Getty ImagesJets quarterback Mark Sanchez has taken a lot of criticism from fans and the media. But he says he has no doubt that within the locker room, he has unconditional support.
Asked at his press conference today if he is confident that everyone in the locker room supports him, Sanchez answered, “Absolutely, no question.”
Sanchez offered a similar answer when asked if he thinks he has improved during his three-year NFL career.
“No question, absolutely,” Sanchez said. “Whether it’s defensive recognition or clock management and stuff like that, understanding the offense and the system, I’m light years ahead, so it’s been a great run so far and we’re not done yet. Hopefully, we’ll get a win and see what happens.”
But watching Sanchez, it’s hard to see how he has really improved in terms of his defensive recognition and clock management. He still makes too many mental mistakes, and he wastes timeouts too often to claim he has improved at clock management.
Ball security is also a huge problem for Sanchez, who fumbled 10 times in his rookie year, nine times last year and has fumbled 10 times this year. Those ball security problems were largely overlooked in his first two seasons because the Jets recovered seven of his 10 fumbles his rookie year and eight of his nine fumbles his second year. But this year the Jets have only recovered two of Sanchez’s 10 fumbles, and the problem of a quarterback who puts the ball on the ground too much has become more apparent.
Ultimately, Sanchez probably got too much credit when the Jets got to back-to-back AFC Championship Games in his first two years, and now he’s probably getting too much blame for the Jets likely missing the playoffs.
“We went to the AFC Championship two years in a row, so there is only one more step to make really, win that game and then go win the Super Bowl,” Sanchez said. “With those expectations, that’s fine. When things don’t go right, people are going to immediately question me.”
No one said playing quarterback for the New York Jets would be easy.
Channel Finder
He’s done.
I have never seen a mediocre QB get such constant press.
hey mark….you were gifted into the playoffs two years ago. the colts layed down like dogs, thats the only reason you got in that year. and its the sole purpose that i hope that BUM jim caldwell gets axed this year.
and btw nimrod, getting to the superbowl AND winning it are TWO more steps, not one.
Yeah, he’s done. He’ll be in Seattle next year.
Of course Sanchez is going to say this. And of course Rex is going to lend support publicly. Tannenbaum has been conspicuously quiet all along. As have the Jets players. The whole thing reeks of a massive and thorough off-season evaluation from top down. Tannenbaum will be tasked with making the final decisions on essentially everything, and anyone who has watched the Jets have seen 2 things – a declining or horribly stagnant Mark Sanchez, and a suddenly easy-to-figure-out Rex Ryan defense. It was easy to mask the Sanchez inadequacies in the past, but nothing can hide a porous defense (scoreboard). At some point, in order to save his own skin, Ryan may have to re-think his overwhelming support of Sanchez and come to realize what is so obvious to just about everyone else: The Jets need a new and more productive player under center.
He’s starting to sound as delusional as ol’ Rexy.
Sad, really.
JP Losman
They should have asked him if he would take Peyton Manning over himself in a draft—-”Umm Absolutely, No Question!”
So
Much
Jets
News
WTF!?!?!
I can;t believe how a mediocre USC player is looked as a TOP NOTCH PLAYER
Just look at a few
Reggie Bush
Carson Palmer
The list goes on and on and on
The problem is that he has no one else’s.
That being said, I guarantee if the Jets cut him or don’t re-sign him, he will be a starter elsewhere.
BTC says:
Dec 28, 2011 6:08 PM
I have never seen a mediocre QB get such constant press.
___
Tebow?
We went to the AFC Championship two years in a row, so there is only one more step to make really, win that game and then go win the Super Bowl,”
i see two steps instead of one
Mediocre yes, done no.
Needs. New. Offensive. Coaches.
I’m tired of the Jets bringing up the two AFC championship games…
coming from a jets fan
Did you know they went to the AFC Championship game two years in a row? I didn’t pick up on it the first 50,000 times Rex, Sanchez, and residents from Jersey said it. I’ve never seen a group of people be so thrilled about losing in the playoffs.
How many times are they going to say “we went to the AFC Championship 2 years in a row” THEY LOST! Do Seahawk fans say “We went to the Super Bowl?”
Sanchez is in dire need of a better running game. The Jets have no RB that scares anybody, so defenses are teeing off on him. Hard for any QB to function then.
How many times are they going to say “we went to the AFC Championship 2 years in a row” THEY LOST! Do Seahawk fans say “We went to the Super Bowl?”
Why yes. All the time.
Why is there so much talk about a team that is barely over .500?
Do we really need to read any more articles about Mr. Me (Rex), or Schot, or Sanchise?
How about moving on to legit teams like the Saints, Packers, Steelers, Pats, Ravens, Texans, or Giants.
Please Mike lets see if you can refrain from writing about Ryan (either one) for the next few days…I bet you can’t do it.
I’m a Jets fan…but if you have to answer these questions, you know you’re done.
They should be renamed the American Airline Jets
“I have never seen a mediocre QB get such constant press.”
Welcome to New York, where players are made out to be significantly better than they are.
See Namath, Joe.
Why is there so much talk about a team that is barely over .500?
Do we really need to read any more articles about Mr. Me (Rex), or Schot, or Sanchise?
How about moving on to legit teams like the Saints, Packers, Steelers, Pats, Ravens, Texans, or Giants.
Please Mike lets see if you can refrain from writing about Ryan (either one) for the next few days…I bet you can’t do it.
———————————————–
Giants fan huh? Since they have the same record.
“Absolutely no question”…..that white skinny jeans are always a poor choice.
Sanchez is the quality of quarterback that are available for one dime per dozen. There are 50 quarterbacks out of the league who have just as much talent as Sanchez. If not for the Defense in NY, Sanchez would have been gone long ago. If Rex were an offensive minded coach like Sean Peyton, he would have been torqued if they team Picked Sanchez. Imagine Sanchez on a team like the Saints, Packers, Lions, Patriots or Chargers. If he thinks he is getting picked on now, let him thoink about playing for a team that depends on scoring to win. Sanchez is sub-par at best. He has the highest completion percentage of his career this year.. Like 56%…. Hardly a sign of greatness.
If this team was in the midwest and his coach wasn’t such a blowhard we wouldn’t even KNOW who Mark Sanchez was this season.
Sure does seem like we’re reading a lot of talk about the Yets, Rex Ryan, and Sanchez……
I’m thinking there’s way too much smoke for there to be no fire.
I’ve never seen a PFT post unanimously agree like this one, and comment from every possible perspective. It’s not looking good for Sanchez.
Kiss of death.
“But we went to two AFC Championship games in a row”
Would you like fries with that?
What did the Jets see in this guy to move up to #5 in the 2009 Draft?
The Jets could have stayed put and had Josh Freeman, who granted has struggled this year but has a much higher upside.
Vegas Guy says: Dec 28, 2011 5:25 PM
If I was a Packer share holder I would be tuh-huh-icked. That’s just like diluting a real stock by splitting it except in this case you don’t get twice the shares.
Yes they’re just a piece of paper in reality but still.
Very unfair.
—————————————
As a Packer shareholder since 1997, I have no idea what you mean. Why would I be ticked? I think I’m more ticked that you’re too much of an idiot to realize that nobody should or would be ticked about this.
Sanchez will be back with the Jets next year- he got a lot of guaranteed money when he signed, IIRC.
Sanchez is not the problem with this team, the problem is average personnel & Rex Ryan’s mouth
Lies
Maybe the Jets miss Eric Mangini
“We went to the AFC Championship two years in a row”
and they lost.
Someone answer me this(I was just a kid at the time): When the Bills went to 4 straight Super Bowls (and lost) were they this annoying?
Wait… Is this an article about Joe Flacco? No? Oh well, Same guy.
I think they call these: “famous last words”.
@cereal blogger: The problem isn’t Rex’s mouth. The problem IS increasingly average personnel…of which Sanchez is a part of.
They regressed in the receiving corps, as last year’s Braylon was much better for the offense than this year’s Plax, J-Co was let go for nothing and Santonio has let frustrations lead him to be even less disciplined on the field (shockingly poorer route running).
An excellent QB *might* be able to compensate for this and an excellent receiving corps *might* be able to compensate for an average QB.
Hell, these two personnel areas *might* be more successful as they currently are composed if they had an OC that would play to their strengths and put them in the best position to succeed.
“Someone answer me this(I was just a kid at the time): When the Bills went to 4 straight Super Bowls (and lost) were they this annoying?”
Yes. But what was probably easier for those who hated the Bills was that any annoying talking that came from them was their players, not their coach. So you could watch and hope to see Thurman Thomas get de-cleated, for instance.