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Mark Sanchez...what might have been


sirlancemehlot

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I remember the raw, talented young man who led the Jets to multiple come-back victories in his second season, in the wildest of which he threw a perfectly placed bomb to Braylon Edwards, then followed it with a TD pass fit into the tightest of windows to Santonio Holmes, leading the Jets to victory over the Houston Texans after half the seats in the stadium had emptied, the fans muttering SOJ on the escalators as the crowd erupted and sent everyone sprinting back to their seats. I remember the kid who led a good team, a team flush with leaders and fighters, to two AFCCG, rolling over the juggernaut Patriots en route.

That kid is gone. Done. Broken. And its the fault of the New York Jets. Their owner, their manager, their defacto leader. What might have been, had he been handled by a front office that didn't pull on their giant red clown shoes before stepping into their state-of-the- art Florham Park facility?

In a better version of the past, Tannenbaum doesn't throw away picks for a guy who threw away a season to keep his personal streak alive, a guy who never wanted the Jets green and white and wore Packers-colored shoulder pads (Chartruese? Mustard?) under his New York Jets Jersey. In a better version of this front office, Chad Pennington is retained, some loyalty is shown to an old Jet who's kept on as mentor to the newly drafted Mark Sanchez. Chad is a player-coach, Sanchez an understudy sponge who learns how to play quarterback, and more...how to be a football player in New York. How to handle the Media. How to lead with passion. How to...dare I say...manage an offense. Of course we don't get that version. We get a kid who started 16 games in college and is raw, with upside. Like Vlad Ducasse who is raw with upside. Two differences: Vlad plays guard. Vlad has been afforded time to develop.

In a better version of the past, orchestrated by a better version of the FO, The offensive coordinator position is improved, not devolved. The recieving runningback is an outlet during a rush, not a poor blocker who can't recognize a blitz. The WR position is solid, with a star in the mix. Like Mathew Stafford has. Like Matt Ryan (who has two, plus a stud running back and Tony Gonzalez). In a better version of a coaching staff he has a true QB coach, like Rothlisberger had in Ariens.

But in this version of today's Jets, Mark Sanchez is a battered, scattered, raccoon-on-a-highway quarterback. It started with a color-coded wristband and ends in 5 picks against the Tennesee Titans. His receivers are worse today than they were in that Houston game. His Oline is worse than it was in that Houston Game. His running backs are worse. His TE...well he doesn't have one. And his Psyche is not only worse--it's damaged beyond repair. Rex has coached the defense. Tanny has drafted for defense. Coples, Wilson, Wilkerson. And then there was Tebow...echoing the Brett Favre debacle...a QB that never belonged here. Its a sad day for Mark Sanchez. Because had he been developed by another team, a team content to lay off the quotes, backpages and splashy-but-stupid free agent aquisitions, he could been somebody. Maybe even a contender.

TLDR: Mark sux and he didn't used to suck so bad so Tanny needs to pack his bags, etc.

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This is garbage. He didn't lead the team anywhere and the things that make him the worst QB in the NFL in 2012 were there from the second he stepped on the field. The refusal to protect the football. The inaccuracy The inability to read the field and find open WR's. The inability to read the defense. Sanchez just never had the mental and physical ability to be a good QB in this league. Even when they were winning all these issues were there.

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This is garbage. He didn't lead the team anywhere and the things that make him the worst QB in the NFL in 2012 were there from the second he stepped on the field. The refusal to protect the football. The inaccuracy The inability to read the field and find open WR's. The inability to read the defense. Sanchez just never had the mental and physical ability to be a good QB in this league. Even when they were winning all these issues were there.

Show me. Break it down for me and I'll agree.

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Handing a kid with limited driving experience the keys to Dad's Enzo rarely has a good ending. Bad precedent in not making him actiually earn the job -- Rex bestowed entitlement on Sanchez from day 1. Needless to say, tripping over their dick$ to make him the 5th overall pick was the first great blunder. That said, it is inexcusable for Sanchez to be as putrid as he is at this stage of the game.

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go back and watch the tapes. Fumbles. Terrible field vision. Inaccurate throws. They were all there.

Right. With that I agree. He suffered from things you'd expect a rookie to suffer from. But he also led some big drives, and made some great throws. Now he is just horrible. His regression is epic. As was his mishandling. And the mishandling of the offense in general. Sparano was never going to develop this kid. Rex/Tanny were never going to shore up the line, or draft a stud TE/RB/WR with a 1st round pick. Sanchez was never great. Probably was never going to be. But he was better as a rookie than he is in his 4th year. That tells me there is systemic problem. A lack of blueprint. A lack of plan. And the dismantling of Sanchez is merely a very visible symptom of a larger, more pervasive disease. This team is a rudderless ship coached by a DC and stocked by an accountant. No one develops here anymore. Ducasse, Wilson, Kenrick Ellis...all the "project" guys are mediocre to sub-par players. Just like the Quivering mess of a QB we've had to endure this year.

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Right. With that I agree. He suffered from things you'd expect a rookie to suffer from. But he also led some big drives, and made some great throws. Now he is just horrible. His regression is epic. As was his mishandling. And the mishandling of the offense in general. Sparano was never going to develop this kid. Rex/Tanny were never going to shore up the line, or draft a stud TE/RB/WR with a 1st round pick. Sanchez was never great. Probably was never going to be. But he was better as a rookie than he is in his 4th year. That tells me there is systemic problem. A lack of blueprint. A lack of plan. And the dismantling of Sanchez is merely a very visible symptom of a larger, more pervasive disease. This team is a rudderless ship coached by a DC and stocked by an accountant. No one develops here anymore. Ducasse, Wilson, Kenrick Ellis...all the "project" guys are mediocre to sub-par players. Just like the Quivering mess of a QB we've had to endure this year.

"He made some great throws" doesn't cut it as an argument. He never came close to making enough of them. Or leading enough big drives.
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While it's impossible to not agree with how poorly he was handled and surrounded by offensive talent, he clearly lacks the mental makeup to overcome any of this. He definitely has skills, but he's so mentally broken that all of his confidence is shot. Look at someone like Cutler: the dude has been destroyed by consistently one of the worst olines in the league, his best receiver was a glorified punt returner for a while and yet that guy will never ever lack for confidence. I'm not saying Cutler should be anybody's barometer of greatness, but at some point we have to admit that there was something inherently wrong with Sanchez's mental makeup that contributed in large part to this problem. Not at all absolving the FO for their abortion of a job the last few years, but he was just as critical to his failures as others.

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I remember the raw, talented young man who led the Jets to multiple come-back victories in his second season, in the wildest of which he threw a perfectly placed bomb to Braylon Edwards, then followed it with a TD pass fit into the tightest of windows to Santonio Holmes, leading the Jets to victory over the Houston Texans after half the seats in the stadium had emptied, the fans muttering SOJ on the escalators as the crowd erupted and sent everyone sprinting back to their seats. I remember the kid who led a good team, a team flush with leaders and fighters, to two AFCCG, rolling over the juggernaut Patriots en route.

That kid is gone. Done. Broken. And its the fault of the New York Jets. Their owner, their manager, their defacto leader. What might have been, had he been handled by a front office that didn't pull on their giant red clown shoes before stepping into their state-of-the- art Florham Park facility?

In a better version of the past, Tannenbaum doesn't throw away picks for a guy who threw away a season to keep his personal streak alive, a guy who never wanted the Jets green and white and wore Packers-colored shoulder pads (Chartruese? Mustard?) under his New York Jets Jersey. In a better version of this front office, Chad Pennington is retained, some loyalty is shown to an old Jet who's kept on as mentor to the newly drafted Mark Sanchez. Chad is a player-coach, Sanchez an understudy sponge who learns how to play quarterback, and more...how to be a football player in New York. How to handle the Media. How to lead with passion. How to...dare I say...manage an offense. Of course we don't get that version. We get a kid who started 16 games in college and is raw, with upside. Like Vlad Ducasse who is raw with upside. Two differences: Vlad plays guard. Vlad has been afforded time to develop.

In a better version of the past, orchestrated by a better version of the FO, The offensive coordinator position is improved, not devolved. The recieving runningback is an outlet during a rush, not a poor blocker who can't recognize a blitz. The WR position is solid, with a star in the mix. Like Mathew Stafford has. Like Matt Ryan (who has two, plus a stud running back and Tony Gonzalez). In a better version of a coaching staff he has a true QB coach, like Rothlisberger had in Ariens.

But in this version of today's Jets, Mark Sanchez is a battered, scattered, raccoon-on-a-highway quarterback. It started with a color-coded wristband and ends in 5 picks against the Tennesee Titans. His receivers are worse today than they were in that Houston game. His Oline is worse than it was in that Houston Game. His running backs are worse. His TE...well he doesn't have one. And his Psyche is not only worse--it's damaged beyond repair. Rex has coached the defense. Tanny has drafted for defense. Coples, Wilson, Wilkerson. And then there was Tebow...echoing the Brett Favre debacle...a QB that never belonged here. Its a sad day for Mark Sanchez. Because had he been developed by another team, a team content to lay off the quotes, backpages and splashy-but-stupid free agent aquisitions, he could been somebody. Maybe even a contender.

TLDR: Mark sux and he didn't used to suck so bad so Tanny needs to pack his bags, etc.

I believe what you wrote sums it up the best. In the end the results are on Tanny and Rex.

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While it's impossible to not agree with how poorly he was handled and surrounded by offensive talent, he clearly lacks the mental makeup to overcome any of this. He definitely has skills, but he's so mentally broken that all of his confidence is shot. Look at someone like Cutler: the dude has been destroyed by consistently one of the worst olines in the league, his best receiver was a glorified punt returner for a while and yet that guy will never ever lack for confidence. I'm not saying Cutler should be anybody's barometer of greatness, but at some point we have to admit that there was something inherently wrong with Sanchez's mental makeup that contributed in large part to this problem. Not at all absolving the FO for their abortion of a job the last few years, but he was just as critical to his failures as others.

And this was well +1

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One thing about the Podcasts....I know some of you (Tom) make fun of me for the songs we use as an intro. But I just wanted to share something along those lines. Every week Courtney and I talk about what song to use. And I realized that if the song isn't by some hardcore rapper in the 90's or Jimi Hendrix, she has no idea who they are.

No real point here. Just felt like sharing really, lol.

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Sanchez has regressed, but to say the lack of talent around him had no impact is a joke. Braylon F'n Edwards was the #1 WR on MNF, the 4/5 receiver on the Seahawks.

It sure didn't help, I'll grant you that. But I never saw anything that suggested he would or could ever develop into a smart, level-headed QB who could consistently put the ball where it needs to be.

Development shmelelopment. From 10 yards away the guy is off-target on stationary receivers by 3 yards. In the pros, 2-3 yards can easily be - and often is - the difference between a true franchise QB who makes everyone else better and a scrub who gets lucky on a couple of throws or has a great (statistical) game now & then.

Tyler Thigpen once had like 20 TDs in half a season for KC. A couple of years earlier for them, Damon Huard had an 11:1 TD:INT ratio in relief of Trent Green. Mark Malone was supposed to be Pittsburgh's next great QB after Bradshaw. He even had some stupid-awesome games for them that Sanchez - even in a far more pass-friendly league - has never approached reproducing.

Scott Mitchell. Tommy Maddox. Rick Mirer. Daunte Culpepper. Kyle Boller. Sexy Rexy. Dozens of others from the 90s, 80s, 70s, etc. So many had great games or entire great seasons where they flashed what a scout or GM or coach once saw in them.

At some point, these teams just realized that you can't judge a player by only looking at the minority of games where he'd found success. That a guy who sucks is a guy who sucks, that the franchise must move on, and once it is accepted as such, the sooner the better. It is unusual for a nobody to turn into Kurt Warner or for a one-time relative draft bust to even turn into an Alex Smith. Wishing for it to be so doesn't make it so or likely or even possible.

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This is garbage. He didn't lead the team anywhere and the things that make him the worst QB in the NFL in 2012 were there from the second he stepped on the field. The refusal to protect the football. The inaccuracy The inability to read the field and find open WR's. The inability to read the defense. Sanchez just never had the mental and physical ability to be a good QB in this league. Even when they were winning all these issues were there.

This. Except for a few games where Sanchez made a big throw in a comeback fashion, he's always sucked and the Jets won in spite of his terrible play.

When you look back to his rookie season, all the games the Jets won were because the Jets D was lights out.

Year 1, opponents pts vs. the Jets in Marks wins: 7, 9, 17, 0, 6, 13, 15, 0. Year 2 was slightly more impressive. Opponents averaged 16pts in Jets victories but the Jets also lost 3 games where the opponent scored 10 or less points. Year 3 back to year 1 basically, 24, 3, 6, 21, 11, 24, 19, 10 for an average of 14pts. This season, 28, 20, 9, 13, 6, 10.

LOL - dude has always sucked, bad.

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This. Except for a few games where Sanchez made a big throw in a comeback fashion, he's always sucked and the Jets won in spite of his terrible play.

When you look back to his rookie season, all the games the Jets won were because the Jets D was lights out.

Year 1, opponents pts vs. the Jets in Marks wins: 7, 9, 17, 0, 6, 13, 15, 0. Year 2 was slightly more impressive. Opponents averaged 16pts in Jets victories but the Jets also lost 3 games where the opponent scored 10 or less points. Year 3 back to year 1 basically, 24, 3, 6, 21, 11, 24, 19, 10 for an average of 14pts. This season, 28, 20, 9, 13, 6, 10.

LOL - dude has always sucked, bad.

Heading into this season, I forgot what it was but I added it up once. Something like 9 losses in 3 years when the defense gave up 10 points or less (factoring in FGs opponents got when they got the ball in FG range after Mark turned it over).

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So if the kid was never any good then Tanny should be held even more accountable. Huge pricetag for that 4 overall, big contract, rediculous extension. no return on investment.

Yes that is the point- too many mistakes and wrong decisions made by tanny-the first one that has to go

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This. Except for a few games where Sanchez made a big throw in a comeback fashion, he's always sucked and the Jets won in spite of his terrible play.

When you look back to his rookie season, all the games the Jets won were because the Jets D was lights out.

Year 1, opponents pts vs. the Jets in Marks wins: 7, 9, 17, 0, 6, 13, 15, 0. Year 2 was slightly more impressive. Opponents averaged 16pts in Jets victories but the Jets also lost 3 games where the opponent scored 10 or less points. Year 3 back to year 1 basically, 24, 3, 6, 21, 11, 24, 19, 10 for an average of 14pts. This season, 28, 20, 9, 13, 6, 10.

LOL - dude has always sucked, bad.

Yeah, but he did take us to two AFC championship games. Put us right on his back and by sheer force of will took that rag tag bunch of underachievers (especially those hapless ne'er do wells on defense, the Super Bowl MVP receiver and that sieve like offensive line that couldn't get any semblance of a running game together) and LED US TO THE PROMISED LAND AS A ROOKIE AND THEN, FOR AN ENCORE IN HIS SECOND SEASON.....DID IT AGAIN!!!!!

And then, ruination set in, the evil Brian Schottenheimer's malicious influence finally was too much for poor Mark Sanchez to overcome (he's only human, after all) and he finally succumbed, unable to lead his team anymore.

This story is too sad to tell, and I believe you know it well, so I will end it here, before the name of Sparano is invoked.

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You are ignoring Sanchez had more playoff wins than all of your examples.

It sure didn't help, I'll grant you that. But I never saw anything that suggested he would or could ever develop into a smart, level-headed QB who could consistently put the ball where it needs to be.

Development shmelelopment. From 10 yards away the guy is off-target on stationary receivers by 3 yards. In the pros, 2-3 yards can easily be - and often is - the difference between a true franchise QB who makes everyone else better and a scrub who gets lucky on a couple of throws or has a great (statistical) game now & then.

Tyler Thigpen once had like 20 TDs in half a season for KC. A couple of years earlier for them, Damon Huard had an 11:1 TD:INT ratio in relief of Trent Green. Mark Malone was supposed to be Pittsburgh's next great QB after Bradshaw. He even had some stupid-awesome games for them that Sanchez - even in a far more pass-friendly league - has never approached reproducing.

Scott Mitchell. Tommy Maddox. Rick Mirer. Daunte Culpepper. Kyle Boller. Sexy Rexy. Dozens of others from the 90s, 80s, 70s, etc. So many had great games or entire great seasons where they flashed what a scout or GM or coach once saw in them.

At some point, these teams just realized that you can't judge a player by only looking at the minority of games where he'd found success. That a guy who sucks is a guy who sucks, that the franchise must move on, and once it is accepted as such, the sooner the better. It is unusual for a nobody to turn into Kurt Warner or for a one-time relative draft bust to even turn into an Alex Smith. Wishing for it to be so doesn't make it so or likely or even possible.

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One thing about the Podcasts....I know some of you (Tom) make fun of me for the songs we use as an intro. But I just wanted to share something along those lines. Every week Courtney and I talk about what song to use. And I realized that if the song isn't by some hardcore rapper in the 90's or Jimi Hendrix, she has no idea who they are.

No real point here. Just felt like sharing really, lol.

I want to hear "Don't sweat the technique" by Erik B & Rakim next week.

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Here's what might have been:

2008 trade up to #2: give St. Louis the compensation they wanted (our 1st for the following season), which we refused.

  • Draft Matt Ryan in 2008.

  • Do not draft Vernon Gholston in 2008.

  • Do not draft Mark Sanchez in 2009.

  • Keep our 2nd round pick for 2009 because we didn't blow it trading up for Sanchez. Use that pick to draft LeShon McCoy.

  • Do not trade our 3rd+4th+7th(?) to move up to 3(1) to draft Shonn Greene in 2009.
    • Instead draft Mike Wallace in 2009 round 3.
    • Trade 2009 round 4 pick for 2010 round 3 pick and use that pick to draft Jimmy Graham.

    [*]Do not trade our 2010 3rd and 5th rounders for Braylon Edwards.

    • Instead draft Eric Decker in 2010 round 3.

Save a boatload of cap room with only one top 5-6 pick instead of two. Offense skill position problems solved for the next 5-10 years.

If you want to play "what might have been" then this is a better way to play it. Far better than giving ourselves a do-over and re-drafting Mark Sanchez, anyway.

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