Can We All Agree That Mark Sanchez Is A Bust?

[PlayTheGame]

I know what I'm gonna hear from the Jets diehards- "HE LED US TO TWO AFC CHAMPIONSHIPS!" True. But look at all the pieces around him. They had one of the best running games during those seasons along with arguably the best O-Line (certainly the best Center in Mangold) in football. He also had guys like Santonio Holmes and Braylon Edwards, top-notch WR's, and a solid TE in Keller. And, of course, lest I forget the Jets D of those years- a top-tier Defense on all fronts, led by Darelle Revis. In other words, superstars EVERYWHERE on the team... except at QB.

So I would argue that they got to those AFC title games DESPITE having Sanchez under center. Let's face it- he's still being babysat as a QB, and he's not a new guy anymore. He should be farther along, but he's not. He's limited and can't make certain throws. Some even question his work ethic, locker room leadership, and overall motivation. He hardly ever takes control of a game, he simply manages it and tries not to mess the game up for the Jets... which he often does anyway with inopportune picks. And some of those picks come on very, very bad throws that should never have been attempted. Living in the NY market, I see a lot of Jets games, even though I'm a Pats fan. Although they took a step back this year in my opinion, it's sad to see they didn't even make the playoffs. As soon as their all-star team lost just a few of those stars, I believe Sanchez was exposed for his lack of talent. He could have took a huge step this year and filled in with his ability to make up for the less-talented 2011 Jets. But instead, he had a sub-par to arguably bad year. He's yet to hit the 3,500 passing yd mark in a season, and his career TD-INT rate is barely positve at 55-51 (plus 12 fumbles lost). And mind you, those numbers came with a great team around him. Imagine if he were on the Seahawks or the Rams.

Now, if you really believe in Sanchez for some reason or actually like him, you may argue he's not a bust. Okay, even if he's not a total bust, as at least he's not Jamarus Russel-esque, he's certainly not the answer in NY. And when you're a high pick in a city with that much media attention and public scrutiny, you're deemed a bust much easier. It's just how it goes in NY. Athletes are praised quicker in NY (JEREMY LIN), and crucified faster, and in this case, Sanchez. I'd consider him a bust because he's not the answer in NY, and anyone that believes he's the answer and that he can win that team a SB is not really watching those Jets games. The Jets need to give up on him and go in a different direction. The Sanchise didn't work in NY, and probably won't work in the NFL in general. It happens. But the Jets need to realize this and cut their losses soon by going in a different direction. Maybe by even going after Peyton Manning if he hits the market. Although, if they want to keep wasting time, money, and the talents of Revis, Mangold, Holmes, etc etc etc, then by all means, go ahead- keep feeding the Pats the AFC East Title. I love it.

 

[Nate DaMac]

I wouldn't say that he is a bust quite yet, but if he doesn't have a breakout year this year then in my eyes, he will be.

First off, I have to say that giving him zero credit for the 2 AFC Championship game appearances is pretty ignorant. His numbers may not be stellar, but coming from someone who watched most of the games, he played a big role. He has made some amazing throws at the right times throughout his career, his problems would be:

1, Consistency. He goes up and down week to week and you never really know what you're going to get from him. He can have a 300 Yard, 70% completion and 4 TD game one week and then throw for 75 yards with 3 picks the next.

2. The team around him. Look, his first year they had a pretty damn good team around him. Then his second year his running game consisted of LT who failed to reach 1,000 yards(unlike Thomas Jones the year before) and Green who hasn't really done a damn thing since their first playoff run. His WR corp was pretty good, but still, Santonio and Braylon are solid number ones, not top 5 in the league receivers.

Having said that, most franchise Quarterbacks overcome these odds and make the players around them better. Brady has won Super Bowls with little other than Deion Branch. Sanchez has yet to do this thus far and if he fails at it again this year, I'd take no issue with labeling him as a bust.

 

[PlayTheGame]

But that's my point though... if you've seen him play, you should know that he just looks uncomfortable in the pocket. He looks more like a rookie than someone who's been in the league for a few years now. He is babysat as a QB. The offensive plays they run rarely ever get that complicated and are fairly basic routes. He usually resorts to dumping it off to his TE or RB, hence why Keller was big for the Jets this year despite having great outside talent. Even though they have guys like Holmes who can stretch the field, they rarely ever throw downfield. And when they do, that's usually where his picks come. I went to the Pats/Jets game this year at MetLife, and Sanchez's first throw of the game was a playaction pass downfield to Holmes... which was picked. I don't think it's ignorant to say that he was the reason why the Jets didn't make it out of those AFC Title games, because I firmly believe that if they had a better QB in those games, they would have won. The Jets were great all-around those years, save for at QB. But look at who beat him those years- Manning's Colts & Roethlisberger's Steelers. Now those are elite guys that will their teams to win. Sanchez doesn't. His team often works around him.

Sanchez's stats are extremely poor, as I previously mentioned. As for inconsistency... I think he's consistently rather bad. To your point- he's only ever thrown for 4 TD's once in his career, and his career cmpt. pct. is 55%. That's frighteningly bad. He pretty much misses on every other throw, in other words.

Seeing Sanchez play... it's similar to Blaine Gabbert. They just look bad out there, and they're guys that can get easily rattled in games. Sanchez has seriously underwhelmed, especially in the NY market, and fans are beginning to turn on him. They seriously need to get some QB competition in there at the very least, so hopefully someone else can show what Holmes and the rest are capable of.

And as for your point about Brady winning with guys like Branch and Edelman around him- I totally agree. That's a true great who can and does win Superbowls (just not recently). He's an example of a guy who elevates his teammates. Sanchez takes them all down a notch, really. He'll never win a SB, NY is wasting its precious time on him. There's no reason to believe that he'll have a "breakout" season this year. I just don't see it happening. He's had 3 years now, and hasn't been able to singularly impress. The sooner they move on, the better for the team. He'll go down as a bust.

 

[Davi323]

I know what I'm gonna hear from the Jets diehards- "HE LED US TO TWO AFC CHAMPIONSHIP GAMES!"

Fixed.

I don't know if I would label him a bust. I don't think he was ever supposed to be Peyton Manning, based on my own impressions of him, I would probably label him as a disappointment rather than a complete bust. I don't think the expectations were ever high enough to qualify him as a bust.

Most people realize that it wasn't Sanchez who was the main reason they went to those games anyway. A strong run game matched by an even stronger defense were more responsible, I don't remember anyone (outside of NY) saying that Sanchez was the second coming of Joe Namath. That doesn't mean that he didn't help at all, not saying they got there in spite of Sanchez. But, he wasn't the main reason in the way that Peyton Manning was the main reason for the Colts success over the last decade. Sanchez never had that kind of pressure on him, he wasn't drafted to be the savior of the franchise, just to be a decent QB. He started out alright, and tapered off. Okay, disappointing. But bust? JaMarcus Russell was a bust. Tim Couch was a bust. Sanchez is just an average QB.

 

[Slyfox696]

I'm not sure how anyone can label Sanchez a bust. To be a bust, you have to prove you can't play at the high level people thought you could. Ignoring for a moment Davi's point that Sanchez was never called the second coming of John Elway (like Andrew Luck), he's also only 25 years old. He's only played 3 seasons in the NFL, 2 of which went to the AFC title game. But more importantly, he's playing for an absolute dumbass of a coach in Rex Ryan. Everywhere the Jets go is a circus because of Ryan. We've seen what a good coach can do for Alex Smith, perhaps we should wait until we see the same Sanchez.

From the media reports that came out this year, it seems pretty clear Sanchez and Ryan aren't on the same page. Rex Ryan has made the Jets a complete joke of a team, with absolutely zero chemistry, to the point where even LaDainian Tomlinson has come out to criticize the locker room. The Jets players kicked Santonio Holmes, one of the team captains, out of the huddle and benched him. The PLAYERS did that, not the coach. The Jets are an absolute mess.

You give Mark Sanchez someone like Bill Belicheck, and I'm willing to bet Sanchez looks like a lot better player. Get Sanchez away from Ryan, get him away from New York, and then I think we'll have a far more accurate assessment of how good Sanchez is. And if he doesn't perform at that point, THEN you drop the "bust" label on him. But I don't think he's had a good chance to prove what he can do yet.

 

[Frogsplsh38]

I do not consider Sanchez necessarily a bust. He has shown signs of brilliance. But, his inconsistency is a problem. One week, he lights his opponent up but the next week he's throwin 4 picks and can't move the ball. Rex Ryan seems to have a lot of faith in this guy but this season is going to be a make or break year for Sanchez. If he doesn't produce the way he was brought in to, it'll be time to look for a new franchise guy. Either in the draft or see who will be a free agent by that time. It wouldn't be a bad idea for the Jets to try to snatch up Matt Flynn. I know he hasn't exactly proven himself as a full time starter but bringing in a kid like Flynn could give Mark motivation to play better and not let this young guy take his place.

 

[BaconBits]

Mark Sanchez is hardly a bust. Anybody coached by Brian Schottenheimer is going to be inconsistent, because Schotty, much like his old man, has no business being anything near a football coach. They're dinosaur pieces of shit.

His track record is much better than most of the other current quarterbacks in the NFL. Particularly in the fourth quarter. Only Joe Flacco and Eli Manning have more fourth quarter comebacks than Mark Sanchez over the last 3 seasons.

Your argument does not factor in stuff like Santonio Holmes being a certified team cancer, Plaxico Burress not being in true game shape until about week 12, LT and Shonn Greene being injured at the same time coming down the stretch, and less depth on the defensive line than previous years.

One bad season with some major mitigating factors does not a bust make.

 

[evantay26]

He's getting damn near close (for where he was chosen) He will be a 14-20 ranked qb for 6 or 7 years. The thing is he isn't a manager like Alex Smith (looks to be), hes just kind of an average qb.

ps. I'm expecting some batshit insane stuff to happen with the jets this year. It sounds like Ryan has no control, and with trouble makers like holmes and plex, i could see some interesting NY post headlines

 

[PlayTheGame]

Mark Sanchez is hardly a bust. Anybody coached by Brian Schottenheimer is going to be inconsistent, because Schotty, much like his old man, has no business being anything near a football coach. They're dinosaur pieces of shit.

His track record is much better than most of the other current quarterbacks in the NFL. Particularly in the fourth quarter. Only Joe Flacco and Eli Manning have more fourth quarter comebacks than Mark Sanchez over the last 3 seasons.

Your argument does not factor in stuff like Santonio Holmes being a certified team cancer, Plaxico Burress not being in true game shape until about week 12, LT and Shonn Greene being injured at the same time coming down the stretch, and less depth on the defensive line than previous years.

One bad season with some major mitigating factors does not a bust make.

I'm not basing my claim off of one bad season, I'm basing it off of ALL of his seasons so far, which have not been good for him personally. While the Jets as a team have had some success since he joined the team, he has struggled mightily, and still looks uncomfortable in the pocket despite being in the league now for some time. You bring up some points about outside factors affecting him, but all you're doing is putting the blame on everyone around him and not him. Does Schottenheimer, Holmes, Plax, and a deteriorating running game hurt? Sure, but other guys around the league are doing more with less, and here's the bottom line: all of those factors will still be in place come next season and the forseeable future. Not good for Sanchez. And by the way, they have a great O-Line with arguably the best Center in the NFL, so there's no way you can bring that into the argument as "hurting" Sanchez. The fact is, Sanchez has a talented team around him and has had even more talent in the past, yet he's their biggest problem by far.

 

[PsychoBlack]

You can't really call Sanchez a bust. He certainly doesn't put up the numbers we expected him to coming out of USC, however, the guy is straight up clutch. He gets it done in crunch time and no one can deny that.

 

[Mark Henry's Beard]

You can't really call Sanchez a bust. He certainly doesn't put up the numbers we expected him to coming out of USC, however, the guy is straight up clutch. He gets it done in crunch time and no one can deny that.

And that's the reason I'm not ready to give up on him yet.

I've watched every game he's ever played and it often isn't pretty. He rarely ever seems comfortable. He seems like he's thinking every time he drops back to pass, and whenever what he wants or expects isn't there, he panics. However, he has come up huge in two minute situations as well as in the playoffs. Sanchez is still an enigma to me. I'm hopeful that he can thrive under Tony Sparano, because Schittenheimer was obviously doing Mark no favors.

And, for the record, Sanchez is NOT the reason the Jets failed to advance to the Super Bowl in the two AFC Championship games. Against the Colts, the secondary was exposed as Revis and a group of league average players that couldn't hang with a high octane offense. Against the Steelers, the entire team failed to show up in the first half, not just the QB.

 

[PlayTheGame]

Although Sanchez recently received a pretty hefty extension both in years and in dollars (which was largely undeserved when you look at his career as a whole, especially last season), the Jets elected to bring in Tim Tebow, the most polarizing QB in the game who is sure to bring the circus with him upon his arrival in New York. Now, Sanchez will probably retain the starting job, but Tebow is determined as hell to rip it from the Sanchize's relatively weak grasp. As soon as Sanchez begins to falter, which he will, and throws a few picks in a game, I guarantee you the Tebow chants will start, the billboards will go up, and the Mania will be in full-effect. It may even be stronger considering the media attention that New York gets compared to Denver. If it was as big as it was in Denver, imagine how big it can potentially be in NY, especially after his fans have already got a taste.

I think that Tebow has a chance to usurp Sanchez as the starter. I'm not saying it will definitely happen, but I wouldn't be surprised if it does. Sure, NY is committed to him now, but who knows how long that impatient market/organization will stick with him, especially after seeing the Gaints just win the Superbowl and with their team trending downward. I wouldn't be surprised if Tebow eventually takes over. If he can replace Orton, he can replace Sanchez. I think Tebow coming in could be the beginning of the end for Sanchez, and it could lead to the confirmation that he's a bust.

 

[Little Jerry Lawler]

He has increased each year in terms of completion percentage, passing yards, TD's and QB rating. 9 TD and 3 INT in the postseason. I don't think he fits New York but calling him a bust is silly. The Jets weren't as good of a team as they were last year but I don't blame it all on Sanchez. Their running game was weak and the defense wasn't as strong. He needs those two things to be an effective quarterback.

 

[Mr. HD]

Yeah, I agree with most of the people on here. I'm not ready to call him a bust quite yet. He's only been in the game for 3 years. Not every QB can come out like Matt Ryan and look like a seasoned vet 4 years in.

He has led to his team to two AFC Championship games behind a great defense and running game, but he has made the throws when he has to.

This season, it was just a bad combination of things. The release of Cotchery and the addition of Plaxico Burress. Sanchez came in and instantly flowed with these guys, but once they were taken away and given primadonnas like Burress and Holmes, it's kinda hard for a young QB to deal with all these problems. And then Rex giving reps to the backup QB, making Sanchez want it a little more. The Jets were doomed before they even knew what hit them.

Get rid of Burress, get rid of Holmes, get rid of LT, and bring in people who won't cause a fuss in the locker room. I give Sanchez at least two more seasons before I call him a bust.

I think that Tebow has a chance to usurp Sanchez as the starter. I'm not saying it will definitely happen, but I wouldn't be surprised if it does. Sure, NY is committed to him now, but who knows how long that impatient market/organization will stick with him, especially after seeing the Gaints just win the Superbowl and with their team trending downward. I wouldn't be surprised if Tebow eventually takes over. If he can replace Orton, he can replace Sanchez. I think Tebow coming in could be the beginning of the end for Sanchez, and it could lead to the confirmation that he's a bust.

I think that goes without saying. Especially in a place like New York. God forbid Sanchez throws an interception, the fans will be clamoring for Tebow. New York Fans are very fickle and will be ready to run the QB out of town after one bad season. Just like the fans in Denver ran Kyle Orton out of town, the New York fans will do the same thing and Sanchez will be keeping the bench extra warm this season.

 

[The Bearded One]

I wouldn't say Mark Sanchez is a bust, but I would say he has been a disappointment. He has been nothing but an average, at best, quarterback. There's nothing wrong with being an average quarterback, but it is a disappointment to have drafted a guy with the fifth pick in the draft. Sanchez hasn't been much more than a game manager during his time in the league, and that is disappointing in relation with his draft status.

The good news for the Jets is that his numbers have improved every year in the league. Sanchez has also posted really good numbers in the postseason as well. So although he has been mediocre for the most part in the regular season, his postseason numbers show the potential he has. So I think Sanchez has been a disappointment, but not a bust.

 

[PlayTheGame]

He has increased each year in terms of completion percentage, passing yards, TD's and QB rating. 9 TD and 3 INT in the postseason. I don't think he fits New York but calling him a bust is silly. The Jets weren't as good of a team as they were last year but I don't blame it all on Sanchez. Their running game was weak and the defense wasn't as strong. He needs those two things to be an effective quarterback.

He's statistically one of the worst starting QB's in the NFL and has a mediocre to above-average supporting cast around him. He's "increased" in categories simply because they were so low to begin with. He's never even surpassed 57% completion percentage, which is horrible for a starter. You're not going to get shit done with that in the NFL. They were able to get by on the run game and with their D for a while, but now those areas are weaker, and Sanchez simply can't pick that slack up. That's why the Jets are trending downward. For being the 5th overall pick in the draft, he's been underwhelming at best.