Giving up on the Sanchize

By Joe Schackman

Mark Sanchez's time as a Jet is likely coming to an end, and the blame for his failures rest with both the quarterback and the team.

It’s been right in front of my eyes for the last four seasons, but until now I was unwilling to admit what everyone else saw. Mark Sanchez, the fourth-year quarterback and fifth overall pick out of USC, is not the future of the New York Jets. Until now, I made excuses for his play, citing rigged statistics and useless buzzwords like “poise” and “winner.” It’s time to face the ugly truth: The experiment, started by head coach Rex Ryan and general manager Mike Tannenbaum, is just about over. And the failures rest with both Sanchez and the organization.

In 2009, Mark Sanchez rode into New York on a wave of optimism. The Jets had a boisterous new head coach, an up-and-coming defense and, in Sanchez, a potential franchise quarterback. He would be their first top-tier signal caller since Joe Namath (though calling Namath top tier has always been a stretch) and the heart of the Jets’ resurgence.

Things have not gone as planned, to say the least. But the situation was promising for a bit. The Jets put Sanchez in positions where he could succeed, and he rode an impressive defense and solid running game to two straight AFC Championship games. It was exactly the way to handle a young quarterback. The recipe for NFL quarterback development is pretty clear cut, and the Jets followed it to a T. They limited his throws. They brought in LaDanian Tomlinson as a safety blanket. They traded for Santonio Holmes and even brought in Mark Brunel to serve as a glorified quarterbacks coach. Hell, they hired a body language coach to make sure he projected a leader’s demeanor.

But come his third season, New York asked him to take the next step, to lead the offense in a league where good passing equals wins. And that is where things went wrong.

Sanchez looked uncomfortable when asked to be “the guy.” His completion percentage was abysmal, and he was never able to keep the offense in rhythm. Though always athletic enough to make plays with his feet, once the rush got close his eyes drifted to the oncoming lineman instead of downfield, and he had a knack for throwing into double or even triple coverage. Sanchez made enough plays to keep his job, but never enough to convince the league he was a serious threat. Grantland's Bill Barnwell put his victories into the context of their strong defense and special teams and came to the conclusion that just about any quarterback could have won in his situation.

After last year's disappointing 8-8 season, the Jets brought in an offensive coordinator who specialized in the ground game, not in mentoring and developing a young quarterback within an increasingly complex offense. Then came Tim Tebow, football’s version of the Swiss army knife. It cost them a fourth round pick, and while he’s added a slight wrinkle to the offense, the deal failed fill any of their holes. In particular, the glaring one at wide receiver.

To call the Jets’ receiving corps “average” is to be extremely nice. There’s the talented but stubborn Santonio Holmes, but things get pretty bleak after that. Jeremy Kerley and Stephen Hill have shown promise, but neither is reliable or especially talented. And they’re certainly not good enough to bail out Sanchez when he needs the help.

That has seemingly become the organizational stand on Sanchez. The team publicly and I’m sure privately assures him that he is their preferred starting quarterback, but every decision they made in the last two seasons has been to his detriment. When it came time to really double down on his future, the Jets balked, walked away from the table and hoped he could do it on his own.

What’s painful about all of this is that Sanchez could still be good in this league. He showed promise at times during his young career and, in many ways, is much farther along than Alex Smith ever was. Look at Smith now, years after he was declared a bust. Even Eli Manning wasn't a stud by his fourth year, and now he’s got multiple rings. So no, Sanchez is probably not en route to a Super Bowl championship this season, but three to four years is too soon to fully judge a quarterback. But if his career to this point is any indication, it’s doubtful Sanchez will ever get what he needs from the Jets.

Assuming this season continues as it has the blame should fall on Mark Sanchez as much as Rex and Tannenbaum. This off-season could mark a complete overhaul of the New York Jets. Ownership could very well bring in a new head coach, a new general manager and that almost always means a new quarterback.

Joe Schackman is a co-founder of Began in '96 and doesn't think Tim Tebow is the answer either.