This is actually a very good read. No one has ever said Sanchez doesnt have the tools to become a very good QB. He just isn't consistent at all and is just not accurate enough to be a QB in todays NFL. Its year 4 now and his accuracy is still dreadful. Drops aside, it will still barely be over 50%. That is just not acceptable and its hard to maintain drives with him missing on so many throws. Its very shocking that people are still taking up for him and refuse to give him at least some of the blame....
Even in 2010 Sanchez wasn't really that good overall. He had 17 TD's, 13 INTs and 9 fumbles (remarkably the team only lost 1 of those, normally a QB fumble is a 50/50 rate on who recovers). His yards per attempt were down from his rookie season and was actually lower than it is this year. He has never been higher than #28 in completion percentage. other than his rookie season he's never been higher than #26 in yards per attempt. (his rookie season he was #18) He's been in the top 15 QB's in interceptions thrown every season of his career, and in the top 6 in all but one season. He's been near the top in QB fumbles in each season. He has ranged from the bottom 5 to the top 10 in TD's with one season as the bottom 5, one season as a top 10 and one season at #16. It's the one category he's managed to be "average" in. I've said this before, these are not the stats of a first round pick. It's not Marks fault he was chosen in the first round, it's not his fault he was taken #5. But he was, and fairly or unfairly that is how he will always be judged...as top 5 first round pick. If Mark had been drafted by any other team in the league as the #5 pick I would be willing to bet that there isn't one poster on this board who wouldn't be calling him a big time bust. Again it's not really fair, but it is what it is. Mark had limited playing time in College and clearly wasn't ready for the NFL. Had he been taken in the second round or later as a developmental QB we would never have this discussion. But, he was a top 5 pick, he is taking up a huge part of our cap space (in 2013 I believe his cap number is nearly 13 million). In 2012 his cap hit numbers I believe had him ranked as the 5th highest Quarterback in the league (as of february 2012 anyways). And that point Mark does share the blame for the criticism he recieves, along with the front office. Mark could have turned down the money (not criticizing him for taking the money, I would have too) but along with taking the money you also set yourself up for the comparison criticism. Fact is Mark was a top 5 Draft pick, paid as a top 5 QB, and has delivered the performance of a bottom 1/4 QB. Again I will say, if Mark played for any other team not one person on this board would be saying he wasn't an overpaid top 5 pick bust. It is what it is. Is it fair? No, Like I said, and what many said when he was drafted at number 5, he wasn't a top 5 pick, he was a reach as a kid with limited college experience from a school not known for producing productful NFL QB's, but he was made that top pick, he is paid as a top player, so it is what it is. But at least he's not Matt Cassel....another USC QB Alumni. (mind you I'm not knocking USC, it's produced some really great NFL players, just not at QB).
Really? That's your stance? I mean, I see what you're saying with the overall post, but that's a pretty dumb thing to say. There have been a lot of terrible first round picks by every team in the league. Mark is a long long long long way from great, but he's not nearly as bad as some other first round QBs: Ryan Leaf, JaMarcus Russell, Tim Couch, Akili Smith, Browning Nagle, , Heath Schuler, Chuck Long, Kelly Stouffer, Timm Rosenbach, Rick Mirer, Dan McGwire, Dave Brown, Jim Druckenmiller, Cade McKnown, Joey Harrington......that's just off the top of my head (please forgive any spelling errors, I don't care enough to check). TRUE: The Sanchez pick is not paying off for us the way the throwaway pick the pats wasted on that Brady kid is paying off... ALSO TRUE: I'd take Sanchez over Rick Mirer or Ryan Leaf any day. I'm just saying that YES, we should have gotten more out of our standard Charlie Foxtrot Draft that day than we did, but all things considered, I'm not mad that we took a chance on this particular kid. Not thrilled, but not mad.
Then he is not a good QB, He is average at best. You do not reach the level of "good" in QB until you've reached a certain level on consistency that is acceptable. What you see are either flashes of a good/great QB or a hot streak during a drive that puts you on another level it can happen at any time even if you played most of the game like garbage. What Sanchez needs is to become consistent, then he can be an established starting caliber QB. The bad is shouldn't he be at a good level consistent wise in his 4th year? The most frustrating throw he made last game was the complete garbage pass to cromartie. Cromartie had daylight but sanchez under threw it to the point where cromartie had to slow down to catch it but it also led him out of bounce from how bad he threw it. Edit: I can't stress how bad that throw was, any college starting QB could make that throw.
Yes, that is the bulk of my stance, taken slightly out of context, but basically yes. Have there been worse first round picks at QB? Yes there have. But facts are facts, Sanchez through this point in his career has been a bottom 1/4 QB in the NFL in nearly every statistical category. He caught a break being drafted by a team that, at the time, had a top 5 defense and a top 5 running attack that masked his flaws. It was the defense and running game that got the Jets to the playoffs in back to back years, despite a QB in the first year that turned the ball over more than he scored and in the second year was close to just break even on turn overs and TD's when picks and fumbles are factored in. We constantly hear about how clutch he is/was leading the team to the playoffs for two years? But the reality is. Last 2 minutes of a half. 2009 61.2% completion, 1 TD, 2 INT. Completion percentage was good. 2010 54.4% completion, 4 TD, 4 INT 2011 53.9% completion 5 TD 2 INT 2012 50% completion 0 TD 1 INt 4th Quarter 2009 52.9% completion, 2 TD 10 INT 2010 50.6% completion, 4 TD, 4 INT 2011 54.1% completion, 10 TD, 5 INT 2012 37.8% completion 1 TD 1 InT 4th Quarter within 7 points 2009 55.8% completion 1 TD 3 INT 2010 48.4% completion 3 TD, 3 INT 2011 47.1% completion 3 TD, 2 INT 2012 38.1% completion 1 Td 1 INT Overtime 2009 33.3% completion 0 TD 1 INT 2010 66.7% completion 1 TD 1 INT 2011 No attempts 2012 57.1% completion 0 TD 0 INT Tied Games 2009 50.7% completion 1 TD 6 INT. 2010 56.1% completion 3 TD 4 INT. 2011 55.9% completion 4 TD 3 INT 2012 51.7% completion 1 TD 3 INT Reality is in clutch situations, with the excption of 2011 4th quarter his numbers have been, well not overwhelming. with more turn overs than points. Especially when a game is within 7 points, tied or in overtime. As far as arguing that Mark led the Jets to two AFC championships, His numbers in close games those two years were abysmal, his fourth quarter numbers, especially turnovers, was horrendous. Nothing there says franchise QB, what it does shout is someone who doesn't take care of the ball and isn't accurate with his passes, and never has been. Is Mark the worst QB ever taken in the first round? No. But that doesn't make him a decent first round pick, least of all top 5 pick. Nor does it justify top 5 QB money. Like I said before, it doesn't make it fair to Mark, but fact is fact, he was a top 5 draft pick, he makes top 5 money for his position (relative to cap hit), and he performs like a bottom 1/4 QB. It is what it is. And, for better or for worse, he will be our QB next year...his cap hit is too larget to cut him, and no team will take him with that cap....so that too is what it is.. And this isn't all condemning on mark, it's more of a reflection of bad choices made by the front office and coaching staff and scouts. As noted in one scouting report from 2009 on Sanchez "...one caveat about Mark, many of his touchdown passes came in bunches and often with recievers with 5 or more yards of separation from the defender. This brings to question whether USC's athletic superiority over conference rivals is inflating Sanchez's stock." But again, it is what it is. Fair or not, this is the NFL not the peewee league. As such when you get paid top 5 Money and you were drafted in the top 5 there are expectations to meet. One of those expectations is not to be in the bottom quarter of players who play your position.
Look to a different sport for the answer. Take Golf. EVERY player on the PGA can crush a 400 yrd drive. Hit the cup from 40 yrds out with a sand wedge. And drop in a looping 40 ft putt. But they can only do it once in a while. They can't do it this time, next time, every time, especially under pressure. Tiger was the first player in our life times that could (well, the 'young' Tiger). Every year we hear about some Pro that comes from nowhere to rip the Masters from the best golfers in the world, only to never be heard from again. Is this Sanchez? One word separates Canton from non-Canton: Consistency. The ability to stand tall and deliver the killer pass this game, next game, every game, without excuses. Without the phrase "we gotta do better, and we will" emanating from the podium and hour later. Don't put Sanchez in Canton just yet.
This pretty much sums up what I see from Sanchez regularly. A miss followed by a sick completion followed by a miss followed by a sick completion. Wildly inconsistent. Need to be better, you have to think the musical chairs at WR affects him a little but we aren't in the excuses business.
I think this is a great line: Shonne Greene will never start another game in the NFL after this season
More like this summary: Miss, Miss, Miss, Miss, Miss, decent completion, miss miss, miss, you get the point. He is an awful QB. I can't believe many on this board don't object to having a shitty QB, the most important position on the field.
1968JetsFan: Fair Enough. I agree, Sanchez was a waste of that pick--I just take some exception to the idea that any given player "doesn't live up to their draft position". I'm willing to bet there have been busts and stars at almost every draft spot over the years. It's fair to say they don't live up to the HOPE that fans/organizations put into them at that spot, and that's very true of Sanchez........and most Jets picks over the decades....
It's hindsite of course, and like I said it's really not fair to mark, but it is what it is. When you get paid like he does and drafted where he was drafted, there are expectations, and you get judged on your value based on your performance vs what your pay. For most draft slots, beyond the first, you get more flawed gems as you go down the draft. I really wish the Jets had used one of their 7th rounders to pick up Burfict to be honest, he's been playing well from what I've seen. this isn't hindsite by the way, during the draft I said as much. Most 7th rounders don't make the team and since we had a spare I said if he was still there why not take a flyer on someone who just a month or so before the draft had been considered a first round talent. But that's beside the point. I probably wouldn't be so hard on Mark's performance if he wasn't sucking up about 1/10th of our cap space this year and next. But the games a business, and the investment in mark hasn't paid off in any way. But regardless with the NFL cap rules he will be a Jet next year. We can only hope the light finally turns on for him, or we draft high enough to draft his replacement for the 2014 season.
Great post:up: There's a reason why Pete Carroll said he didn't think Sanchez was ready for the pros when he declared.
lol I'm not disputing your point because he probably wasn't ready but I wonder what he said about Leinart/Carson
