The “Sanchize:” An In-Depth Look at Mark’s 2011 Season

[JetNation]

Let us remember that Mark Sanchez only started 16 games at the University of Southern California.  He had two years of up and down moments, however, led the New York Jets to AFC Championship games in his first two seasons.  I don’t think it comes as any surprise when I say that Sanchez had a year of regression in 2011-2012.  With poor offensive line blocking and complicating schemes, Sanchez was constantly looking down to see how his protection is holding up.  I don’t care if you’re Peyton Manning, Tom Brady, or Drew Brees, when you’re being rushed on every play, it is extremely difficult to focus on finding an open receiver.  I believe that Sanchez never truly trusted this offensive line this season and it was a major reason for his decline.

However, most of the problems I see with Sanchez are physical and a few are mental…some can be fixed, some a quarterback either has or doesn’t have.  One example would be Sanchez backpedaling when the rush is coming, rather than stepping up into the pocket or using his legs to roll out and make something happen.  He often stepped back into sacks of 7 yards or more.  Any successful team is consistently at 3^rd down and 4 or less, but it seemed that the Jets were always in 3^rd down and 8 this season.  In an era where a quarterback’s ability to extend a play is vital to the team’s success, Sanchez found himself on his back more times than passes completed on the roll out this season.  The problems with his throwing motion are small matters that he can fix.  He needs to keep the ball high and tight to his body when he drops back (this will decrease the amount of strip sacks he takes). His release should be over the top and often times, in times of a rush, he slings the ball sidearm and doesn’t follow through with his arm or his body.  Many times this season I believe Sanchez threw blindly into crowded areas.  He was fortunate that he didn’t have more interceptions than he did (18).  The major flaw with his game is his inability to scan the field.  Any fan can see that when a play is designed to go to Dustin Keller, or Plaxico Burress or Santonio Holmes he immediately looks at that receiver.  If that receiver’s covered he looks to check down right away to a running back.  This is why he completed 308 passes for 3,474 yards.  A lot of check downs.  308 completions should lead to well over 4,000 yards passing.  This may not be an area that can be fixed.

Tony Sparano, new offensive coordinator is going to have to develop an offense that fits Mark’s strengths and minimizes his weaknesses.  He needs to roll out, he needs more options to throw to, and he needs plays that require him to make the easy decision.  Once they have confidence in his ability to do these things, they can expand the playbook.  I believe he still has a tremendous amount of potential.  After all, check out Eli Manning’s third year in the league (301-522 for 3,244 yards, 24 TDs, 18 INTs).  It looks awfully similar to Sanchez’s third year line (308-543 for 3,474 yards, 28 TDs 18 INTs).  He is still young, he has a new offensive coordinator, and regardless of the cowardly reports by anonymous players, he has a tremendous work ethic and wants to be great.  With a few minor adjustments and simplified playbook that caters to his strengths, Mark can have an excellent bounce back season in 2012-2013.

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[RutgersJetFan]

So in summary, all that he needs to fix is his dropback, his throwing motion, his release, the way he reads, the way he moves in the pocket, moving into sacks, throwing too often into traffic, locking in on receivers, checking down too quickly, and his inability to digest a playbook? That's it?

[jack48]

Sanchez has poor field vision I realize giving him more time might help a llittle, but bad vision is bad vision. His arm is fine. If he plants and throws he is better than average. I agree and have said that he did not use his feet well this year, and that has led to big plays in the past. I still think he stopped competing this year, though. He may be able to take a physical beating, but I do not know if he will ever be able to climb the emotional mountain that QBs must climb. Qbs must go theough an adversity period. He has gone through the mill this year. If he cannot come back next year they have to unload him.

[sg3]

all he needed was getting rid of the Son of Marty and his requirement that a rollout, throw on the run and throw deep passer become a seven step drop, stand in the pocket and dunk off screen passes to LT passer.

Hopefully, Sparano allows Mark to be the quarterback he was in college beginning next season

[afosomf]

all he needed was getting rid of the Son of Marty and his requirement that a rollout, throw on the run and throw deep passer become a seven step drop, stand in the pocket and dunk off screen passes to LT passer.

Hopefully, Sparano allows Mark to be the quarterback he was in college beginning next season

Sorry PAc10 teams dont play defense, i wouldnt go there

[sg3]

sorry, but I'm not joining the current "Sanchez is a bum" club. There are plenty of gloomy members without me paying the entry fee. Hopefully, I'll get to enjoy the last laugh

[The Crusher]

Sanchez has poor field vision I realize giving him more time might help a llittle, but bad vision is bad vision. His arm is fine. If he plants and throws he is better than average. I agree and have said that he did not use his feet well this year, and that has led to big plays in the past. I still think he stopped competing this year, though. He may be able to take a physical beating, but I do not know if he will ever be able to climb the emotional mountain that QBs must climb. Qbs must go theough an adversity period. He has gone through the mill this year. If he cannot come back next year they have to unload him.

Very well said.

[The Crusher]

sorry, but I'm not joining the current "Sanchez is a bum" club. There are plenty of gloomy members without me paying the entry fee. Hopefully, I'll get to enjoy the last laugh

We are longer accepting applications anyhow. So their.

[hoping4ASuperBowl]

We are longer accepting applications anyhow. So their.

Who's theirs?

[The Crusher]

Who's theirs?

Makes no difference who they are. Think about it. Is it going to change anything? No it's not.

[hoping4ASuperBowl]

Makes no difference who they are. Think about it. Is it going to change anything? No it's not.

I guess not. I was just making fun of your english because I thought you meant to say "there"and not "their".

[The Crusher]

I guess not. I was just making fun of your english because I thought you meant to say "there"and not "their".

I know so I was acting like I did it on purpose. If you like making fun of my English please do it more. That used to be Slat's job and he hasn;t been around in awhile.

[hoping4ASuperBowl]

I know so I was acting like I did it on purpose. If you like making fun of my English please do it more. That used to be Slat's job and he hasn;t been around in awhile.

[JustInFudge]

So in summary, all that he needs to fix is his dropback, his throwing motion, his release, the way he reads, the way he moves in the pocket, moving into sacks, throwing too often into traffic, locking in on receivers, checking down too quickly, and his inability to digest a playbook? That's it?

Yeah, but none of those things would be an issue if he had an elite OL, an elite RB, 3 elite WR's and an elite TE.

[Sperm Edwards]

Sanchez has poor field vision I realize giving him more time might help a llittle, but bad vision is bad vision. His arm is fine. If he plants and throws he is better than average. I agree and have said that he did not use his feet well this year, and that has led to big plays in the past. I still think he stopped competing this year, though. He may be able to take a physical beating, but I do not know if he will ever be able to climb the emotional mountain that QBs must climb. Qbs must go theough an adversity period. He has gone through the mill this year. If he cannot come back next year they have to unload him.

I think most here know I think he sucks, but I disagree on 2 points.

1) I think bad vision is correctable but for someone at Sanchez's stage of surveying the field he's still years away. When I watch QBs in the playoffs or our opponents (total scrubs notwithstanding), they look all over when their first read is covered. It only makes it worse that buys very little time with his legs despite being pretty mobile ability-wise which makes the OL look twice as bad as it really is. For a guy who goes through his progressions so slowly (when he rarely does it in the first place) he needs a perfect OL or he needs to learn pocket presence in a damn hurry. I think those things can come with experience but other than a few who just love him to death, who really wants to watch a few more years of this with the hope that he gets it by then?

2) When he steps into his throws I don't think he's above average, unless you're comparing him stepping into his throws against everyone else who doesn't have that time. He is so ridiculously inaccurate I don't think he's going to ever overcome it. He has no feel for leading his receivers and he's a bit old to be learning that. Most JV QB's understand it, even if they don't have the arm strength or height yet. And he's not just behind his receivers. He's all over the place. Too high, too low, too much ahead, too much behind, and it's not more or less of a problem throwing to any particular part of the field. Short passes, long passes, posts, outs, etc his ball placement has no consistency.

We can all get upset at Shonn Greene for having the catching ability of a guy with clubs at the end of his arms, but who steps into a throw and fires a fastball 5 yards away to a player squared and facing him and hit him in the top of the helmet when he's expecting it between the numbers? How fast is he supposed to be able to react to that?

The accuracy I don't see ever getting fixed. For all the USC highlight clips on YouTube, I'll bet it wouldn't be so hard to provide one twice as long from his 2011 Jets season and he was pretty bad this year. You attempt over 500 passes even a bad QB is going to have over 50 of them that were dead-on (or close enough to dead-on). That doesn't mean he was good any more than compiling a season highlight reel of a baseball player who bats .230 with mediocre power.

It's not as though he's just unathletic or lacks arm strength that you're born with or not. His arm strength is plenty enough, he's plenty tall despite all the remarks to the contrary, and he's plenty mobile. Unfortunately, he generally can't throw straight upon demand, can't anticipate his receivers' speeds to lead them properly, can't sense pressure, he can't see safeties or zone coverage in general, and wears his fragile emotions on his sleeve for all of us to see. Too much to overcome in my opinion.

[THE ILK]

So in summary, all that he needs to fix is his dropback, his throwing motion, his release, the way he reads, the way he moves in the pocket, moving into sacks, throwing too often into traffic, locking in on receivers, checking down too quickly, and his inability to digest a playbook? That's it?

Yes, but he has potential.

[T0mShane]

Yeah, but none of those things would be an issue if he had an elite OL, an elite RB, 3 elite WR's and an elite TE.

I say we let him practice with the Pro Bowl team just so we can see for sure.

[jack48]

I think most here know I think he sucks, but I disagree on 2 points.

1) I think bad vision is correctable but for someone at Sanchez's stage of surveying the field he's still years away. When I watch QBs in the playoffs or our opponents (total scrubs notwithstanding), they look all over when their first read is covered. It only makes it worse that buys very little time with his legs despite being pretty mobile ability-wise which makes the OL look twice as bad as it really is. For a guy who goes through his progressions so slowly (when he rarely does it in the first place) he needs a perfect OL or he needs to learn pocket presence in a damn hurry. I think those things can come with experience but other than a few who just love him to death, who really wants to watch a few more years of this with the hope that he gets it by then?

2) When he steps into his throws I don't think he's above average, unless you're comparing him stepping into his throws against everyone else who doesn't have that time. He is so ridiculously inaccurate I don't think he's going to ever overcome it. He has no feel for leading his receivers and he's a bit old to be learning that. Most JV QB's understand it, even if they don't have the arm strength or height yet. And he's not just behind his receivers. He's all over the place. Too high, too low, too much ahead, too much behind, and it's not more or less of a problem throwing to any particular part of the field. Short passes, long passes, posts, outs, etc his ball placement has no consistency.

We can all get upset at Shonn Greene for having the catching ability of a guy with clubs at the end of his arms, but who steps into a throw and fires a fastball 5 yards away to a player squared and facing him and hit him in the top of the helmet when he's expecting it between the numbers? How fast is he supposed to be able to react to that?

The accuracy I don't see ever getting fixed. For all the USC highlight clips on YouTube, I'll bet it wouldn't be so hard to provide one twice as long from his 2011 Jets season and he was pretty bad this year. You attempt over 500 passes even a bad QB is going to have over 50 of them that were dead-on (or close enough to dead-on). That doesn't mean he was good any more than compiling a season highlight reel of a baseball player who bats .230 with mediocre power.

It's not as though he's just unathletic or lacks arm strength that you're born with or not. His arm strength is plenty enough, he's plenty tall despite all the remarks to the contrary, and he's plenty mobile. Unfortunately, he generally can't throw straight upon demand, can't anticipate his receivers' speeds to lead them properly, can't sense pressure, he can't see safeties or zone coverage in general, and wears his fragile emotions on his sleeve for all of us to see. Too much to overcome in my opinion.

I agree about the accuracy. I was thinking about arm strength, I should have been more clear. I think his arm is strong enough and he used to have better feet. I think he got spooked this year, and was looking to lie down at the first sign of trouble. And yes, when he breaks out of the pocket, he should try to make a play, like Rodgers does, instead of taking the first dumpoff he can find. So often broken plays go for big yardage. I do not want to see several more years of learning curve. I just figure we are stuck with him for next year. We cannot strip our draft to get a big time QB. As for field vision, maybe you can improve, but I think he has had plenty of time to show some improvement and he has not. I would rather see him take longer drops. He is short and those slants (with his timing) were problematic on two fronts. They were getting blocked and he was often late. And you are right, he mashed Keller and Greene with 5 yard laser beams on several occasions. He played like a rook. For next year, I would like them to try more vertical, bigger yardage per completion routes. He cannot throw back shoulder and his crossing stuff sucks. Stick with the comebacks and hooks and things that require less feel. Do I think he can do it? No, probably not. We got to 2 championship games with him by surrounding him with a pretty good team. Now that his warts have been even more exposed, everyone will be going to town on him.

[Bugg]

Simply do not see the accuracy issues ever getting resolved. What you see at USC is really irrelevant because the increased speed of the NFL over NCAA makes it an ivalid comparison.He NEVER hits anyone in stride. That kind of feel is not going to change.

Cut bait. Either sign Flynn (or Brees, unlikley) or Manning if it can be worked out for 2 or 3 seasons. And don't have a 2nd thought about it. It's not worth pissing away another season nor another moment. This season is who Sanchez is. Every DC has enough tape to stop him easily. There's no point.

[Sperm Edwards]

I agree about the accuracy. I was thinking about arm strength, I should have been more clear. I think his arm is strong enough and he used to have better feet. I think he got spooked this year, and was looking to lie down at the first sign of trouble. And yes, when he breaks out of the pocket, he should try to make a play, like Rodgers does, instead of taking the first dumpoff he can find. So often broken plays go for big yardage. I do not want to see several more years of learning curve. I just figure we are stuck with him for next year. We cannot strip our draft to get a big time QB. As for field vision, maybe you can improve, but I think he has had plenty of time to show some improvement and he has not. I would rather see him take longer drops. He is short and those slants (with his timing) were problematic on two fronts. They were getting blocked and he was often late. And you are right, he mashed Keller and Greene with 5 yard laser beams on several occasions. He played like a rook. For next year, I would like them to try more vertical, bigger yardage per completion routes. He cannot throw back shoulder and his crossing stuff sucks. Stick with the comebacks and hooks and things that require less feel. Do I think he can do it? No, probably not. We got to 2 championship games with him by surrounding him with a pretty good team. Now that his warts have been even more exposed, everyone will be going to town on him.

Yeah. I don't see how it's fair to the rest of the team that the single most important position is manned by someone who doesn't deserve to start other than by default.

You watch: next year he'll get off to a (statistical) good start over the first few games and his excuse-makers will show that it's proof of improvement or some type of readiness or arrival. Just like this year (and frankly the 2 years before as well).

[jack48]

Yeah. I don't see how it's fair to the rest of the team that the single most important position is manned by someone who doesn't deserve to start other than by default.

You watch: next year he'll get off to a (statistical) good start over the first few games and his excuse-makers will show that it's proof of improvement or some type of readiness or arrival. Just like this year (and frankly the 2 years before as well).

The thing I fear is that he plays barely well enough for them to think he is worth keeping. But I wonder what they will do about a replacement if they have to get one?

[Sperm Edwards]

The thing I fear is that he plays barely well enough for them to think he is worth keeping. But I wonder what they will do about a replacement if they have to get one?

If he gets out to another good statistical start and then fades late again with his emo sulking on the sideline and lack of control of his own huddle, then this will be the end of him starting the season (other than being promoted due to another's injury).

[The Crusher]

I think most here know I think he sucks, but I disagree on 2 points.

1) I think bad vision is correctable but for someone at Sanchez's stage of surveying the field he's still years away. When I watch QBs in the playoffs or our opponents (total scrubs notwithstanding), they look all over when their first read is covered. It only makes it worse that buys very little time with his legs despite being pretty mobile ability-wise which makes the OL look twice as bad as it really is. For a guy who goes through his progressions so slowly (when he rarely does it in the first place) he needs a perfect OL or he needs to learn pocket presence in a damn hurry. I think those things can come with experience but other than a few who just love him to death, who really wants to watch a few more years of this with the hope that he gets it by then?

2) When he steps into his throws I don't think he's above average, unless you're comparing him stepping into his throws against everyone else who doesn't have that time. He is so ridiculously inaccurate I don't think he's going to ever overcome it. He has no feel for leading his receivers and he's a bit old to be learning that. Most JV QB's understand it, even if they don't have the arm strength or height yet. And he's not just behind his receivers. He's all over the place. Too high, too low, too much ahead, too much behind, and it's not more or less of a problem throwing to any particular part of the field. Short passes, long passes, posts, outs, etc his ball placement has no consistency.

We can all get upset at Shonn Greene for having the catching ability of a guy with clubs at the end of his arms, but who steps into a throw and fires a fastball 5 yards away to a player squared and facing him and hit him in the top of the helmet when he's expecting it between the numbers? How fast is he supposed to be able to react to that?

The accuracy I don't see ever getting fixed. For all the USC highlight clips on YouTube, I'll bet it wouldn't be so hard to provide one twice as long from his 2011 Jets season and he was pretty bad this year. You attempt over 500 passes even a bad QB is going to have over 50 of them that were dead-on (or close enough to dead-on). That doesn't mean he was good any more than compiling a season highlight reel of a baseball player who bats .230 with mediocre power.

It's not as though he's just unathletic or lacks arm strength that you're born with or not. His arm strength is plenty enough, he's plenty tall despite all the remarks to the contrary, and he's plenty mobile. Unfortunately, he generally can't throw straight upon demand, can't anticipate his receivers' speeds to lead them properly, can't sense pressure, he can't see safeties or zone coverage in general, and wears his fragile emotions on his sleeve for all of us to see. Too much to overcome in my opinion.

This may be as good a post I have ever read. Sperma-rific.

[Lupz27]

I think most here know I think he sucks, but I disagree on 2 points.

1) I think bad vision is correctable but for someone at Sanchez's stage of surveying the field he's still years away. When I watch QBs in the playoffs or our opponents (total scrubs notwithstanding), they look all over when their first read is covered. It only makes it worse that buys very little time with his legs despite being pretty mobile ability-wise which makes the OL look twice as bad as it really is. For a guy who goes through his progressions so slowly (when he rarely does it in the first place) he needs a perfect OL or he needs to learn pocket presence in a damn hurry. I think those things can come with experience but other than a few who just love him to death, who really wants to watch a few more years of this with the hope that he gets it by then?

2) When he steps into his throws I don't think he's above average, unless you're comparing him stepping into his throws against everyone else who doesn't have that time. He is so ridiculously inaccurate I don't think he's going to ever overcome it. He has no feel for leading his receivers and he's a bit old to be learning that. Most JV QB's understand it, even if they don't have the arm strength or height yet. And he's not just behind his receivers. He's all over the place. Too high, too low, too much ahead, too much behind, and it's not more or less of a problem throwing to any particular part of the field. Short passes, long passes, posts, outs, etc his ball placement has no consistency.

We can all get upset at Shonn Greene for having the catching ability of a guy with clubs at the end of his arms, but who steps into a throw and fires a fastball 5 yards away to a player squared and facing him and hit him in the top of the helmet when he's expecting it between the numbers? How fast is he supposed to be able to react to that?

The accuracy I don't see ever getting fixed. For all the USC highlight clips on YouTube, I'll bet it wouldn't be so hard to provide one twice as long from his 2011 Jets season and he was pretty bad this year. You attempt over 500 passes even a bad QB is going to have over 50 of them that were dead-on (or close enough to dead-on). That doesn't mean he was good any more than compiling a season highlight reel of a baseball player who bats .230 with mediocre power.

It's not as though he's just unathletic or lacks arm strength that you're born with or not. His arm strength is plenty enough, he's plenty tall despite all the remarks to the contrary, and he's plenty mobile. Unfortunately, he generally can't throw straight upon demand, can't anticipate his receivers' speeds to lead them properly, can't sense pressure, he can't see safeties or zone coverage in general, and wears his fragile emotions on his sleeve for all of us to see. Too much to overcome in my opinion.

Both your points are a very fair assessment of Sanchez, and could be 100% accurate, I would never completely dismiss those assessments. What I will do is point to a couple of things that might have slowed down his ability to learn these things, or might have created these problems that he might have never developed.

Point 1. Sanchez' vision, and pocket presence, this MIGHT have been worsened, or created by trying to turn Sanchez into a true 3-5 step drop QB, Schotty forced this quick throwing, short passing game down his throat, Sanchez IMO is not your prototypical pocket QB, and never will be, this could have led to Sanchez feeling uncomfortable with the pocket, increased batted balls at the line of scrimmage, and also caused Sanchez to not be able to see the WHOLE field over lineman, and this causes poor reads, balls thrown into tight coverage (he might have never seen the defender over the line), and all the uncomfortableness, COULD cause poor footwork (his footwork was really bad this season something Sanchez actually did way above average prior to this season), bad mechanics, and most importantly lack of confidence.

Point 2. If Sanchez is put into a passing system that allows him to take designed DEEP drops, 7-10 yards behind line of scrimmage, and rolled, and moving pockets, this will IMO help with a lot of the problems stated in point 1, which could improve point 2 immediately. By doing these things it can help Sanchez scan the field, and see the field much quicker, and clearer, by having either clear throwing lanes, and/or much more separation from the lineman to see over them, and have a clear view of the field, from tape on Sanchez, if he is put in this type of system (USC pro style offense is exactly like this) he will have much more confidence, and be much more comfortable, and you will see his athletic ability, footwork, and mechanics become much better, which will IMO equal great results. This is the type of things the Saints do to make Brees more comfortable in scanning, and seeing the field due to his height (not saying Sanchez will ever be Brees, just citing an offense that caters to a QB's abilities,mand comfort level).

The last paragraph could be pin point, or it could be POOR coaching the last 3 years by the Jets, their is only one way to find out, and the Jets are finally changing his coaches to find out.

Now is this ideal for a supposed franchise QB, you traded up to the 5th overall pick to draft? HELL NO! But Rex, and Tanny did it's to late.

I for one would rather at least try and create an offense tailored specifically towards his abilities, and see if you have something, then not try at all, and see your QB land elsewhere and become a star (if released, I would be shocked if he wasn't signed in Houston with in the first day or two of him being free, Schaub is older, and proven injury prone, and I believe Sanchez would be a really good QB in that system).

[Larz]

check the sig

[Jet27]

all he needed was getting rid of the Son of Marty and his requirement that a rollout, throw on the run and throw deep passer become a seven step drop, stand in the pocket and dunk off screen passes to LT passer.

Hopefully, Sparano allows Mark to be the quarterback he was in college beginning next season

Uhm.....excuse me...but teams on the left coast don't understand the meaning of Defense. just saying

[jbone]

"He needs to roll out, he needs more options to throw to, and he needs plays that require him to make the easy decision. Once they have confidence in his ability to do these things, they can expand the playbook."......So, essentially, after 3 full seasons as an NFL starter, we have so little confidence in our top 5 QB pick, we have to go back to treating him like a rookie, who has not played a game yet. Awesome.

I feel bad for people who still think this guy is our franchise QB for the next 10 years.

[bitonti]

....So, essentially, after 3 full seasons as an NFL starter, we have so little confidence in our top 5 QB pick, we have to go back to treating him like a rookie, who has not played a game yet. Awesome.

I feel bad for people who still think this guy is our franchise QB for the next 10 years.

the time for excuses is over

theres nothing wrong with this team or this locker room that Mark Sanchez can't fix.

[TheSage]

i do not want to seem like a sanchez appologist however for the two years prior to this he was the Sanchize leading the team (with strong defensive input and solid O line support) to with a game of the SB. Then we come to the current season, the O line (especially the pro bowl C) -breaks down he running for his health, receivers aren't where they are supposed to be, dissention in the locker room, a D that cannot hold on 3 rd down and he goes from the Sanchize to SanSH---T. I don't buy that he's lost lost all the ability and all the potential.

I am not proclaiming his the next Rogers or Brees but when his stats for the first 3 years of his career are compared to the current crop of elite QBs there isn't a heckuva lot of difference and believ that the deterioration of the Oline and and the D put too much emphasis on the QB and the shortcomings of an OC whose own deficiencies were masked by the D and superlative O line play of the prior two seasons.

BTW-how many Sanchez threads do we need?????

[SenorGato]

I think most here know I think he sucks, but I disagree on 2 points.

1) I think bad vision is correctable but for someone at Sanchez's stage of surveying the field he's still years away. When I watch QBs in the playoffs or our opponents (total scrubs notwithstanding), they look all over when their first read is covered. It only makes it worse that buys very little time with his legs despite being pretty mobile ability-wise which makes the OL look twice as bad as it really is. For a guy who goes through his progressions so slowly (when he rarely does it in the first place) he needs a perfect OL or he needs to learn pocket presence in a damn hurry. I think those things can come with experience but other than a few who just love him to death, who really wants to watch a few more years of this with the hope that he gets it by then?

2) When he steps into his throws I don't think he's above average, unless you're comparing him stepping into his throws against everyone else who doesn't have that time. He is so ridiculously inaccurate I don't think he's going to ever overcome it. He has no feel for leading his receivers and he's a bit old to be learning that. Most JV QB's understand it, even if they don't have the arm strength or height yet. And he's not just behind his receivers. He's all over the place. Too high, too low, too much ahead, too much behind, and it's not more or less of a problem throwing to any particular part of the field. Short passes, long passes, posts, outs, etc his ball placement has no consistency.

We can all get upset at Shonn Greene for having the catching ability of a guy with clubs at the end of his arms, but who steps into a throw and fires a fastball 5 yards away to a player squared and facing him and hit him in the top of the helmet when he's expecting it between the numbers? How fast is he supposed to be able to react to that?

The accuracy I don't see ever getting fixed. For all the USC highlight clips on YouTube, I'll bet it wouldn't be so hard to provide one twice as long from his 2011 Jets season and he was pretty bad this year. You attempt over 500 passes even a bad QB is going to have over 50 of them that were dead-on (or close enough to dead-on). That doesn't mean he was good any more than compiling a season highlight reel of a baseball player who bats .230 with mediocre power.

It's not as though he's just unathletic or lacks arm strength that you're born with or not. His arm strength is plenty enough, he's plenty tall despite all the remarks to the contrary, and he's plenty mobile. Unfortunately, he generally can't throw straight upon demand, can't anticipate his receivers' speeds to lead them properly, can't sense pressure, he can't see safeties or zone coverage in general, and wears his fragile emotions on his sleeve for all of us to see. Too much to overcome in my opinion.

Completely agree with every single word written here.

Am I strange for being secretly (not so secretly) optimistic on Sanchez next season? I'm like Smash in that regard...I even worked it out in my head so that his being such a strange QB prospect that everyone bought as a first round pick at the time is a major player in his struggles...that would be mostly bullsh*t.

[jbone]

"theres nothing wrong with this team or this locker room that Mark Sanchez can't fix."....He could also excerbate the problems by playing terrible, again. Afterall, the main problem in the locker room stemmed from Sanchez's inability to get his receiver(s) the ball. I think half the team probably thinks the same way. They see what we see, just a lot more of it. I doubt Sanchez "wows" his teammates during practice.

[GimmeShelter]

• Good post Sperm. I don't think you or anyone for that matter feels Sanchez will be allowed a "couple of seasons" to see if he progresses. He will get probably till game 8 next season to show the Jets if it is time to move on or not. He deserves that as well based on all the other issues with the team this year. Not a long rope but at least one more oppurtunity.