NY Jets' Mark Sanchez has studied NY Giants' Super Bowl MVP Eli Manning - and that's a good idea CORTLAND — Mark Sanchez has gone to school and researched the upward curve in Eli Manning’s career from struggling quarterback to two-time Super Bowl champion. Sanchez will be the most scrutinized quarterback in the NFL this season and will start to find out if he benefited from studying Manning’s experiences when the Jets open the season Sept. 9 against the Bills. The lesson to be learned: Manning turned around his career in his fourth season. The chance that Sanchez can do the same: It can’t be ruled out. The guarantee it will happen: None. “I looked into it and seen how successful he’s been, seen how he has really weathered the storm and played really well,” Sanchez said Monday. The difference is that in Manning’s fourth season, his backup QB was Jared Lorenzen, who wouldn’t have drawn any attention if he ran off the field without a shirt in a monsoon. But the storm that Sanchez must weather is the Tebow Tornado, which was the Jets’ way of putting him on notice. Just two months before Manning won his first Super Bowl following the 2007 season, he threw four interceptions against the Vikings, with three of them returned for touchdowns. Three weeks later, he completed just 18 of 53 passes against the Redskins on a blustery night at Giants Stadium. The next week in Buffalo, Manning threw two interceptions and fumbled five times, losing two of them, in a game the Giants survived in awful winter conditions by rushing for nearly 300 yards. If Sanchez has games like Manning did against Minnesota, Washington and Buffalo, then Tim Tebow will be the Jets’ quarterback. Back in 2007, you could certainly spell Elite without Eli. If anybody says now they believed back then that he was capable of outplaying Tony Romo, Brett Favre and Tom Brady in consecutive playoff games that season and go on to win two Super Bowl MVPs, they deserve a master’s degree in revisionist history, which is taught in most locker rooms but not in many universities. The truth is Manning pretty much stunk until his Super Bowl run at the end of his fourth season in the NFL. That seems to be the prevailing opinion about Sanchez after three years in the league. Sanchez helped the Jets get to the AFC Championship Game his first two seasons and played much better in the playoffs than he did in the regular season. But he regressed last season, and the red flags ran up the flagpoles in Florham Park. That’s why the Jets tried to sign Peyton Manning. It’s why they traded for Tebow. Sanchez did throw for a career-high 26 touchdowns last season, but he also had a career-high 26 turnovers. He was a big reason, along with a dysfunctional locker room, why the Jets missed the playoffs at 8-8. Manning didn’t start his first game until the 10th game of his rookie season. After three years he had 54 TDs and 44 INTs and an 0-2 record in the playoffs. Sanchez started from the first game of his rookie year and after three seasons had 55 TDs and 51 INTs and a 4-2 record in the playoffs. Maybe the game will slow down for Sanchez this season like it finally did for Manning in the pressure-filled 2007 playoffs. Maybe this is the year Sanchez grows up — maturity was never an issue with Manning — and the light bulb goes on and the Jets will win games because of him, not in spite of him. Eli Manning is a more talented player than Sanchez. His skill set is on another level. But don’t forget the same things that are being said about Sanchez now were being said about Manning as late as mid-December of his fourth season. “That fourth year I think he threw one pick in the playoffs when he won that Super Bowl. One. I think he might have thrown 20 in the regular season,” Sanchez said. "I’ve been there, plenty of quarterbacks have been there, so you see the margin for error in this league is so small.” Sanchez did his research. His numbers for Manning were right on the money, unlike too many of his passes. “This whole thing is a learning process. It really is a marathon, not a sprint,” Sanchez said. “Just keep your head down, keep working, smile and have a good time with it.” Peyton Manning didn’t win his first playoff game until his sixth year. It also took Drew Brees that long and by then he was playing for his second team. Brees was so bad early in his career that the Chargers traded for rookie Philip Rivers during the 2004 draft. Peyton Manning and Brees each lost playoff games to the Jets before they won their first playoff game. Aaron Rodgers didn’t even start until his fourth year in the NFL. So, where does that leave the Jets and Sanchez? He will be 26 in November, and it sounds silly to say he is running out of time, but if he doesn’t elevate his game this season, the Jets are going to have to start devising a blueprint for another plan. The Jets need Sanchez to follow the Eli script. Same position, same market, same expectations. They are hoping for the same Super performance. Read more: http://www.nydailynews.com/sports/f...-sanchez-mann-article-1.1125334#ixzz22CgcVrdo
Mark Sanchez hopeful that he can turn things around with NY Jets, just like Eli Manning did with NY Giants CORTLAND — Mark Sanchez didn’t have to look very far to find solace after an erratic season that had some teammates questioning his ability to truly become a franchise quarterback. Sanchez, excoriated after he regressed in his third season, admitted on Monday that he studied Eli Manning’s career path this offseason to help him move past a forgettable campaign that included a career-high 26 turnovers. “You look at other careers,” Sanchez said after practice on Monday. “Yeah, I’ve looked into it and seen how successful he’s been and how he’s really weathered the storm and played really well. His game is unbelievable. He’s doing a great job.” Manning, of course, overcame intense scrutiny in his fourth season, when he won the first of his two Super Bowl MVPs. Sanchez, who has been more relaxed with the media in the first four days of training camp than at any point in his career, was quick to point out that Manning also struggled with turnovers early in his. RELATED: JETS TO USE BUZZERS TO SPEED-UP QBS “I’ve been there,” Sanchez said. “Plenty of quarterbacks have been there. You see the margin for error in the league is so small. So once the quarterback . . . and the coordinator really realize that and take advantage of that and show that on the field, you can win a lot of games.” Sanchez learned the value of patience by analyzing Manning’s career arc. Sanchez and Manning had comparable numbers through their first three seasons. Sanchez has completed 55.3% of his passes with 63 turnovers in 47 career regular-season games (1.3 turnovers/game). Manning completed 54.1% of his passes with 49 turnovers in 41 games in his first three seasons. “It takes time,” Sanchez said. “It takes a confidence level, and that only happens through getting more and more reps. As guys mature and get a little older and get more familiar with the defenses they see . . . get more familiar with their surroundings . . . and kind of find themselves, they start playing better. They just feel more comfortable. They suddenly become more accurate. People take notice of it in their fourth, fifth, sixth year. It’s a process.” Although the statistics are similar, Sanchez has actually started 12 more games — or nearly an entire season’s worth — than Manning did entering his fourth season due, in part, to the Jets’ playoff runs in 2009 and 2010. Sanchez’s take-charge demeanor on and off the field this offseason hasn’t gone unnoticed. Shortly after Sanchez committed nine turnovers during a season-ending, three-game losing streak that prevented the Jets from reaching the playoffs, players and members of the organization questioned everything from his leadership to his talent ceiling. Seven months later, he looks like a different guy, confident and at ease. Sanchez has completed 59.4% of his passes and hasn’t thrown an interception in 32 snaps in 11-on-11 drills. However, the proof of whether Sanchez has undergone a transformation will come when he faces adversity during the regular season. “It’s that natural maturation you get in your fourth year,” Rex Ryan said. “You see that. (As a rookie), whether he knew the system or not, he’s out there winging it. Now, he’s a true pro. Four years into it, I think you expect it. You see it. I think (he has) the burning desire to win. . . . Maybe a little less messing around, a little more focused. I think (it) is evident when you watch him now.” Read more: http://www.nydailynews.com/sports/f...ing-ny-giants-article-1.1125020#ixzz22Ch6YRpV
Eli earned everything he has achieved, no one gave anything to him but an opportunity. Mark needs to understand, his success will depend on him... is football his passion or his profession?
If Sanchez regressed last year then Eli regressed in 2010. We know he had a rough year with 26 turnovers, but Eli much more in 2010, in fact 25 were picks plus 7 fumbles. Besides TOs and YPA, Sanchez improved in every category including being one of the best red zone QBs in the NFL. Regression is far from accurate. Eli also had 24 turnovers last year, while Sanchez had more total TDs than Eli, so the negativity about Sanchez is unwarranted.
Putting a timetable on when Sanchez will become an accomplished QB based upon the experiences of other QBs is silly. There are a lot of factors outside of his control (coaching, running game, OLine, defense) that will contribute to his success or failure. It is a team game after all. Similarly, expecting Sanchez to play like Brees, Rodgers or Brady this season, like many do around here, is setting him up to fail. That's not our system. We can't put it all on his shoulders and saw how that worked early last year. Phil Simms early career was not pretty, but he wound up doing OK, and his improved play was made simpler by having a great coach, a solid OLine, strong running game, and a dominant defense. Let's stick to the plan and stop focusing all of our attention on the QB.
I know that mobility is a strength for Sanchez, but I'm not going to call 6 rushing TDs a great positive. There's nothing wrong with a QB deciding to take off and run when nobody is open. This is especially true in the redzone or on 3rd down. But I think it's fair to say that Mark too often gave up on his progressions early. It seemed to me that his mindset was "one read, look for the checkdown, scramble," on entirely too many plays. It isn't bad that he's mobile and can run when he needs to, but the Jets aren't going to win games because of Mark Sanchez's legs. I would rather see him break 4,000 yards pre season or get over 7.0 YPC. I think part of the reason people say Sanchez regressed last year is because he actually did take a step back in the turnover category (which is a big one, in defense of the media talking heads), but also because he did not take the leap forward that QBs are expected to take in their 3rd year. I'm not saying this is a fair or unfair expectation, but that's the mindset analysts and writers have when it comes to QB play. And hey, don't get me started on the 2010 turnovers Eli committed. I've discussed that season ad naseum with friends and I'm not sure I've got the energy to do it again.
I can think of at least half of those rushing TD's as being designed QB runs off the top of my head. Sanchez really doesn't run that often during designed pass plays. I'm not sure where that idea comes from.
Actually it did work at the beginning of the season last year. Sanchez had some career high games and we started 2-0. Then Mangold got hurt and we dropped 3 straight, and it wasn't completely Mark's fault. Yes a running game would have helped, but Sanchez had a very good start to last season. If I recall correctly, we didn't even attempt to run the ball regularly until the Ravens game, against one of the toughest lines to run against in the NFL. This is Schotty failing, not Mark, although he did have a bad game and it was the first game we had major oline problems. When you look back at the season, we lost games we should have won. Oakland and Denver in particular. If we didn't blow those, we'd have made the playoffs.
I don't mind him studying Eli as long as he realizes (and I'm sure he does) that it's not an automatic progression. I'm sure Eli worked his ass off to get to where he was for his fourth season, all indications are that Sanchez has as well so that's good. But, as I said, it's not automatic. He may never be a SB MVP or he could finish his career with more than Eli. That has nothing to do with the past, nothing to do with stats, it has everything to do with a combination of his abilities and his dedication and hard work. I'm not a huge Sanchez supporter or hater. I think it's way too early to write him off entirely but I'm not anticipating him being Eli or better just because it's happened in the past. It hasn't happened for a lot more QBs than it has happened for.
Prove it. He regressed in TURNOVERS. That's it! He improve everything else including +12 touchdowns from the previous season. I guess TDs, comp%, QB rating and yards have nothing to do with QB effectiveness. lol. They asked about his status and that's about it. They were never in any serious hunt.
False. Sanchez did not regress. He certainly didn't play well, but he didn't regress. Most in the media and on this board don't understand what the term regression means.
The 2011 New York Jets Regressed: True Mark Sanchez Regressed in 2011: False I remember the media creating bs stories like they always do, if thats what you mean.
It was a mixed bag. He improved some aspects of his game, but regressed in others. That said, it happens all the time to most QBs.
Not necessarily the TDs per se, but I want to see him stick with his progressions a bit longer. I think he gets flustered and gives up on them too early, at times. I can't say I blame him (insert WFH joke HERE), but it's not okay for the QB to leave plays on the field. I should clarify that I think he started looking to his checkdowns too quickly FAR more frequently than he took off. I think that explains the low YPC. I think that's only partially on him though, Schotty shoulders some blame too.
To be fair, to use yardage is misleading since he only played one series of the 2010 finale and didn't attempt a pass. His passing yardage likely takes a very slight dip if he actually plays that game, as he only finished with 183 more passing yards in 2011.
