Does the wind really matter? After all he will only play 1 season there. Who knows what the wind factor in the new stadium will be. It is not as steep as the old one.
Chad is the all-time leader in the "risk-free" throw category. Often the smart throw involves taking a real chance of getting picked off because you're going to lose if you don't get the first down - being down more than 8 late for example - and Chad never ever got to the point where he could bring himself to make the smart throw in those situations, always dumping off for 3 when we needed 8 and often settling for a 3-pointer when we needed 7 or 8 as a result. I do not think Chad is a smart QB in terms of doing what you need to do to win once the chips are down. He's a great game manager as long as things are going well and then he declines precipitously as the game state gets adverse for his team. This is why the playoff losses have mainly been blowouts or close games in which neither offense could get off the ground.
Umm...200 yards and 2 TDs is owning us? The Phins won by 7. If Favre did not throw 3 picks, the Jets would have won. It was 7-7 when Brett threw a pick 6. Ted Ginn had 2 rec for 71 yards..but one of those went for 44..After that, no miami WR had more than 39 yards receiving.
The Meadowlands winds have been very overrated for 15+ years now. Yes it's windy but it's not like like it was in the 80s and we all know Chad didn't have the strongest arm yet he had success at home late in years. Sanchez may not have an Elway arm but he's got a better arm than Chad and the position is about more than arm strength as we saw last year. He'll be fone PLUS we don't know how the winds will affect the new Stadium which is where Sanchez will be playing most of his career(hopefully).
^ Nice to see you back. I've read reports from the beat guys that Sanchez's arm is right there with Clemens, and may have even more velocity on it. So he's fine. As for his height - he's listed at 6'2 by the combine - so he's 6'2. i don't care how small he "looks"... as for the height of QBs for winning a SB - the last QB to win it that was under 6'3 was Warner and then Favre back in the 90's 10 years ago. the 2000's have been dominated by QBs who are 6'4+.
The weather was not a factor that game. It was a Thursday night game and USC just came out flat and OSU smacked 'em in the mouth. A frosh, Jacquizz Rodgers from OSU, ran all over the SC defense. Sanchez looked shaky that game but it wasn't due to the weather.
But 2" in height aren't going to make the difference between being batted down at the LOS all the time and not being. That has a lot more to do with the timing and velocity of the throws, and the QB's tendancy to stare down receivers or not. Sanchez has better arm strength than Chad ever did, probably as good or better than Clemens', and he throws a much tighter ball than either. He'll be fine at the meadowlands. Besides, the new field runs in a completely different direction doesn't it ?
It has to do with arm angle as well as being able to see over the OL who are 6'5+. That's where the difference is made. And in the NFL 2 inches means something.
Olinemen don't stand at max height when blocking and a good scheme creates throwing lanes anyway. Not saying that it doesn't mean anything, but it isn't going to be a career maker/breaker.
Jacquizz Rodgers is a beast. Rodgers brother, James, had a hell of a game too. You're right JN, the weather had absolutely nothing to do with it. Oregon State was up 21-0 early, and USC fell short losing 27-21. In 2004, USC barely beat the Beavers because of a horrible fog that fell over the stadium. I remember watching it on TV and I couldn't tell what the hell was going on. Leinart couldn't see his receivers so the Trojans were basically forced to run the football. Bush returned a punt for a game winning TD and the announcers didn't even know it.
Would the wind be any different in the new stadium? I thought the current stadium design was responsible for part of the "swirling" effect.
I remember that fog game Mr. E. Good call on the announcers completely missing Bush' Punt return TD. That was unreal. Kind of reminded me of the Bears-Eagles Fog Bowl in the late 80's. The announcers were completely clueless in that game however visibility was practically Zero so I couldn't really blame them.
I agree, that's why Vinny never struggled at the Meadowlands, he threw a perfect spiral. Sanchez at the draft was sitting with the NFL Network guys and they held up his hands, he has very long fingers and hands like Favre does, which enables him to throw a tight spiral and direct the ball wherever he wants it to go. Simms was discussing the same thing about Favre during the season last year. How tall is Sanchez? I like a taller QB like Vinny or Chad, I think they see the field better over the O-linemen.
It certainly takes more than arm strength as proven by Chad and Favre. Chad performed well here in Decembers(the few that he played) while Favre was awful last year and we smoked him in 2002.
Chad throws a nice spiral too when he's healthy, and he's accurate, which a lot of people either underrate or take for granted. Vinny was absolutely weather proof.
Vinny was the best bad weather QB I have ever seen. It was those damn sunny days that threw him off:grin:
