy about the Jets seeing a potential franchise QB, and having the guts to take a chance and snag him. They didn't ridiculously reach for him. They actually got great value in the trade up to #5. If, down the road, it blows up in their face, yes, that would suck. But right now, what's the point in bashing the pick? Why pick on every negative about the potential face of the franchise? As a Jets fan, I prefer to focus on the many positives of this kid (polished footwork, elite leadership skills, very good football IQ, hard worker). As I and others have noted before, he has the realistic potential to be a more athletic, stronger-armed Pennington...which would be excellent. If you insist on being negative, at least let him fail before you bash him.
