by Sporting Jules
So it looks like Rex Ryan has finally seen a sliver of the light and gave Mark Brunell some first-team reps this week at the New York Jets practice and Mark Sanchez is being a jerk about it. Apparently, after that happened, Sanchez didn’t speak to Ryan the rest of the day.
What bothers me the most is the insinuation that Mark Sanchez is somehow beyond reproach. That his standing as starting quarterback means he should not be held accountable for his less-than-average play during his entire career. I thought this was the NFL where every single player’s position on the team is not something to be taken for granted, no matter where you were drafted.
Being a child and not talking to your head coach because they dare do something like allow another quarterback to take some of your repetitions is childish and shows the level of maturity that Sanchez possesses right now. Of course, one should remember that last year Ryan did the same thing at one point. Prior to the Week 15 game against the Pittsburgh Steelers, he pulled Sanchez to the sidelines while letting Brunell take some snaps with the first team.
How did Sanchez react then? He got so mad that he said afterwards he wanted to fight Ryan for having the gall to think about benching him. His repeated disrespect of Ryan for doing his job is something that most NFL coaches wouldn’t tolerate. If Sanchez did that to Bill Belichick, he’d be on waivers right now.
Since when has Sanchez turned into an All-Pro quarterback? Why does he have the right at all to question his head coach publicly? He’s a third year quarterback who hasn’t deserved the constant starting spot he was given since his very first game as a pro.
I’m talking about a guy who has a career passing percentage of 55.2%, 43 touchdowns, 43 interceptions, and a QB rating of 72.9. He ranks 19th among starting quarterbacks in 2011 in QB rating, and in the new Total Quarterback Rating that ESPN has developed (which is supposed to determine how much the quarterback actually factors into the success of a team), he ranks 29th.
It’s not as if Sanchez has had a great season, had one bad game, and is now being threatened with benching. You’re talking about a sub-par quarterback who is being rightly challenged for his job and he’s pouting.
If I were a Jets fan, I’d be imploring the Jets to have Brunell start a game and let the former USC QB sit for a while and regain some perspective. Sanchez appears to have an opinion of himself that few share.
Jules is the principle writer of the sports blog at www.sportingjules.blogspot.com
People so often forget that Sanchez was as close to a one-and-done college player as you will get in football. He only had one year, albeit a good year, to deal with the pressures of being a starting QB at a major university. There were question marks about him when the Jets picked him, but they were forgotten because he won. I believe that he can be a good quarterback in the NFL, but it will take some time. He had so much attention and admiration heaped on him early so he feels like he has arrived when he has not.
He should seek help from Eli Manning. Eli has been disrespected by nearly everyone throughout his career even though he is a proven talent. Manning has not pouted and he has answered the critics by winning football games. That’s what Sanch-ize should do.
Ryan deliberately gave Brunell snaps with the first team as a motivational ploy to fire-up his 3rd year QB. This isn’t the first time Sanchez has suddenly refused to speak to Ryan either. Sanchez threw a career high 4 TDs in a gritty win over the Bills last Sunday, and confidently led gang green down field with 5:44 to play for the go-ahead and eventual winning touchdown pass.
There also isn’t a QB controversy in Florham Park. Sanchez has already tied the NFL all-time record for playoff wins on the road. Sanchez has more “perspective” that you allude to.
[...] Sporting Jules stated in her feature on StateoftheSport.com that, “Mark Sanchez (was) being a jerk about it.” The boisterous “boss” had a blatantly different viewpoint, however. ”Everybody has to play (with an edge), and I just love it when he’s that way. When he’s that way, we’re extremely hard to beat,” exclaimed Ryan in his weekly press conference before the Jets beat the Bills 28-24 in a comeback effort. [...]