I don't get the problem. Sanchez made the right move getting the first down. He didn't slide head first, he jumped/took a dive to get the first down. Thats how you play in the NFL. On that specific play, Sanchez made the right move as a QB. If he would have slid, the Jets would have had to punt out of their own endzone. The Panthers game had moments where he should have taken the slide but didn't and I get that, but the Bills play I have no problem with. Sanchez must be starting to get the feeling that anything you do in NY will be questioned. Sad.
From Mark's playing days at USC: Injury clouds waters at USC Quarterback Sanchez dislocates kneecap and could be out for opener, maybe longer. Doctors rule out bone, ligament or cartilage damage. August 09, 2008|Gary Klein USC's quarterback situation for the season opener and possibly beyond became muddled Friday when starter Mark Sanchez suffered a dislocated left kneecap while warming up for practice. Sanchez, a fourth-year junior, threw a pass to teammate Clay Matthews, as he does every day before stretching exercises, but then crumpled to the ground. Ads by Google / Ad Feedback * Semi Truck InjuryOver $350M in courtroom verdicts Call us at 800-255-5070. www.interstateaccidents.com * Best Knee Injury TherapyThe Facts, Options and Cures. How Pro Athletes Heal So Quickly. MendMyKnee.com Advertisement Team trainers helped Sanchez to the sideline, where he said the kneecap was put back into place. He was later carted from the field and taken for an MRI exam and X-rays. Sanchez, on crutches and wearing a long brace on his left leg, expressed disappointment but also relief after returning to campus and meeting with team doctors, who informed him there was no ligament, cartilage or bone damage. He will begin rehabilitation Monday and Coach Pete Carroll said the quarterback's status was day-to-day. "Just scary, frightening," Sanchez said of his initial thoughts when his knee gave out. "But the way they said some of these things happen it could be a lot worse. This is really the best-case scenario." Said Carroll: "We lucked out." Sanchez, 6 feet 3 and 225 pounds, appeared in seven games last season, including three starts in place of injured senior John David Booty. He completed 69 of 114 passes for 695 yards and seven touchdowns with five interceptions. Asked if he would be ready for the Trojans' Aug. 30 opener at Virginia, Sanchez said, "Hope so, got to hope so. And work to get back. But we'll see. I'm trying to get back before that so I can practice." Sanchez's uncertain status elevates sophomore transfer Mitch Mustain and redshirt freshman Aaron Corp to compete for the starting job. Both appeared a bit shaky in the immediate aftermath of Sanchez's injury before rallying and performing well during the second half of practice. Carroll said the injury provided an "extraordinary moment" for the Trojans' backups. "My thought is we have a guy like Mitch and a guy like Aaron that can jump in and take their shots at this thing until Mark's back in here and battling with them," Carroll said. "This is an opportunity and how we deal with it and how we handle it is important. Not the fact that something happened." Offensive coordinator Steve Sarkisian indicated Mustain was next in line but said Corp would also compete for the spot. "These two guys are more on the athletic side -- they really like to get out of the pocket and do things out of the pocket," Sarkisian said. Mustain was 8-0 as a freshman starter at Arkansas in 2006. On Thursday, Mustain had said he did not think it would be possible to unseat Sanchez as the starter for the opener, but that he would be prepared if needed. Mustain called Sanchez's mishap a "freak" injury. "We hate that it happened. We hate for it to happen like that, especially, but we got an opportunity today to kind of show what we could do and had to take care of it," he said. Corp starred at Orange Lutheran High and was the standout performer during the Trojans' spring scrimmage in April. On Friday, he passed for three touchdowns during the team's final drill. "This is an opportunity," he said. "I'm thrilled but at the same time you have to feel for Mark."
From October of 2008 Posted by ESPN.com's Ted Miller LOS ANGELES -- On a night when just about everything went right for USC, it seems reasonable that even a scary injury had an apparent happy ending. With less than four minutes left in the third quarter, Oregon defensive end Nick Reed yanked Trojans quarterback Mark Sanchez down from behind for a sack. Sanchez's left knee -- the one he wears a brace on since he dislocated his kneecap during the preseason -- got bent under him. And he didn't get up. "I think we all got scared a little bit," defensive end Clay Matthews said. A short time after he walked gingerly off the field, it was announced that Sanchez might return to the game. And then he did -- albeit briefly -- for the first series of the fourth quarter. So the knee wasn't seriously hurt and shouldn't keep Sanchez from practicing this week and suiting up Saturday when Arizona State comes to town. "It was just aggravated a little bit, nothing too serious," Sanchez said. "I wanted to come back in, but as a precaution we held back a little and it was [backup Mitch Mustain's] time to step up. Thankfully, I had the patella stabilizer and the brace and that took care of me." Sanchez walked up the tunnel with a limp immediately after the game, his knee wrapped in bandages and ice. But he walked to the shower showing few ill-effects and fielded questions afterwards per his usual routine. Before he went down, he turned in perhaps the best performance of his career, completing 19 of 28 for 332 yards with three touchdowns and no interceptions. Reed's sack was the only time the Ducks pass rush got him. "Sanchez was very accurate," Oregon coach Mike Bellotti said. "They did a nice job of protecting him and moving the pocket around." In the loss at Oregon State, Sanchez's numbers were OK, but he only averaged 7.8 yards per completion. The plan against the Ducks was to throw down field more. Sanchez's touchdowns were 34 yards, 63 yards and 11 yards. He averaged 11.5 yards per completion. "He throws a beautiful deep ball," USC coach Pete Carroll said. And it appears he'll again be throwing deep Saturday against Arizona State.
The knees are going to be an issue moving forward at this point. I would not be opposed to shutting Sanchez down for the season and having an orthopedist work out a treatment regimen and a set of braces that work well without hindering Sanchez too much. His past history of knee issues is likely to continue in the future unless something significant changes in the equation. That could be surgical procedure to fix an underlying weakness, a good set of lightweight braces, a change in the way he moves around on the football field or possibly a combination of all of the above.
Glad we recognize the injury though and dont make him play thru it....like we did with Farve last year. I know clemens isnt who many want in there but if he gives us the BEST chance to win on sunday then im for it. We dont want to be coming back and saying o sanchez lost this game becuase he couldnt do something (with the injury) or made this mistake cause of the injury. Clemens turn to step up and maybe prove all the fans wrong, at least for this week.
interesting point, because I wonder if this team was tied with NE for 1st place if Sanchez would be out there on sunday. since the Jets have an outside shot at the playoffs and not a great shot, its better to sit the kid. i'll take 8-8 or 7-9 knowing he's healthy and this team is that *pinches fingers together really close* far away from being a contender for the next decade.
