News: Does Sanchez Need a Veteran QB to Rein Him In?
Jay Greenberg writes a well written column on Mark Sanchez and his need for a veteran quarterback to help him out.
If the Jets believed Clemens was capable of being an above-average starter, then he already would be one here. So why does their emergency quarterback have no track record, leaving Sanchez with the following mentors:
* A first-time head coach who got the job off his work as a defensive coordinator.
* An offensive coordinator, Brian Schottenheimer, who never played in the NFL.
* A quarterbacks coach, Matt Cavanaugh, who was 8-11 as an NFL starter almost 30 years ago.
* And a fourth-year backup, Clemens, with eight largely unsuccessful NFL starts.
Who is the guy who tells Sanchez “I’ve been there” after Sanchez’s second interception of the day?
The Jets swear by the kid’s work habits, and five interceptions in one game certainly speak to a confidence and single-mindedness that in the long run should render his knuckleheaded plays an endearing memory. There are few shortcuts to a process where failure often breeds success. Sanchez has the talent and personality to make it as big as anyone ever has in this town, but in lot of ways has been set up to fail.
He needs tough love. And Ryan’s success hinges on whether he proves the provider.
Would having a calming veteran presence be a boon? Yes. Would having a player who could step in and manage the offense well enough for a series or a game be a help? Absolutely. Does the lack of a veteran mean that Sanchez’s progress, for that reason alone stand on a precipice? No.
I agree with Greenberg’s assessment that Sanchez needs a veteran presence to hold the clipboard and talk to on the bench and maybe even keep Sanchez motivated knowing that there’s a competent second option (see Kurt Warner), but I don’t see this as a Freudian scarring of Sanchez’s childhood NFL days.
Joe Flacco is basically in the same situation and it seems to be working for him, but he also seemed more willing to reel it in on his own early on, and that’s the reason that Sanchez needs a Damoclesian Sword over his head. The reasons to have a veteran quarterback on this roster who’s been a fairly successful starter (but who accepts his backup role) would be a help to this team and only make it deeper. Ryan’s shown that he’s letting his QB learn to swim in the deep end and that’s fine, but maybe having a lifeguard at the pool would be a good idea.
25 Responses to News: Does Sanchez Need a Veteran QB to Rein Him In?
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greg sec 130 says:
It really depends. Any veteran QB? No. A lot of these guys may be vets by age, but are still egomaniacs and would rather be playing, or more likely are only available because they never improved from their ‘bust’ status. I mean, do you really want MS getting advice from Joey Harrington, just because he’s been there?
There are definitely some guys out there that enjoy watching the young player grow and being that guy who teaches them the ins and outs, and are just out of a job because of the numbers game or their advanced age. Vinny was a great example of someone who stunk, then succeeded, then just got too old.
Who is that now? Charlie Batch? How did he look for the Steelers last week. Patrick Ramsey? No. Who was available to bring in to be that mentor and also be a ‘competent second option’ who you trust for a series or two.
Jeff Garcia is one name, maybe Brian Griese, any others? It’s easy to say a veteran QB would help MS, but until Jay names examples, it’s an argument that has no punch.
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Don’t get me wrong — I would rather Garcia over Clemens, both on the field and off… but assuming Garcia didn’t want to come here or didn’t want the mentor role… who else is there? I wasn’t saying I don’t think it’s wise (cause KC should not be his primary backup), I just wanted to hear some ideas.
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Lysol says:
The Chad or the aged one Vinny T as a mentor only
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inOhio says:
I have always heard that Garcia is really only interested in starting. Probably why he’s out of football right now. His style of play seems so similar to Sanchez’ that it would be interesting to see him on the roster though.
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Chad Pennington is on the Dolphins. You really trust 46 yr old Vinny to come in and play vs Tampa Bay next week? This is a backup QB role. I don’t think you can hire him to mentor Sanchez only, or you have to demote Cavanaugh from that spot.
I agree with inOhio, Garcia seems to be the only available option, and at 39 with no job, maybe he checks his ego at the door. Had he done that earlier in the year, Sanchez would have has his mentor, and maybe he’d have a shot to face off against his former team next week. We probably would not have traded for O’Connell, or dumped KC after camp.
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The Chad for next year and yes Vinny could be a mentor. Who cares about Cavanaugh.
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matt says:
def chad next year noone i rather him learn from chads a freat mentor
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Johnny Reefer says:
I say screw all that.
Just give him tapes upon tapes of Drew Brees, and try to work out with him during the offseason.
Sanchez= Rookie Drew Brees. Now if he could just pick his brain we can have somebody like that as our QB.
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I don’t care about Cavanaugh either but just replacing the QB coach with Vinny is not the same as having your backup, in uniform, in your ear along with the QB coach, and available to go into a game as motivation and/or injury.
Brees is a good example actually — he sat his first season behind Flutie, then Flutie stuck around for two years to mentor him.
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Shamik says:
YES! In the offseason Sanchez should just pay Brees whatever he wants and just follow him around and try to figure out what makes him tick. Sanchez seems to be a good kid with a serious work ethic. With some time I can definately see him as a Drew Brees type QB.
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Well there aren’t many options and Vinny is a New Yorker. He has played here has been, he knows the media, and has played in big games. Who else is left?
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mole57 says:
Enough with the calls for Vinny. Vinny is not a teacher. Vinny had an incredible arm but horrible decision-making. It wasn’t until Parcells got a hold of him that he was able to produce anything at all.
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NYJ09 says:
fins aren’t gonna resign chad after this season, pick him up and have him mentor sanchez.
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igs says:
Ummmmm, yes.
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WW85 says:
I am amzed the Jets are carrying 4 QBS. Why aren’t O’connell & Ainge even competing for the #2 slot? From what I read, both the Pats & Jets were high on O’connell when he was drafted.
I thought Garcia would have been perfect for us this year. We’d be between 8-4 to 10-2 if he had been the starter & Sanchez had been learning under him.
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Ben Nevis says:
Does Sanchez need a veteran QB to mentor him?
YYYYYYYYYYYYYEEEEEEEEEEEESSSSSSSSSSSS, and his name is JEFF GARCIA.
We should have cut Kellen C before the season started, and picked up JG as our back-up.
In those games that Sanchez threw four, five interceptions–those games he single-handedly lost for us–I would have benched MS, and brought in Garcia. Same for Thursday night when Mark S went down with the bad knee.
We would have had a much better chance of winning several games this season, and Sanchez would have had the fear of the bench to motivate him, and get his head straight.
Right now, Sanchez has no genuine fear of the bench, because he knows Rex ain’t going with Clemens unless MS is seriously injured. (Note: Rex is now praying that Sanchise can play with a sprained knee–that’s how much confidence RR has in KC!)
And on the sidelines, Clemens is useless as a mentor .
If the Jets had made the right move before the season started, Garcia could have been mentoring Sanchez the whole season.
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well obviously you can all wish we had gracia, but he is old, and Jamarcus Russell beat him out for the startin job in Oakland.
If Russell really won it or not, i have no idea but that’s still a fearful thought in my head.
We need to stick with the kid. If he can’t play, we are going to play Clemens and he needs to step it up.
Lets all just root our asses off for whoever is in there next sunday.
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washington heights says:
I don’t think Garcia has the right ego to just mentor the next guy. He has had to fight tooth and nail for respect and a job his entire career, in spite of his legit talent.
To me, the topic is that Schottie and Ryan decided not to play a rookie-friendly gameplan but just play free. The first Bills game was a joke. Why did Schottie keep calling downfield throws on a windy day when the Jets were averaging, like six yards a carry?
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James in TN says:
ty washington heights my point exactly, schottenheimer is a moron. The moron should be fired. If somehow we miss the playoffs by 1 game then the Buffalo game should be called out as the reason.
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StvDoe says:
Garcia could really help, but I just don’t see him, (nor do I think he sees himself), in a backup/mentor role.
And as I’ve said many times over, Sanchez starting is the best way to speed his development.
At any rate, this is a discussion best suited to the off season when the options become clearer.
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joey says:
definately,i would sign a good backup,maybe jeff garcia,or chad pennington,someone who can bring out the best out of sanchito,knowing if he screws up,the backup would take his job
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wow,how in the hell is brian schitty calling offensive plays in this league and he never even played in it,did he get the job cuz of his moron dad?and our quarterback coach was 8-11 as a started 30 years ago?are you freaking kidding me?no wonder why sanchito has struggled at times,these guys arent helping him,they are making him regress,am i the only one here worried?is tannebauma serious?u trust these 2 morons to teach sanchito how to be a great quarterback in this league?are you freaking kidding me or what?im lost for words,if we dont fire schitty and his idiot quarterback coach after this year,sanchito will never be a good signal caller in this league,i guarantee it.
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Bent says: Joey – Cavanaugh isn’t just some journeyman nobody. He was a highly respected backup for 14 years and has been an offensive coordinator in the NFL for a few teams, including the Superbowl champion 2000 Ravens.
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Jets-Fan-4-Life says:
Anyone is better then Clemens!!
Damoclesian sword? Well done Bassett.