The New York Jets spent a good deal of money and some draft picks to get Mark Sanchez. Unfortunately for them, he's not the answer at quarterback in New York and I've got 5 reasons why.
5. He only started for one college season. This is one of the favorite arguments against Sanchez and I think it is only minorly important. It would be nice if he had more experience and he still had eligibility to get that experience, but he chose not to. Which incidentally was the right choice even when he fails this year. You do not go back to school if you are going to be the second QB taken in the draft, that's just stupid, but it doesn't make you ready to play either.
4. He has a knee injury that impairs his movement and he did not have good mobility to begin with. A lack of mobility along with an average arm (I defer to J.C. here who refuses to give him above that) is a bad combination.
3. His own coach, who has NFL experience said that he wasn't ready. This is only third on the list because I think his coach had some self-serving motivation for this statement (i.e. the lack of a decent player to take his place). Nonetheless, his coach knows what NFL talent looks like and what a starting NFL quarterback should be, yet he still did not think his own guy was there yet. I still find this rather telling.
2. He played on probably the most talented team in the country, in a conference with historically weak defenses, struggled in the big games and could not lead his team to a national championship appearance. This seems harsh, but a team as talented as USC is expected to compete for national championships every year and he could not get them there.
1. Finally, and most important. The two players who beat him out for the QB job at USC are currently doing what in the NFL? In recent reports Matt Leinart is in a battle for the number 2 quarterback job in Arizona. While John David Booty is the third string quarterback for a Viking team that everyone knows has no good options at their 1 or 2 spots. So he got beat out in college by two guys that will be holding clipboards this year in the league, but he's going to be ready start right away. I doubt that.
So add it all up and what do you have with Mark Sanchez? An inexperienced college quarterback with an average arm and slow feet who is prone to injury and slightly underachieved in college. Plus, he couldn't beat out two quarterbacks who are fighting to be the back-ups on NFL teams and his college coach did not think he was ready. Does that sound like someone you want leading your team?
Honorable Mentions:
J.C. had some other stuff that didn't make the top 5, but I'll mention it anyway:
His head is like an eggshell
He never won the big game:
SL says, "They did win their bowl game, but that was against someone weak."
JC replies, "They did not win their big games during the season though."
SL: "They did beat Ohio State."
JC: "You don't get points for beating up a girl."
So I guess that's the end of that argument.
He never played in the cold or the wind.
In college he played on grass, not turf.
He's never been booed.
SL/JC
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
I definitely agree with doubting Sanchez. At least in the short term, I actually think reason 5 might be the strongest. Given the high expectations for Sanchez in NY and the fact that they seem to want him to start right away, the lack of experience could really impact him this year. Reasons 1, 2, and 3 seem a little tough on Sanchez, but I certainly get your point. Then again, I also thought Matt Ryan and Joe Flacco would struggle last year, so take my opinion with a grain of salt.
ReplyDelete