Peter King on what Sanchez is doing better than Brees, Peyton, and Brady

[slats]

I cut out everything else from Pete's column, you can get there from the link at the bottom of the page. Tried to clean up the table as best as I could...

How about Brady's turnovers!

_________________________________________________________

Now on to the column. Let's talk ball security for a few paragraphs. (Ooooh! Wheeeee! Exciting!) I maintain that's what Mark Sanchez and his offensive coordinator have been doing since he arrived in New Jersey. And it's paying off for the 2-1 Jets heading into their division game (walkover?) Sunday at Buffalo.

Over the last eight games (including playoffs), here's how the three best quarterbacks in football rank against Sanchez in terms of protecting the ball:

Quarterback Plays *Int. Fum/Lost* *Turnovers*

Drew Brees 296 3 5/2 5

Peyton Manning 293 3 1/0 3

Tom Brady 253 8 2/2 10

Mark Sanchez 190 2 0/0 2

"Plays'' is pass attempts plus sacks taken.

"Fum/Lost'' is total fumbles/fumbles lost.

Think of a rookie quarterback, down the stretch in a playoff season, and in the first game of an incredibly highly anticipated, Hard-Knocks-laden season, turning the ball over two times in eight games. With zero fumbles. In his first three games this season, Sanchez hasn't thrown a pick or fumbled in 12 quarters. For a player who'd started 16 games in college and who will start his 22nd pro game this week, I'd call that remarkable.

"And I'd point out,'' Jets offensive coordinator Brian Schottenheimer told me Thursday, "that one of those turnovers was a tipped interception against the Colts in the championship game last year.'' The other was a pick at San Diego, in the divisional playoff game, a game in which Sanchez put up mediocre numbers (12-for-23, 100 yards, one TD, one interception) but managed it well and won.

"A lot of it, quite honestly, is the ability to sit down with Mark after games and show him the result of each decision he makes in games,'' Schottenheimer said. "We all know interceptions are going to happen. But we talk about two kinds of interceptions -- bad-throw interceptions, which every quarterback who's ever played is going to have, and bad-decision interceptions. Those are the ones we've concentrated on. We put on the film and I'll show him an interception, and I'll say, 'What did you think of your decision here?' And we talk about the power of completions. It's OK to check down.''

That can be a dirty phrase -- "checking down'' to a running back -- to some quarterbacks. And at times, critics of Sanchez have thought he was doing it too much, particularly in the opener this year against Baltimore, when Sanchez steadfastly passed on throwing downfield against a weak Ravens secondary and kept throwing the ball short. But Schottenheimer won't knock him for it, and he didn't after the game, even though clearly the Jets were terrible on offense all night and lost, 10-9.

"I'll take some of the rap for that,'' Schottenheimer said. "What happened that night is not a short answer. When you have six months to prepare for a game, sometimes you have a tendency to over-analyze. We had some calls in there where we send Mark to the line with two plays, and he runs a play dependent on what defense he sees. That didn't go too well that night. When we were analyzing the game afterward, Mark said to me, 'Hey Schotty, can we eliminate those kills?' [A 'kill' is the play you eliminate to go to the other play called.] He just wanted to have a play called and let him execute it. I said, 'Sure, Mark.' And that's what we've done.''

Schottenheimer and quarterback coach Matt Cavanaugh have stressed to Sanchez, however, that he needs to be comfortable with the safety of the offense.

"We did a study in the offseason looking back over the top five offenses in the league over the last five years. And we took the average number of balls the top running back for each team caught each year. The average turned out to 47, 48 catches. These are great quarterbacks -- Brady, Manning, Brees, [Matt] Schaub -- being willing to say 'uncle' and check it down. I think Mark was kind of floored by those numbers, and how involved the backs were in each one of those passing games.

"This year, we've said to him, 'You can check it down to a future Hall of Famer [LaDainian Tomlinson] or to one of the top young backs in the game [Shonn Greene]. Let them help you.' ''

Sanchez is still working to form a bond in the pass game with Green (he's targeted him only three times), but he's thrown to Tomlinson 15 times so far -- and Tomlinson has played only about half the offensive snaps. Dustin Keller (24 targets) is clearly Sanchez's favorite so far, most often on safe, intermediate routes.

I expect Sanchez (six touchdowns, no picks) to be better throwing downfield when he has the twin threats of Braylon Edwards and Santonio Holmes intact starting next week; Holmes returns after a four-week substance-abuse suspension against Minnesota.

Schottenheimer told me he estimates Sanchez has at least 90 percent of the offense down pat now. The comfort is showing. When quarterbacks are throwing touchdowns and not erring, that's comfort. It's a good sign for a team that's going to have a top-five defense, and I'd be surprised if the Jets don't make the playoffs in large part because of Sanchez's safe, and successful, play.

Read more: http://sportsillustr...l#ixzz117zW9O5w

[PatsFanTX]

Let me preface this by saying Sanchez has done a great job protecting the ball and eliminating turnovers.

But to compare him (based on the stats above) to Manning, Brees and Brady is like comparing apples to oranges.

First off, Manning, Brees and Brady throw downfield MUCH more than Sanchez does. This will lead to more INT's and 5-7 step drops will lead to more fumbles.

Not to mention, Sanchez has taken significantly less snaps than the other 3 QB's this year.

[Klecko73isGod]

Good read and Schotty's comments confirm what I have suspected all along about week one - they overadjusted out of too much respect for the Ravens D and it cost them.

[slats]

Not to mention, Sanchez has taken significantly less snaps than the other 3 QB's this year.

In this sample, Brady took significantly less snaps than Brees and Manning yet turned the ball over a lot more.

[Klecko73isGod]

Let me preface this by saying Sanchez has done a great job protecting the ball and eliminating turnovers.

But to compare him (based on the stats above) to Manning, Brees and Brady is like comparing apples to oranges.

First off, Manning, Brees and Brady throw downfield MUCH more than Sanchez does. This will lead to more INT's and 5-7 step drops will lead to more fumbles.

Not to mention, Sanchez has taken significantly less snaps than the other 3 QB's this year.

Ok, lets break it down by turnovers per pass play:

Brady has turned the ball over once every 25 plays, Sanchez has turned the ball over once every 85 plays.

[PatsFanTX]

In this sample, Brady took significantly less snaps than Brees and Manning yet turned the ball over a lot more.

And this is a perfect example of the point I made in my above post.

Brady's two INT's were thrown on deep balls and his two lost fumbles were on 5-7 step drops.

[Klecko73isGod]

And this is a perfect example of the point I made in my above post.

Brady's two INT's were thrown on deep balls and his two lost fumbles were on 5-7 step drops.

Actually, Brady has 8 INTs in his last 253 pass plays.

Can you say, "Its over?"

[ZachEY]

Let me preface this by saying Sanchez has done a great job protecting the ball and eliminating turnovers.

But to compare him (based on the stats above) to Manning, Brees and Brady is like comparing apples to oranges.

First off, Manning, Brees and Brady throw downfield MUCH more than Sanchez does. This will lead to more INT's and 5-7 step drops will lead to more fumbles.

Not to mention, Sanchez has taken significantly less snaps than the other 3 QB's this year.

I don't think Sanchez anyone is comparing them in the sense that Sanchez has turned the ball over less, so he's as good or better. Certainly fans will extrapolate that, but in reality, just that Sanchez is doing the right things, and the numbers back it up.

[THE ILK]

Chad who?

[Klecko73isGod]

I don't think Sanchez anyone is comparing them in the sense that Sanchez has turned the ball over less, so he's as good or better. Certainly fans will extrapolate that, but in reality, just that Sanchez is doing the right things, and the numbers back it up.

Eric, don't you understand our friend Michael by now? Everything is a dick measuring contest with him - one that he most often loses.

[PatsFanTX]

Certainly fans will extrapolate that, but in reality, just that Sanchez is doing the right things, and the numbers back it up.

That's it in a nutshell.

[PatsFanTX]

Eric, don't you understand our friend Michael by now? Everything is a dick measuring contest with him - one that he most often loses.

Way to ruin another good thread di*kwad.

[Klecko73isGod]

Way to ruin another good thread di*kwad.

Not for nothin' Mike, but you were trying to turn this into a Brady is better than Sanchez debate and don't attempt to claim you weren't. All one needs to do is read your first post in the thread and its brutally obvious.

Five more posts and you would have been posting "1969" over and over again.

[PatsFanTX]

Not for nothin' Mike, but you were trying to turn this into a Brady is better than Sanchez debate and don't attempt to claim you weren't. All one needs to do is read your first post in the thread and its brutally obvious.

Please show me specifically where I said that.

In my original post, my point was Sanchez is a different (and there is nothing wrong with that) type of QB than Manning, Brees AND Brady.

BTW, reading is fundamental.

[ECURB]

Get a room.

[Klecko73isGod]

Please show me specifically where I said that.

In my original post, my point was Sanchez is a different (and there is nothing wrong with that) type of QB than Manning, Brees AND Brady.

BTW, reading is fundamental.

Gee, I wonder why anyone would assume you were attempting to derail the thread with your usual nonsense. That's a head scratcher.

[slats]

Please show me specifically where I said that.

In my original post, my point was Sanchez is a different (and there is nothing wrong with that) type of QB than Manning, Brees AND Brady.

BTW, reading is fundamental.

They're all different types, but Sanchez probably has more in common with Brees than either Manning or Brady does.

I think what you mean to say is that he's being used differently. Which makes a lot of sense for a second year QB who threw 20 picks last year. He's playing smart and still making plays despite the fact that while the training wheels may be off, he's still not riding a 10-speed just yet.

He's not in position to put the team on his shoulders just yet, but with a solid defense and running game behind him he's doing more than enough to keep those Super Bowl dreams alive.

[KSJets]

Let me preface this by saying Sanchez has done a great job protecting the ball and eliminating turnovers.

But to compare him (based on the stats above) to Manning, Brees and Brady is like comparing apples to oranges.

First off, Manning, Brees and Brady throw downfield MUCH more than Sanchez does. This will lead to more INT's and 5-7 step drops will lead to more fumbles.

Not to mention, Sanchez has taken significantly less snaps than the other 3 QB's this year.

Fair enough...

Drew Brees 296 3 5/2 5

Peyton Manning 293 3 1/0 3

Tom Brady 253 8 2/2 10

So Brady has twice as many turnovers as Brees, on 43 less 'plays'. Interesting.

[Kleckineau]

Might turn out to be nothing but morning wood like last year. I am as happy as any another Jet fan regarding Mex's performance so far this year but lets not forget last years 3 game start which turned into.......well you know.

FWIW....He does not belong in the same sentence as Brees, Manning etc.....curb your enthusiasm.

Having said that. I am really , I mean REALLY starting to believe in this kid.

[SenorGato]

<3 Sanchez <3 the two young coordinators.

If Sanchez avoids injury in two-three years we'll have a real elite offense...:drool:...:fap:...:drool:...

[PatsFanTX]

If Sanchez avoids injury in two-three years we'll have a real elite offense.

Wait a second, I thought it was the OC who is responsible for elite offenses?

[SenorGato]

Wait a second, I thought it was the OC who is responsible for elite offenses?

Word...Iunno wtf got into me.

Given that we find the perfect coordinator who always calls the right play, we should have a top offense in 2-3 years.

[CTM]

it's articles like this that always start the downward trend...

in any event, last year Sanchez was benefitting from the run game. The last 6 quarters it's been all him.. much better to see imo

[Maxman]

And this is a perfect example of the point I made in my above post.

Brady's two INT's were thrown on deep balls and his two lost fumbles were on 5-7 step drops.

Stats are what they are. Something to discuss and manipulate when we are done looking at the standings.

Speaking of which....

[Bruce Banner]

"I'll take some of the rap for that,'' Schottenheimer said. "What happened that night is not a short answer. When you have six months to prepare for a game, sometimes you have a tendency to over-analyze. We had some calls in there where we send Mark to the line with two plays, and he runs a play dependent on what defense he sees. That didn't go too well that night. When we were analyzing the game afterward, Mark said to me, 'Hey Schotty, can we eliminate those kills?' [A 'kill' is the play you eliminate to go to the other play called.] He just wanted to have a play called and let him execute it. I said, 'Sure, Mark.' And that's what we've done.''

I knew there was something going on behind the scenes. I didn't hear Sanchez yell Kill, Kill after that first game and it was obvious that the Ravens were playing mind games with Sanchez. They were showing one look, Sanchez would shout Kill, Kill and then the Ravens would shift back so now the Jets were using the wrong play for that situation.

With this audible system as described, there is no way for the QB to audible back to the first of the two plays. Its just two plays and once the QB shouts Kill the switch is made and can't be undone. So defensive shifts will work better against this system then the audible system someone like Peyton Manning uses.

Criticizing Shotty has become beating a dead horse, but its still worth pointing out how stupid this audible system used against the Ravens really is.

[lancemehl]

I expect Sanchez (six touchdowns, no picks) to be better throwing downfield when he has the twin threats of Braylon Edwards and Santonio Holmes intact starting next week; Holmes returns after a four-week substance-abuse suspension against Minnesota.

Read more: http://sportsillustr...l#ixzz117zW9O5w

No mention of Cotchery, huh? Wasn't he our best receiver for a while there? Making unbelievable plays. No respect in this league. lol

[Larz]

sanchez is also 2-1 vs the cheatahs

lolz

**** the chowds !!!!!!!

[Bugg]

Keep up the good work, Mark.

And beware of that fat coffee-slurping SI/NBC reporter who is about to start stalking you like he has Favre, Brady and Breesus.