Mark Sanchez: Looks Good In Green
Mark Sanchez: Looks Good In Green
Even before Sunday’s NFL action showed us just how ready rookies Mark Sanchez and Matthew Stafford are for the pros, the comparisons to John Elway, Peyton Manning, and Ryan Leaf had to be made.
Oh, and to that other guy, Dan Marino.
The same thing happened for Matt Ryan and Joe Flacco last year. Both quarterbacks started their careers with victories, and while the top overall pick in this year’s draft, Stafford, couldn’t follow suit, Mark Sanchez did. After several experts and analysts said it was a mistake for the Jets to throw him into the mix, Sanchez stood poised, a giant among men, victorious over the favored Houston Texans, and impressively so.
Sanchez was wildly effective in his NFL debut, only making one major mistake, a pick six in the fourth quarter (Houston’s only score), with the game already out of reach. Stats don’t lie and with a solid 18 for 31, 277 yards, and a touchdown pass, the NFL world collectively was impressed. And if history teaches us anything, there will be more to come.
We witnessed this kind of “unlikely” success last year, as Matt Ryan started off with a bang, literally, as his first pass went for a 60+ yard touchdown to Michael Jenkins, and Ryan finished his first game with 161 yards and a victory. But if Ryan and Flacco were so impressive last year, both as fantasy options and NFL leaders, how do they compare to Mark Sanchez?
First, more was asked of Sanchez in week one. He was going up against an aggressive Houston front line. He threw 31 passes, which was 18 more than Ryan did in his debut, and aside from one mistake, was nearly flawless. Sanchez was also very effective on 3rd down, especially in 3rd and longs.
Not even Dan Marino could touch what Sanchez was able to do on Sunday. Marino’s first performance in his rookie season ended with two touchdowns, but only 90 yards in a 27-14 loss to the Oakland Raiders. Sanchez, unlike most rookie quarterbacks before him, threw the ball with confidence and precision, threw it a lot, and nearly escaped unscathed.
Most importantly, however, he escaped victorious.
But despite the success of Sanchez, Flacco, and Ryan, the questions remain: which performance is best? Can Sanchez touch Marino’s 20 touchdown total of the 1983 season, and are the Jets playoff material? While it may be too early to answer any of those questions, it’s entirely possible that Sanchez has the mental make-up, intangibles, and moxie to be the best rookie passer we’ve seen in some time. That’s right, the same kid with only one year of starting experience at USC. The same kid that Pete Carroll thought was foolish for entering the NFL Draft this year. The same kid that all those experts predicted would crumble under the pressure of week one. But if you ask Rex Ryan, Sanchez, his teammates, or even the Houston Texans, it’s pretty obvious he’s not a kid anymore.
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