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Mark Sanchez Was Never a Problem for New York

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By @AnthonyBeers

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Getty Images

New York is one of the most difficult places to win. The demands from the fans are eccentrically high, and the hostile responses towards losing give players little opportunities for success. But there truly is no worse job in the NFL than being quarterback for the New York Jets. The fans are so hungry for success they’re willing to pounce on a guy at the first sign of ineptitude. This case has never been more evident than with former Jet and current Philadelphia Eagle Mark Sanchez.

Sanchez’s early success spoiled Jets fans astronomically. His playoff performances assisted the team in two straight AFC Championship game appearances, and he broke records for success on the road as a youngster. The Jets had what they needed for success: a running game, a strong defense, and a quarterback that could get the job done in big games.

But for some reason whenever a team has success or struggles in the NFL, fans often think it’s almost exclusively because of the quarterback. This is probably highly influenced by mainstream media, but it’s also the nature of the game. Quarterbacks are on camera the most getting the ball every play. That mentality is common, although foolish. The most important part of any football team starts up front. But let’s face it, an offensive line is just not nearly as glamorous as the pretty boy Sanchez.

Jets fans suffer from being wildly overzealous. This is quite common among franchises that are in the middle of Super Bowl droughts. Unfortunately for Jets fans, they have not seen a Super Bowl appearance since 1969. This creates a hunger deep inside of fans that makes it almost impossible to view things rationally. It’s honestly completely understandable. Losing hits all aspects of a franchise, from the owner to the fans in the seats.

So naturally at the first sign of struggle, a majority of Jets fans betrayed their loyalty to Sanchez, forgetting the fact that the Jets’ decline transpired from a weaker running game, offensive line, and receiving core. The Jets sputtered in all aspects offensively throughout Sanchez’s last two seasons in New York, and he received a ridiculously unfair amount of blame. Sanchez even had better individual statistics in the 2011 season, when the Jets failed to make the playoffs, but was still booed countless times by Jets fans.

In 2013 the Jets management had the audacity to draft Geno Smith in the second round. The team took him despite the fact that they still had Sanchez on the roster and still had other issues that remained unsolved. Then, almost inevitably, Sanchez was injured during a preseason game against the New York Giants and missed the entire 2013 season. At this point, ESPN had already contributed to the soiling of Sanchez’s reputation in New York by replaying the “butt fumble” over and over for an entire year. The Jets released Sanchez and signed Mike Vick on the same day. The Eagles quickly signed Sanchez as a backup to quarterback Nick Foles.

And while this article criticizes being overzealous, so far Sanchez has a quarterback rating of 97 in his two starts following Foles’ injury. It’s almost as if he does better when there are receivers and an offensive line that do their jobs! Jets fans, ESPN’s shameful repetition of the “butt fumble,” and the overall hostility of the New York media unfairly ran Sanchez out of town. Now he’s showing the Jets that he was never the problem at all in New York.

Sure, the kid’s not a star, and he could have done better for the Jets. But there’s no question he was treated terribly, just as Geno Smith has been this season, by a team that failed to acknowledge other issues besides quarterback play. The Eagles’ Chip Kelly is making a point to show the Jets what good management and coaching can do for a quarterback. So while fans still laugh at the “butt fumble,” understand this: Sanchez was always good. (Alright, the meme with Kim Kardashian is really funny).

Even though quarterbacks are on camera the most they aren’t everything to a football club. It takes a team with combined efforts on every single snap. It takes a coaching staff that allows a team to be prepared. In a world of harsh media and fans that expect all quarterbacks to be Peyton Manning or Tom Brady, it’s easy to forget that.

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