The Mark Sanchez Effect

[Maxman]

The Mark Sanchez Effect

June 24, 2009

By Chris Pine

What has become increasingly apparent as I sit here staring at the blank screen that is my laptop whilst racking my brains to come up with something to write about is that it is extremely difficult to fully immerse yourself into football on June 23rd. Think about it; baseball is in full swing by this time of year, BBQs and backyard get-togethers are revving up, and the summer blockbusters are burning up the box office. There is so much sensory overload during the summer months that the idea of cool November Sundays, hot wings, and the NFL are surely creeping around only in the deepest recesses of my mind.

The only problem with that scenario is that watching the local New York baseball teams is becoming increasingly frustrating, the weather has been atrocious and adverse to BBQs and the summer movie season seems to have fizzled, illustrated by a formulaic romantic comedy as the number one movie in America. So, thinking about football is actually a welcome distraction to this disappointing summer.

Now, when a die-hard New York Jets fan like me fully commits to contemplating the state of his favorite team, there is really only one thing on his mind. Mark Sanchez. During my time as a Jets fan I cannot think of another player who had such a strong impact on this football team like Sanchez will. Seriously, has there ever been a player drafted by the Jets with more pressure and more riding on his performance than the former USC quarterback?

Obviously, since I am a Jet fan, I am filled with doubt and dread upon any move this team makes. My mind instantly begins to focus on the negatives. Having been let down so many times by this franchise, it is only natural. So, with that in mind, let’s break down all that the Jets have put on the line by drafting Sanchez.

First off, if Mark Sanchez fails to produce on the field he can send this franchise into a decade long slump (think the Ken O’Brien years and after). He can also usher in a few years of scrambling for quick fix quarterbacks (think Boomer Esiason, Neil O’Donnell, and Glenn Foley) and he can send the Jets spiraling into consecutive losing seasons (think Rich Kotite Era..shudder…).

The only thing to save the Jets from the nightmare that was the late 80’s/early 90’s was a hall of fame coach who willed this team back to some form of respectability. In my mind, the debacle that was all those lost seasons started when the team attempted to draft a franchise quarterback, selecting Ken O’Brien with the 24th pick in the first round of the 1983 NFL draft. You screw up with a pick that important, you might as well dig in for a nice long ride into mediocrity.

Now, with the selection of Mark Sanchez the Jets are effectively wagering the prime years of many of their young players including Leon Washington, Jerricho Cotchery, D’Brickashaw Ferguson, David Harris, Nick Mangold, and Darrelle Revis. The Jets are also endangering the investments they made in veterans like Kris Jenkins, Alan Faneca, and Calvin Pace. Add to that the money they gave Sanchez, the draft picks they traded away, and effectively closing the door on Kellen Clemens and the price tag for this gamble is steep.

Rex Ryan and Mike Tannenbaum are also putting their careers on the line by going forward with the trade that brought Sanchez to the New York Jets. Tannenbaum, who has never shied away from moving around in the draft and taking what he deems as quality over quantity is putting his player evaluation skills to the test. Ryan may be able to survive a complete bust, but Tannenbaum probably won’t.

Quite possibly the only positive to certainly come from drafting Mark Sanchez would be the resurgence of the phrase “Dirty Sanchez” to the common vernacular. Heck, I am trying to figure out how I can spin “Dirty Sanchez” into a positive. I am hoping he has an amazing play-action pass, or some other deceptive pass delivery, just so I can shout out proudly “There is nothing like a Dirty Sanchez!!” Which would not be the most embarrassing thing I ever shouted out while cheering for the Jets in a crowded bar. All I will say is I hope no one ever expressed their admiration for Bryan Cox after a few pints and a crushing tackle. Not one of my better moments…but I digress.

Now, for his part, Mark Sanchez is showing a quiet confidence and even a bit of a swagger. Anyone who would pose for a Baywatchesque pictorial in GQ before taking a snap in the NFL must have ice in his veins.

Well, as a Jets fan I am always expecting the worst to happen, but maybe Rex Ryan, Mike Tannenbaum and Mark Sanchez know more than I do, maybe all of the hype surrounding this quarterback is deserved. Then again, I thought the same thing after the Jets drafted DeWayne Robertson and again when they selected Vernon Gholston.

Regardless of my trepidation, the die is cast. NFL franchises do not move up in the draft to select a quarterback at number five overall if they don’t intend to start him and make him the future of their team. As a fan, all I can do is wait and watch, and maybe pray just a little, that just this once my team got it right.

[Maxman]

http://www.jetnation.com/?p=2520

I would like to thank Chris Pine for joining the JetNation team. He will be writing editorials for us, we are looking forward to them.

Thanks Chris.

[Vudu]

Boring article.

[Maxman]

Boring article.

Thanks for the feedback. Much appreciated.

[Vudu]

Thanks for the feedback. Much appreciated.

Not sure if you're being sarcastic, however it started off really great, there was a build up and I came away with nothing but the same thing thats been discussed ad nauseum. I thought this would be a different perspective. That's all, I meant no offense.

[Maxman]

Not sure if you're being sarcastic, however it started off really great, there was a build up and I came away with nothing but the same thing thats been discussed ad nauseum. I thought this would be a different perspective. That's all, I meant no offense.

I didn't take any offense. It would probably be better to elaborate like you did in your 2nd response but no offense was taken.

[Kleckineau]

Enjoyable to read. Nice writing style.Agree with most you wrote except for your opinion of Kenny OBrien. Kenny was a very very good QB until the Jets turned him into a shell shocked tackle dummy by not providing him with a decent O-line. One of the best Jets teams was when he and Freeman and Toon were around. He will always be the QB the Jets took instead of Marino but thats not his fault.

[Maxman]

Enjoyable to read. Nice writing style.Agree with most you wrote except for your opinion of Kenny OBrien. Kenny was a very very good QB until the Jets turned him into a shell shocked tackle dummy by not providing him with a decent O-line. One of the best Jets teams was when he and Freeman and Toon were around. He will always be the QB the Jets took instead of Marino but thats not his fault.

I can't speak for Chris but I do agree with what you said. I think Kenny had such a high upside, I really liked him. He held the ball too long and was definitely "punch drunk" after a few seasons. I always thought with better coaching he would have been viewed differently.

[Irish Jet]

Who the hell is Chris Pine? This is a pretty good article, I like his writing style. Does he post here?

[Ghost]

Boring article.

That is not nice.

[#27TheDominator]

Not a bad article. I don't agree with two of the main premises and I still didn't feel like complaining much.

1. Kenny O'Brien did not send the team into a tailspin. That moron Joe Walton did. The team had some good years with Kenny and the offense wasn't the problem.

2. I don't see why it should be such a big deal if Sanchez sucks. Sure it sucks to blow the #5 pick on a zero, but they got absolutely nothing from the #6 overall last year and still should have made the playoffs.

[SoFlaJets]

good stuff

[Garb]

http://www.jetnation.com/?p=2520

I would like to thank Chris Pine for joining the JetNation team. He will be writing editorials for us, we are looking forward to them.

Thanks Chris.

I hate the Jets. That said - very nice piece. Well written. Funny. Relevent. This Chris dude is a good addition to the JN staff, Maxie.

[Maxman]

Who the hell is Chris Pine? This is a pretty good article, I like his writing style. Does he post here?

I am not sure but I don't think Chris has an account to post here. I am going to send this thread to him, hopefully he signs up. He is going to be writing for us going forward. Thanks for the feedback.

[piney]

I am not sure but I don't think Chris has an account to post here. I am going to send this thread to him, hopefully he signs up. He is going to be writing for us going forward. Thanks for the feedback.

I was not sure if it was appropriate to post in here or not, might come off a bit narcissistic.

just to answer the question, yes I post here, not as often as I would like; I have been a little more active in the baseball forum (hopefully when the season starts I can post more in the football forum).

I appreciate all and any feedback;

I guess I am not so much blaming Ken O'Brien as I am saying that investing in a proposed franchise QB out of the draft is an extremely big gamble, because it can set the team back for a few years. I think when you bring a guy in (as highly touted as O'Brien and Sachez are) you are making a statement that the team will be committed to this course of action for the next few seasons and if it fails, it can set the team back and force them to make some rash decisions.

I am a bit younger (35) so I didn't have the appreciation for O'Brien as other fans do, I can only see the results. Which in my opinion were not very good.

[piney]

Not a bad article. I don't agree with two of the main premises and I still didn't feel like complaining much.

1. Kenny O'Brien did not send the team into a tailspin. That moron Joe Walton did. The team had some good years with Kenny and the offense wasn't the problem.

2. I don't see why it should be such a big deal if Sanchez sucks. Sure it sucks to blow the #5 pick on a zero, but they got absolutely nothing from the #6 overall last year and still should have made the playoffs.

Here is why I disagree, I think when you look at what was given up by the Jets in order to draft Sanchez, they are seriously investing in this player to evolve into a franchise player, a greater investment than Gholston was.

If an NFL team drafts a QB inside the first 10 picks they are expecting him to perform and if he doesn't it can set them back really far.

[SoFlaJets]

Here is why I disagree, I think when you look at what was given up by the Jets in order to draft Sanchez, they are seriously investing in this player to evolve into a franchise player, a greater investment than Gholston was.

If an NFL team drafts a QB inside the first 10 picks they are expecting him to perform and if he doesn't it can set them back really far.

Kenny O was picked @ #24 in that 1st round Piney-lower than Chad, speaking of disappointments at that position

[Maxman]

I was not sure if it was appropriate to post in here or not, might come off a bit narcissistic.

just to answer the question, yes I post here, not as often as I would like; I have been a little more active in the baseball forum (hopefully when the season starts I can post more in the football forum).

I appreciate all and any feedback;

I guess I am not so much blaming Ken O'Brien as I am saying that investing in a proposed franchise QB out of the draft is an extremely big gamble, because it can set the team back for a few years. I think when you bring a guy in (as highly touted as O'Brien and Sachez are) you are making a statement that the team will be committed to this course of action for the next few seasons and if it fails, it can set the team back and force them to make some rash decisions.

I am a bit younger (35) so I didn't have the appreciation for O'Brien as other fans do, I can only see the results. Which in my opinion were not very good.

Damn you contacted me via email originally, I didn't know you posted. That is awesome.

Great job by the way! Thanks.

[SoFlaJets]

Damn you contacted me via email originally, I didn't know you posted. That is awesome.

Great job by the way! Thanks.

now all you need to do is offer YJF a contract Max, that is if the site can handle the bandwidth

[SoFlaJets]

I just sent front page link to this article over to SportSpyder...TJB is next

[#27TheDominator]

Here is why I disagree, I think when you look at what was given up by the Jets in order to draft Sanchez, they are seriously investing in this player to evolve into a franchise player, a greater investment than Gholston was.

If an NFL team drafts a QB inside the first 10 picks they are expecting him to perform and if he doesn't it can set them back really far.

I think when you look at what they gave up for Sanchez (much less than "book" value for #5) he might be less of an investment than Gholston. I think the Franchise label is bandied about willy nilly. If he is simply a decent QB I think it'll be considered a decent pick.

A poorly run franchise will be screwed if a pick like this tanks. A better run franchise can survive it as a minor blip. If Clemens is decent and Sanchez sucks no great loss. If they both suck, uh oh. A lot of it boils down to expectations. If everybody places the franchise expectation on Sanchez maybe it will cause a problem. Look at Eli. The Giants gave up way more to get him and I don't think he's any monster QB. He's merely decent, but they survive because they are well run and now that he's got the Super Bowl win it'll never be looked on as a bad move.

A team can take a lot of flack for targeting a player that busts. So far this FO has targeted Harris and Revis and both seem like good moves. I can forgive if Greene or Sanchez aren't homeruns, but they are falling in love with moving up and that may be a problem.

[PFSIKH]

I think when you look at what they gave up for Sanchez (much less than "book" value for #5) he might be less of an investment than Gholston. I think the Franchise label is bandied about willy nilly. If he is simply a decent QB I think it'll be considered a decent pick.

A poorly run franchise will be screwed if a pick like this tanks. A better run franchise can survive it as a minor blip. If Clemens is decent and Sanchez sucks no great loss. If they both suck, uh oh. A lot of it boils down to expectations. If everybody places the franchise expectation on Sanchez maybe it will cause a problem. Look at Eli. The Giants gave up way more to get him and I don't think he's any monster QB. He's merely decent, but they survive because they are well run and now that he's got the Super Bowl win it'll never be looked on as a bad move.

A team can take a lot of flack for targeting a player that busts. So far this FO has targeted Harris and Revis and both seem like good moves. I can forgive if Greene or Sanchez aren't homeruns, but they are falling in love with moving up and that may be a problem.

Dom I agree with most of your points, but the minimization of Sanchez being a decent pick if he achieves being merely a "Chad Pennington" type.

I agree the Jets did externally well in what they gave up to get Sanchez. It is a good move that could be great if Sanchez pans out.

However, when you draft a QB in the Top 10,you expect him to be a Top 5 QB in the NFL. Being merely. ..meh....is not acceptable. That could be unfair, but it is what it is. Especially considering the financial investment given top picks.

Sanchez is expected to be the savior. Not some 'meh' guy. You can draft the 'meh' guy in later rounds and not give up 5 players for him.

[PS17]

they are falling in love with moving up and that may be a problem.

Agreed.

In the upcoming years, this team has to stop trading up and they need to keep their draft picks to get more players.

I'm fine with this year because they got their hopeful franchise QB. But I don't want to see us trading up for a LB or a CB in the anymore.

[#27TheDominator]

Dom I agree with most of your points, but the minimization of Sanchez being a decent pick if he achieves being merely a "Chad Pennington" type.

I agree the Jets did externally well in what they gave up to get Sanchez. It is a good move that could be great if Sanchez pans out.

However, when you draft a QB in the Top 10,you expect him to be a Top 5 QB in the NFL. Being merely. ..meh....is not acceptable. That could be unfair, but it is what it is. Especially considering the financial investment given top picks.

Sanchez is expected to be the savior. Not some 'meh' guy. You can draft the 'meh' guy in later rounds and not give up 5 players for him.

This is true, but it's a perception problem not an actual problem. If the team is internally strong they can survive having the guy be a lesser but decent starting QB. If the rest of the team is very good a decent QB can look tremendous. Look at Bulger, Hasselback and Delhomme. Are those guys "top 5"? Maybe, maybe not, but they were when they had the team around them. I'll throw crappy ass Eli in that mix as well.

*Decent pick may be a stretch, but my point is that the team can survive and even flourish if he pans out as merely a decent starter. That doesn't make it a good pick. I don't think Eli is a good pick in hindsight, but it worked out. Chad is a tough one to gauge. I could live with a Chad level with upside. The trouble with Chad is that he has no upside, hasn't had any in years and his lack of arm handcuffs the team against better Ds.

[Vudu]

Sanchez better be worth every penny & pick.

[afosomf]

Sanchez better be worth every penny & pick.

bronzey...he will be

just expect a less than stellar rook year

he throws a very tight spiral much different than Penne's folly floaters

[piney]

Kenny O was picked @ #24 in that 1st round Piney-lower than Chad, speaking of disappointments at that position

Chad was most definitely a disappointment, but I don't feel like he was drafted with such high regard as Sanchez...this draft is all about Sanchez, Chad, I think, would not have been drafted if the Jets did not have so many 1st round picks.

[Vudu]

bronzey...he will be

just expect a less than stellar rook year

he throws a very tight spiral much different than Penne's folly floaters

I love Sanchez, dont get me wrong. I'd just be way more comfortable if we some how aquired a true #1 deep threat wide reciever.

[piney]

This is true, but it's a perception problem not an actual problem. If the team is internally strong they can survive having the guy be a lesser but decent starting QB. If the rest of the team is very good a decent QB can look tremendous. Look at Bulger, Hasselback and Delhomme. Are those guys "top 5"? Maybe, maybe not, but they were when they had the team around them. I'll throw crappy ass Eli in that mix as well.

*Decent pick may be a stretch, but my point is that the team can survive and even flourish if he pans out as merely a decent starter. That doesn't make it a good pick. I don't think Eli is a good pick in hindsight, but it worked out. Chad is a tough one to gauge. I could live with a Chad level with upside. The trouble with Chad is that he has no upside, hasn't had any in years and his lack of arm handcuffs the team against better Ds.

I kind of agree with both of you....because I am such a wuss...

I think that to put the pressure on Sanchez is unfair, but it is also inevitable. I think this franchise is going to put itself behind him and I was just thinking, if he fails, there could be long term after-effects....hopefully this team doesn't stick with him longer than it should if Sanchez proves he can't play at this level. Think the better part of three seasons or so....

[#27TheDominator]

I kind of agree with both of you....because I am such a wuss...

I think that to put the pressure on Sanchez is unfair, but it is also inevitable. I think this franchise is going to put itself behind him and I was just thinking, if he fails, there could be long term after-effects....hopefully this team doesn't stick with him longer than it should if Sanchez proves he can't play at this level. Think the better part of three seasons or so....

That's where you get ****ed if your high draft pick tanks. Praying for years that Rick Mirer or Ryan Leaf will be a decent QB when you can start some ****head 4th round pick who'll perform better.

[PFSIKH]

That's where you get ****ed if your high draft pick tanks. Praying for years that Rick Mirer or Ryan Leaf will be a decent QB when you can start some ****head 4th round pick who'll perform better.

Yup. Pretty much.

The Jets are married to Sanchez for better or worse.

Look at Eli or even Drew Bledsoe. Good QBs. If they were drafted later, would anyone care of their pedestrian performance? No. However, they are #1 and get the baggage that comes with it.

[Larz]

I hate all things dirty sanchez. I would even make that ***** ******* if I ran this board

I can only hope and pray people just stop using that

when he came onto the field at USC, the band played "El Matador"

can we go with that ?

[drago]

Kenny O was picked @ #24 in that 1st round Piney-lower than Chad, speaking of disappointments at that position

Chad had us going for a couple years. I really thought he was a great QB, his demise wouldn't have been so bad had he not played so ****ing well in 2002.

[PS17]

I hate all things dirty sanchez. I would even make that ***** ******* if I ran this board

I can only hope and pray people just stop using that

when he came onto the field at USC, the band played "El Matador"

can we go with that ?

No, because were classless Jet fans.

[124]

Chad had us going for a couple years. I really thought he was a great QB, his demise wouldn't have been so bad had he not played so ****ing well in 2002.

Oh, oh, oh, oh -

It must have been cold there in my shadow,

to never have sunlight on your face.

You were content to let me shine, that's your way.

You always walked a step behind.

So I was the one with all the glory,

while you were the one with all the strength.

A beautiful face without a name for so long.

A beautiful smile to hide the pain.

Did you ever know that you're my hero,

and everything I would like to be?

I can fly higher than an eagle,

for you are the wind beneath my wings.