Don't worry, the next time Sanchez throws a pick, or has a bad quarter or bad half of a game, the haters will be out in full force calling him names and whatever else. But for some reason Joe Flacco can go out there and take a big dump all over the field the last 2 weeks and that's just fine..
The problem though with the line of reasoning that you're taking is that Elway's media peers were already calling him out in his third season. He was being compared unfavorably to Dan Marino and a lot of people thought he was overhyped given what he had accomplished at that point. Some of that was backlash against the way he had forced the trade out of Baltimore and some of it was backlash against his over the top personality traits but a lot of it was based on what he had actually done in the first three seasons of his career. Elway was seen more as an Eli Manning at that point in his career than a Peyton Manning. A huge talent who for whatever reason was underperforming. It's the revisionist history that forgets that Elway was criticized in the same way Terry Bradshaw and Jim Plunkett had been that gets to me. I'm fairly sure at this point that when Sanchez fifth season is finished and he becomes eligible for similarity rankings that Elway is going to be one of his top comparisons for season 3. I think Terry Bradshaw will also and I suspect Joe Flacco and Jim Plunkett will be there as well.
He was being criticized for not playing as well as Marino. I think Marino was along with Elway one of the top five or six all time Qb's in the league, but out of the box Marino had better receivers, a better pass protecting OL and (it kills me to say it) one of best HC's in the game, and one who knew how to run a passing attack. But no one was comparing him to Jim Plunkett that I can recall. Bradshaw imo was and remains an inapt comparitor since he imo was never near as good as Elway, and the criticisms of him were different. As for overall criticisms, in his very next year Elway went to the Pro Bowl, so I am not sure how much basis there is for your argument that he was being "called out". More to the point maybe the point is that Sanchez as the fifth overall pick in his draft is NOT getting called out enough. By the standards you say Elway was, Sanchez is much more deserving of that sort of criticism. I don't know of anyone else I have ever heard of who compared Elway to Eli Manning. You are in a category of one there, bub. But your mention of him is nonetheless helpful. I think Giant fans were and remain happy that Eli led them to an SB win, and that's probably a deal most Jet fans would willingly make. But Eli's early career problems, despite the SB win, have hardly been followed by what I would consider a stellar career. Along with the good of that SB win has come plenty of bad and ugly. Elway had a much weaker supporting cast early in his career. And he used his big arm to throw, and sometimes force it, the long ball. He was also a big threat to run the ball, and over the course of his career was tough as nails. But let's stay with the comparison. I think I have said why your comparison to Sanchez is not a good argument. Talking about your assessment of his rep in the league does not overcome that he was a more effective Qb than Sanchez.
As long as the OL holds up and reverts to last yr form this thread would've better suited shonn greene
Sure, Jets fans can bash Joe Flacco more, since he does suck and all. But I was referring more to the TV talking heads who like to jump on Sanchez whenever he struggles at all. Joe Flacco goes out there and routinely sucks in big games (check his playoff numbers) and you barely hear anything about him negatively. Then whenever "best young QB's" are brought up, you always hear his name. It's ridiculous.
