Sanchez taking flight down the stretch

[Jetfan13]

MANISH MEHTA

The serious, subdued and steady Mark Sanchez deflected any and all praise thrown in his direction on Wednesday by crediting just about everyone around him. He took a measured tone about a white-hot offense that has scored 13 touchdowns during the Jets’ three-game winning streak. He sounded like a guy with plenty of work left to do.

“Hopefully, we’re just starting to hit our stride and we’re not there yet,” Sanchez said. “There’s still a sense of urgency.”

For all the criticism that Sanchez has endured this season, the numbers suggest that maybe Rex Ryan was right all along: The Jets signal-caller has made improvements in his third season.

Only Aaron Rodgers, Tom Brady, Drew Brees, Cam Newton and Matt Stafford have more touchdowns than Sanchez, whose 26 TDs (21 passing, 5 rushing) are tied for sixth in the league with Eli Manning and Tony Romo. Sanchez has also thrown fewer interceptions (11) than Stafford, Matt Ryan, Philip Rivers and Manning.

Ryan, whose team faces a daunting challenge against the Eagles on Sunday, reiterated that he’s not overly concerned with Sanchez’s stats.

“I don’t know what people look for in Pro Bowls and all that,” Ryan said. “If you just take the guys that win, I think you’d probably be better off. I think when the season’s over, he’ll be right there where we expect him to be. I think he’s had an excellent year.”

Although Sanchez’s 83.1 passer rating ranks in the middle of the pack and his 56.8 completion percentage is in the bottom third of the league, he’s elevated his play when it matters most. Sanchez is 10th in the NFL in fourth-quarter passer rating at 95.9. He’s thrown eight touchdown passes and only one interception in the final quarter.

Sanchez has totaled nine touchdowns with only one interception during a three-game winning streak that has put the Jets in position to control their playoff fate down the stretch. The Jets offense has averaged 32.3 points in the past three games. Ryan credits crisper practices and “very few mistakes” during the week of preparation for their offensive consistency in recent weeks.

“We have really high expectations, especially with the weapons that we have,” said tight end Dustin Keller. “Not very many people thought we were a bad offense as much as we’ve been an inconsistent offense. We’re really trying to put that to sleep now. This is the best time to do it.”

Sanchez, of course, is only part of the reason for the offensive explosion. The Jets’ offensive line has protected him for the most part, and the running game has come alive. Offensive coordinator Brian Schottenheimer, who has taken his fair share of criticism for an up-and-down season, has been on point.

“I think we’re extremely underrated,” left guard Matt Slauson said of the offense. “But I don’t mind that. Teams can come in and say (we) aren’t nearly as good as the other part of (our) team.

“. . . We don’t really care how other people perceive us. We’re just going to go out there and put points up and win.”

The players believe that there’s room for improvement on first and second downs to help limit third-and-long situations.

Believe it or not, the Jets rank sixth in the league, averaging 25.2 points per game. Surely, that’s pretty good, right?

“Yeah, I guess,” right guard Brandon Moore said with a smile. “You giving out awards for that right now?”

In other words, the job is far from done.

[Maxman]

If the next 3 games for mark are as good as the last 3....his stats will end up looking pretty good.

[Smashmouth]

If the next 3 games for mark are as good as the last 3....his stats will end up looking pretty good.

They look pretty good now and hes been hot I think he smells the playoffs.

[JustInFudge]

Pretty simple really. Oline playing better which has given birth to a run game which is making it easier to pass protect and now the Jets are getting adequate QB play.

It all starts up front. Always has with this team. DLine/Oline...we win games in the trenches.

[T0mShane]

Three years in

Three years Rex has had to simplify the offense in order to save the season.

I think that's a trend.

[Bleedin Green]

Really, from a strictly statistical standpoint, the only area that Sanchez's numbers don't look quite good is his completion percentage. Beyond statistics? Well, that's an entirely different story.

[Jetfan13]

Three years in

Three years Rex has had to simplify the offense in order to save the season.

I think that's a trend.

AFC Championship game 2 years in a row, another trend?

[Bleedin Green]

Three years in

Three years Rex has had to simplify the offense in order to save the season.

I think that's a trend.

Now you're just being silly. Everyone knows coaching has absolutely no impact whatsoever on the game of football at any time ever.

[THE ILK]

TM.

[ZachEY]

Three years in

Three years Rex has had to simplify the offense in order to save the season.

I think that's a trend.

Sterling Sharpe pretty much nailed it on NFLN.

Against the Chiefs, Wide Receivers accounted for 3 catches. That's right. In a game we won, and scored almost 40 points, Santonio Holmes had 2 catches and Patrick Turner had one.

Sharpe called it "small ball" and it's good enough to beat some teams, but as he said, doesn't make you very dangerous down the stretch.

oh, and BVBC.

[T0mShane]

Really, from a strictly statistical standpoint, the only area that Sanchez's numbers don't look quite good is his completion percentage. Beyond statistics? Well, that's an entirely different story.

It really is weird with Sanchez. The numbers look good and there's clearly progress being made, but it's just impossible to watch him and believe that there's a great QB coming along there. I usually attribute this to Jets fans eating their own, but even game announcers and analysts rarely have good things to say about him. Gannon--Sanchez's freaking buddy--killed him for 3 1/2 quarters a couple of weeks back. Weird.

[T0mShane]

Sterling Sharpe pretty much nailed it on NFLN.

Against the Chiefs, Wide Receivers accounted for 3 catches. That's right. In a game we won, and scored almost 40 points, Santonio Holmes had 2 catches and Patrick Turner had one.

Sharpe called it "small ball" and it's good enough to beat some teams, but as he said, doesn't make you very dangerous down the stretch.

oh, and BVBC.

BVBC FA LYFE

[Matt39]

Sterling Sharpe pretty much nailed it on NFLN.

Against the Chiefs, Wide Receivers accounted for 3 catches. That's right. In a game we won, and scored almost 40 points, Santonio Holmes had 2 catches and Patrick Turner had one.

Sharpe called it "small ball" and it's good enough to beat some teams, but as he said, doesn't make you very dangerous down the stretch.

oh, and BVBC.

They seemed to be fairly dangerous down the stretch for the past 2 seasons.

Jesus, we've gotten critical to the point of delusional....

Are the Ravens dangerous or does Ray Rice get the ball too much?

[T0mShane]

They seemed to be fairly dangerous down the stretch for the past 2 seasons.

Jesus, we've gotten critical to the point of delusional....

Are the Ravens dangerous or does Ray Rice get the ball too much?

IMO, the difference this year is that it appears the defense has taken a step back that the offense hasn't progressed enough to account for.

[Bleedin Green]

It really is weird with Sanchez. The numbers look good and there's clearly progress being made, but it's just impossible to watch him and believe that there's a great QB coming along there. I usually attribute this to Jets fans eating their own, but even game announcers and analysts rarely have good things to say about him. Gannon--Sanchez's freaking buddy--killed him for 3 1/2 quarters a couple of weeks back. Weird.

Yeah, it really is a peculiar situation. The only thing I can see is that the highs and lows are SO dramatically different, and we get to experience them both in every single game, that it helps offset the statistics while also making what you're watching hardly confidence-building. I doubt if given a group of QBs to match to their statistics, most NFL fans would properly match Sanchez to his stats.

[Matt39]

Yeah, it really is a peculiar situation. The only thing I can see is that the highs and lows are SO dramatically different, and we get to experience them both in every single game, that it helps offset the statistics while also making what you're watching hardly confidence-building. I doubt if given a group of QBs to match to their statistics, most NFL fans would properly match Sanchez to his stats.

Sanchez actually has good stats this year. Doesnt match his play, but his stats are fairly impressive especially with the rushing TD's. Or do those not count....I forget.

[Bleedin Green]

Sanchez actually has good stats this year. Doesnt match his play, but his stats are fairly impressive especially with the rushing TD's. Or do those not count....I forget.

I completely agree, which was actually my point. His stats are far better than I think most would expect them to be, so I don't your typical NFL fans would ever guess that those numbers belonged to Sanchez based on what they've seen of his play.

[JustInFudge]

Sterling Sharpe pretty much nailed it on NFLN.

Against the Chiefs, Wide Receivers accounted for 3 catches. That's right. In a game we won, and scored almost 40 points, Santonio Holmes had 2 catches and Patrick Turner had one.

Sharpe called it "small ball" and it's good enough to beat some teams, but as he said, doesn't make you very dangerous down the stretch.

oh, and BVBC.

First off, I've come to find Sterling Sharpe is a moron. Seriously. His indepth analysis are as shallow as possible. This is a perfect example.

What the Jets did is exactly what the Patriots do. Throw to TE's, Rb's and Welker (who's not a traditional WR). Its no different. OchoStinko and Branch go games without catching a single pass.

Further, using 1 game as a sample size is absolutely moronic. If you look at the games prior, the WR's caught the majority of the balls. KC has good corner player, the Jets designed a good game plan to take advantage of the middle of the field using RB's and a TE. Mark executed it very well. To knock him for that because he wasnt throwing to WR's (the position Sterling played) is looking at the game through a vaccum. Mark/Moore/Schotty saw that they were locking up man to man and giving deep safety help...why force throws to WR's?

Sorry, cant knock him for that at all. To me it shows the first time the Jets offense took what the defense gave them instead of forcing some type of an agenda.

[ZachEY]

First off, I've come to find Sterling Sharpe is a moron. Seriously. His indepth analysis are as shallow as possible. This is a perfect example.

Is there an analyst, writer, or announcer that JetNation has yet to deem a moron?

What the Jets did is exactly what the Patriots do. Throw to TE's, Rb's and Welker (who's not a traditional WR). Its no different. OchoStinko and Branch go games without catching a single pass.

Whether or not welker is tradition, the Pats have a WR that leads the league in receiving yards and receptions. They've got Tom Brady. And, they've got the #2 offense and we've got the #25. We also did not pay Holmes 50M to catch 2 passes a game.

Further, using 1 game as a sample size is absolutely moronic. If you look at the games prior, the WR's caught the majority of the balls. KC has good corner player, the Jets designed a good game plan to take advantage of the middle of the field using RB's and a TE. Mark executed it very well. To knock him for that because he wasnt throwing to WR's (the position Sterling played) is looking at the game through a vaccum. Mark/Moore/Schotty saw that they were locking up man to man and giving deep safety help...why force throws to WR's?

Sorry, cant knock him for that at all. To me it shows the first time the Jets offense took what the defense gave them instead of forcing some type of an agenda.

I realize that one game doesn't make a sample size, but in the recent games, we've played a 0 risk style of offense, more consistent with the Herm Edwards "a drive that ends in a kick is a good one" theory. We've been more successful, but that has plenty to do with opponent and Chad Pennington as well.

[ZachEY]

They seemed to be fairly dangerous down the stretch for the past 2 seasons.

Jesus, we've gotten critical to the point of delusional....

Are the Ravens dangerous or does Ray Rice get the ball too much?

Um, Baltimore is better than us. They proved that with their record, and quite easily earlier in the season.

As for critical, my point has been the same as it's always been, and it doesn't change based on 3 solid games against bad teams... We are a good enough football team to win games, but not good enough to take the next step. The Quarterback is a huge part of the reason for that.

But yeah, my thesis is delusional... I mean, just look at our record against winning teams... Oh, wait.

[JustInFudge]

Is there an analyst, writer, or announcer that JetNation has yet to deem a moron?

Not sure about everyone else but I really like Marshall Faulk and Brian Baldinger.

Whether or not welker is tradition, the Pats have a WR that leads the league in receiving yards and receptions. They've got Tom Brady. And, they've got the #2 offense and we've got the #25. We also did not pay Holmes 50M to catch 2 passes a game

Dont get the point then. Welker is the very definition of small ball. He dissed Sanchez/the offense for using RB and TE's and playing small ball but the best offense in the league uses small ball too.

They paid Holmes for his clutch play ability which was obvious last year and has carried over to this season. I'd also assume they thought Sanchez would take the next step. Which hant happened.

I realize that one game doesn't make a sample size, but in the recent games, we've played a 0 risk style of offense, more consistent with the Herm Edwards "a drive that ends in a kick is a good one" theory. We've been more successful, but that has plenty to do with opponent and Chad Pennington as well.

I guess I'm just confused why you shared that with us...like, what were you trying to get at? The Broncos use a spread option read, the Packers have a vertical attack, the Saints utilize RB's and TE's as much as anyone, the Falcons TE is 5th in the league in receptions. There are more than one way to skin a cat and it was actually a breath of fresh air seeing the Jets take what the D was giving them.

I have no problem with winning games without the use of a WR if you can still put up almost 40pts. Whats the difference?

[T0mShane]

I mean, just look at our record against winning teams... Oh, wait.

Is 1-4 really all that bad?

[ZachEY]

I have no problem with winning games without the use of a WR if you can still put up almost 40pts. Whats the difference?

Because, winning games against the Bills, Redskins, and Chiefs is nice. But, the exact same team steps on the field against the Patriots, Ravens, and Steelers, and you know... They lose.

[CTM]

Pretty simple really. Oline playing better which has given birth to a run game which is making it easier to pass protect and now the Jets are getting adequate QB play.

It all starts up front. Always has with this team. DLine/Oline...we win games in the trenches.

defenses are keying on the run, hopefully that will top due to the Sanchize dominating... i have shonn greene in fantasy

[JustInFudge]

Because, winning games against the Bills, Redskins, and Chiefs is nice. But, the exact same team steps on the field against the Patriots, Ravens, and Steelers, and you know... They lose.

Cool. But you're acting like you cant win with that formula when 3 of the best teams in the league use it in NE, Balt, and San Fran. Hell, the Saints do it too. I think over 60% of Brees completions are too RB's and TE's...Flacco too.

So my point is, Sterling is a WR clamoring for more passes to WRs, when the reality is...it doesnt matter, as long as the chains are moving.

[CTM]

Cool. But you're acting like you cant win with that formula when 3 of the best teams in the league use it in NE, Balt, and San Fran. Hell, the Saints do it too. I think over 60% of Brees completions are too RB's and TE's...Flacco too.

So my point is, Sterling is a WR clamoring for more passes to WRs, when the reality is...it doesnt matter, as long as the chains are moving.

all of those team with the exception of the saint haven't won anything really lately.. baltimore has what 2 playoff wins? against ne and cpf

[ZachEY]

Cool. But you're acting like you cant win with that formula when 3 of the best teams in the league use it in NE, Balt, and San Fran. Hell, the Saints do it too. I think over 60% of Brees completions are too RB's and TE's...Flacco too.

So my point is, Sterling is a WR clamoring for more passes to WRs, when the reality is...it doesnt matter, as long as the chains are moving.

Well, not so much.

First, I don't agree with you on the Pats. So, there's that. 2nd, Baltimore is better than us on both sides of the ball, so there's that. 3rd, you think the 49ers are going anywhere? 4th, while the Saints do it a lot, they have a significant downfield threat within their offense, that we really do not.

And, the chains have moved for 3 weeks, against bad football teams, and done so by taking less chances. That does nothing to inspire confidence that the chains can move against good ones. Since, you know, they really haven't this season.

[SenorGato]

I completely agree, which was actually my point. His stats are far better than I think most would expect them to be, so I don't your typical NFL fans would ever guess that those numbers belonged to Sanchez based on what they've seen of his play.

Hmmm...young QB who isn't really all that good at being a QB yet is putting up aesthetically pleasing numbers in the TD:INT and pretty much everywhere else but completion%...which is up from his previous two years...Must be all that sh*tty coaching and playcalling he overcomes on the regs.

I like what's been going on lately with the offense, and I'm curious to see how they do moving forward. I actually buy that these ****s are underrated. There's more guys joining the offense...Kerley is coming back from injury...LT's back...there's guys just hitting their strides like Greene and the OL...obviously there's the three big guys in the passing game...Dare I say that this season might close in an exciting fashion.

[Maxman]

Three years in

Three years Rex has had to simplify the offense in order to save the season.

I think that's a trend.

What was simplified in the offense this year? When did they simplify it?

The only stamp I saw Rex put on the offense is the wild cat plays.

[Maxman]

And, the chains have moved for 3 weeks, against bad football teams, and done so by taking less chances. That does nothing to inspire confidence that the chains can move against good ones. Since, you know, they really haven't this season.

How have the Jets taken less chances the past few weeks? They have executed better, especially in the running game. But they seem to have taken more shots down the field recently.

[Maxman]

The Jets lost games early to good teams. They were struggling. Saying that the Jets can't beat good teams now though? Cmon they are coming off back to back AFC Championship games. They have shown us that they can beat good teams.

[SenorGato]

What was simplified in the offense this year? When did they simplify it?

The only stamp I saw Rex put on the offense is the wild cat plays.

If anything as the year as gone the offense as introduced more aspects of itself...For instance LT is only now getting consistent playing time...we saw what...3-4 deep ball attempts against the Chiefs...

[ZachEY]

How have the Jets taken less chances the past few weeks? They have executed better, especially in the running game. But they seem to have taken more shots down the field recently.

I agree they've executed better, especially in the running game. But, as far as taking more chances, I think the offense has been incredibly scaled down with almost no shots downfield. They're doing everything they can to hide Sanchez, and the offense is better for it.

[Maxman]

Sterling Sharpe pretty much nailed it on NFLN.

Against the Chiefs, Wide Receivers accounted for 3 catches. That's right. In a game we won, and scored almost 40 points, Santonio Holmes had 2 catches and Patrick Turner had one.

Sharpe called it "small ball" and it's good enough to beat some teams, but as he said, doesn't make you very dangerous down the stretch.

oh, and BVBC.

I honestly don't get this. What is the theme, the Jets should have taken more chances? Should have forced the ball to the wideouts? Why? This isn't fantasy football. They took multiple shots down the field with Holmes and they didn't work out.

The Jets top two WRs have 14 Touchdowns. Sanchez has another 5 rushing TDs. This team is much better in the red zone. That is what they will be graded on ultimately.

[ZachEY]

The Jets lost games early to good teams. They were struggling. Saying that the Jets can't beat good teams now though? Cmon they are coming off back to back AFC Championship games. They have shown us that they can beat good teams.

That's a different team. We are not as good as last year or 2009. That's mostly because of the defenses decline, but the offense hasn't compensated for not having one of the league's best defenses.