The recent condemnation of Mark Sanchez is premature and furthermore the idea of releasing him from the New York Jets has no genuine support. Letting Mark Sanchez go would be a completely useless mistake. All this would do is set the Jets back even further from seeing their super bowl aspirations fulfilled. Many fans of the Jets and other teams see him as a failure and believe he should be replaced, but before you let the guillotine drop look at these great players and their careers.
Drew Brees
Was drafted in the second round by the San Diego Chargers in 2001. His first year in the NFL he only played in one regular season game. In 2002, his second season, he won the bid for starting quarterback and led the Chargers to an 8-8 record with an average passer rating of 76.9. In 2003, his third year, he only started 11 games with a passer rating of 67.5 and lost the starting position for the rest of the season. The chargers finished 4-12. In his fourth season Brees would surge to the top of the ranks and make his name as an elite QB.
Eli Manning
His first start came in 2004 and would start only seven games his rookie year. The New York Giants finished 6-10 that year and Eli finished the season with an average passer rating of 54.4. In 2005 he led the Giants to an 11-5 record and the NFC East Champions title. Manning finished 2005 with an average passer rating of 75.9 proving himself as a starter. In his third season the men in blue went 8-8 and saw Eli improve his passer rating only to 77. Yet here in 2012 Eli is a great quarterback who is still starter for the Giants, heading to the second round, and lets not forget his Super Bowl ring.
Mark Sanchez
In his first two seasons Sanchez was the starting quarterback for the Jets, and would be at the helm of a Jets team that would play in the AFC Championship game both of those years. This year, his third in the NFL, is the first he hasn’t seen the playoffs or the championship game for the AFC. In 2009 he finished with a passer rating of 63 and the Jets went 9-7 his rookie year. In his second year he finished with a rating of 75.3 while the Jets went 11-5. This year the Jets finish 8-8 and Sanchez has a passer rating of 78.2 for the season.
Yes I agree that Sanchez must play better, but I in no way believe he needs to be let go or should even be considered to be let go. Many of the greats in the NFL weren’t thrown into the leading position of their team. Tom Brady had a year under Drew Bledsoe, Aaron Rodgers had three years under Brett Favre, and Phillip Rivers had two years under Drew Brees.
So let us not just throw Sanchez under the bus and let us look at other great quarterbacks to see that greatness just doesn’t happen overnight. Rex believes Sanchez will take the Jets to the Super Bowl and give their fans something to cheer about. Rex believes it and so do I.