I thought the Jets would have been better off giving Sanchez a year on the bench to watch a veteran qb but they didn't and in the end it was probably the right decision long term. It was a crazy year for Sanchez, to go from playing a total of 16 games for USC to starting for the Jets in Houston. I thought our coaching staff had really no idea what they doing with him until about week 12 with Carolina. Schotty Jr and Rex were letting him decide games and he basically lost four games by himself (New Orleans, New England, Atlanta and Buffalo). From week one the coaching and game planning for him should have been very conservative. From the start it was going to be a tough season for him. They went into the season with Cotchery and Keller and basically no other wr's. Wallace and Smith are special teams players and Clowney is a deep threat but thats about it. They went out and got Braylon which was a good pickup but it's very difficult for any qb and wr to get on the same page in the middle of a season much less a rookie qb. I'm not sure if it's a combination of Sanchez not checking down or Greene/Jones not being targets out of the backfield. The biggest area that I felt Sanchez needed to improve on is the short passing game. I think the main reason that Tomlinson was brought in was to improve this area of his game. If your opposition knows that your qb won't check down and that the running backs are not good receivers it makes it even harder to get the ball to Keller, Cotchery and Braylon. The addition of Tomlinson and the coaching staff working with Sanchez to check down to his backs will make Sanchez a lot better in year 2. Sanchez can make every throw. He's a great athlete with incredible footwork for a qb. Sanchez has the potential to be an elite qb and the Jets just need to do everything they can to help him get there.
I think his early success may have thrown off the coaching staff a little bit. In the first few games he was converting every 3rd down, and hitting his receivers with impressive accuracy. I think this may have given him and the coaching staff a little bit of overconfidence. After he struggled in the middle of the season I think expectations came back down to earth and the Jets could go back to what they are best at... running the ball and stuffing the other team on defense.
Just trying to start an actual thread about Sanchez, what he needs to improve on and recapping his first year. If you don't have anything to add then don't post.
Good post, and I agree with most of it. Although I liked what Stuckey was bringing to the table early in the season, before we made the trade for Edwards. Stuck has nice hands and his route running was becoming pretty damned good, he just wasn't a vertical threat, and I guess that's what Schotty was jonesing for. 2 things were bothering me up until Rex installed the color code training wheels, and they were how badly Sanchez was at seeign the play develop in the flats, and how badly he was at finding a dump-off. The dump-offs I think can be explained sort of by what you alluded to, as Greene is not a receiving back (yet) and Jones is simply terrible at getting separation to be a dump-off option. Too many times I saw Sanchez try to force a ball to him, and threw it too hard for the simple fact that a LB was half a yard away from TJ. This is where I think LT will help open up 3rd downs more, because the guy has much better instincts as a receiving back than Jones will ever have. I am about to do a purge of my DVR from the 2009 season and before I do it, I'm going to focus on a few things for each game for breakdown threads in the depressingly dead period between the draft and TC. I'll probably take a close look at Sanchez' short routes for a few games late in the season.
Yeah I think it's a combo of the running backs not being open and Sanchez throws the ball as hard as he can 10 yards. I can't imagine at USC that he was checking the ball to backs.
Honestly, I think Mark just mistook his rookie role to be that of a QB who has to win games himself, instead of letting his teammates shoulder the load. Very often he wouldn't even get to his check-downs as he progressed through his reads, or when it was time to, he would still continue looking down field for the bigger play. I attribute that to him being a rookie, nothing more. This season, I fully expect him to slowly transfer some of that weight onto himself, and if Shotty were smart, he'd wait until mid-season to start giving the passing game a few more snaps/game. Grooming a young QB is no easy chore, but I think Rex has a great feel for Mark's progression and won't let Shotty get carried away like he did last season with his play calling.
On the down side his stats, yards, completion %, TD's, INT's all rank in the bottom five of the league. However, he improved immensely at the end of the year. And he experienced about everything you can. How to deal with success, how to deal with failure, bad weather games, dealing with an injury, must-win games from week 11 on, playoffs, three road playoff games, coming back in playoff games, winning playoff games.
I thought Sanchez had all the ups and downs of a rookie qb with a whole lot more ups in the playoffs.. I think his playoff experience was very important for him and his form in big games is something that shouldn't be underrated.. the kid since then has shown he is 100% football orientated getting in early everyday and studying the playbook and learning the system...which is so crucial to have in a young qb... the only bad thing that I worry about is his knee... he still can't run or jog yet but has been working out in the pool... I hope that this doesn't hurt his mobility later on and it is something to worry about...he is a real leader and a good kid...i still don't know how people can knock him for his arm strenght but maybe being underrated isn't a bad thing... the check down comments are very fair. It was a missing part of the puzzle last year and that is why we might have been after tomlinson...and why we might spend a first or second pick on a good slot wr...it just makes sense of something that we havent fixed yet that would have an imediate impact for the team.
Good post. The surgery was a preventive procedure securing him more for the long and rigorous stretches of a NFL season. It would be fair to worry more if he didn't have the surgery. I don't think I need to reiterate that he didn't have any viable options for his check downs or screens. However, he did play a role in his missed opportunities by always looking up field. I'm glad he had that under check by the playoffs which is the most I took away from the experience. He walked away with a 93 QB rating from those 3 games. Not bad if you ask me. Coming into this season with a complete, OTA and Camp with LT and Edwards its fair to assume that he'll lead off the season exactly where he left at. Considering what Shotty was giving him in the beginning of the season to handle and the fact that he played 3 games in the playoffs with success., that is the definition of "trial by fire" and he was acquitted.
I think your first statement says it all. I believe that was his mindset at the beginning of the year. He had a stretch during the middle part of the season where he didn't seem to progress and kept making the same mistakes. Watching him the last 6 or so games(including playoffs) he really seemed to grow up and figure it out. He finished the year on a high which is what you want to see from a rookie. He showed that he can make all the throws and is pretty good outside the pocket.I think after a year of having him Schotty will know better what type of game plan is best suited for his success. I hear a lot of NY sports radio guys saying he will never be an elite QB but will be a solid player for a long time. I can't understand what they're basing this assesment on but i do believe Sanchez will have a great career for us. I see a Phil Simms gritty type of player in Sanchez. He's a leader and a hard worker. I think his potential is limitless.
Through experience and conditioning I think we might have our clutch QB we've been looking for. Personally I think he'll be better than Eli Manning in three to four years.
