Mark Sanchez: Doubters To The Left

Mark Sanchez fumbling the ball while getting tackled (AP)

Poor pretty boy Mark Sanchez. After a string of lucky wins followed by brutal losses, the Jets quarterback is facing the doubters, especially after coach Rex Ryan said he would bench him if needed. Yesterday, Sanchez said, "That’s always going to be Rex’s decision. It’s his prerogative. He says who the quarterback is. As long as it’s me, I’m playing my heart out for the team and I think the guys know that."

Still, he gave what ESPN called a "nervous laugh" during a press conference, where he also said, "It's a good challenge for me early in my career, where people might doubt, even in the building... It's a tough business now. You just have to be thick-skinned. You just need to be ready to play and I will."

The Jets face the Steelers on Sunday, and over the past three games, Sanchez has had only one touchdown—plus five interceptions and a 43% completion rate.

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By Jen Chung in News on December 16, 2010 3:10 PM

Comments [rss]

epicac5

...and like 3 or 4 fumbles, right?

jaycjay

Over those last three games, five fumbles (four in the Miami game), one lost.

The fact is, other than occasional flashes Sanchez has never looked good. This season his passer rating for individual games has only been over 100 three times. For the season it stands at 74. And memories seem to be short, because people seem to think he's "regressed,: Last season his rating was only 63.

Like his coach, he says the right things. But he hasn't actually shown much on the field. Of course, he's only in his second season and it's a rare QB who clicks in the NFL before season three or four these days so I wouldn't necessarily give up hope. I'd just try to be realistic about what the Jets have: a young quarterback with potential but a lot of learning and adapting still ahead of him.