Mark deserved 1 more year here (2013) I agree. If things didn't work out, we would have Bridgewater or Derek Carr as our QB this season. More promise in the future IMO.
Eagles don't run a true WCO. It's basic principals are West Coast, but they incorporate the read option, spread offense and the vertical offense into it as well. Mark's a decent fit there because he throws well on the run and is an excellent play-action QB (play-action is huge in that offense). If the offense can get the QB in rhythm, Mark is going to complete passes there. He could very well blow in Chip Kelly's offense, but he could also thrive there as well.
2013 would have been year 5. How many QB's get year 5 when they are 6-12 in their last 18 starts in years 3 and 4? 2011: last 3 games of season are a disaster for Sanchez and the Jets as they collapse out of playoff contention at the end with Sanchez leading the Jets to 5 TD's in the last 3 games, one of which started on the opponents 11 yard line. He had 9 turnovers in the 3 games. 2012: the season starts off great against a weak Bills secondary and then is all downhill from there. Jets are 5-9 in Sanchez 14 starts after the opener and they win one of those games because Greg McElroy manages to lead a TD drive for a 7-6 win against the Cardinals. The Jets are only in that game at all because the Cardinals are starting a terrible QB in their rebuilding process. Sanchez leads 23 TD drives in 15 games and has 26 turnovers. What was the argument for letting him have year 5 after the terrible stretch from mid 2011 onwards? In Sanchez last 18 starts for the Jets he lead them to 28 TD's and had 35 turnovers. To compare with Geno, who had 24 starts for the Jets, Geno lead the Jets to 36 TD's in the 24 starts and had 38 turnovers. Neither QB did anywhere near enough for the Jets to keep the job. Geno did better than Sanchez though and it wasn't particularly close.
I certainly hope this wasn't the case. I'd respect Rex alot more if he decided to stick with Geno even if it was a mistake. Everybody make mistakes. If he stuck with Geno because he was told to, he deserves to be gone. If you are going out anyway, you should go out doing it your way.
I know the kid had his struggles towards the end, but the whole situation was mismanaged by the Jets FO. I would rather have Mark take a lump for one more year then to draft a QB early in a weak QB class. Mark is still a better QB then Geno Smith. Look at where we are now ... Geno Smith got us to a splendid 1-8 record and his record as a starter is extremely awful.
Even if all of that is true, isn't it kind of beside the point? The point is to win the games as and when you play them. If that means starting players who have the proper skillset to perform the job that's necessary, that's what you do. I have this seeping sense of dread that we are going to be lamenting Pryor in a couple of seasons because "he was never playing in his natural position" (Coples) or "he didn't have enough help around him" (Sanchez). Enough with the fucking excuses. You play to win the game.
I think I have a pretty good read on Rex at this point and I *think* he probably was all in on the Geno experiment until it had failed. I don't have a good read on John Idzik's managerial style because he doesn't let it show but his reputation is that he is a consensus-seeker who listens to all arguments and that he doesn't tread on other people's toes in the process. It seems more likely that he would withhold his enthusiasms or reservations about a player until he was sure he was right and the other person was wrong. I have no idea where the internal debate about Geno stood right up until the moment the Jets decided to make the change. I would be really surprised if Idzik did anything over-bearing at all in the process. It's much more likely that the internal debate was between Rex and Marty Mornhinweg than any other people. They had a very lively conversation on the sidelines when Geno was pulled for Vick on Buffalo. Not heated but clearly animated.
I don't think we're going to be disappointed in Pryor. I do think the Jets are going to have to change the defensive scheme a bit and that his role in it is going to have to be the role that we all envisioned when he was drafted: enforcer in the box who also blitzes regularly both on passes and runs. It's possible the Jets will screw this up but I just have a feeling that it's going to be hard to do that. On the excuses side: really the only two that apply right now are that the Jets defensive scheme was in flux for most of the season, which is a real thing and that he got a concussion in camp. It takes awhile to come back from that kind of incident. There are a lot of medical experts who would tell you that a concussion than knocks a player out should be followed by couple of months of no contact. That's a reality that the NFL will have trouble dealing with due to the pressures involved.
Up until the point of being inserted in the 4th quarter of a meaningless pre-season game, I think Sanchez got exactly what he "deserved" in 2013. He got the opportunity to be coached by a competent OC, running a scheme that suited his skill set and the chance to "compete" for the starting job. While I don't think he "deserved" to be put in that game, his shoulder was a ticking time bomb and this is 100% chance on injury sport. I also don't think he "deserved" getting slow played by Idzik with regards to his release but then again it is a business. Beyond 2014, myself and the vast majority of the minority of us that wanted him back, wanted so at a reduced salary to be the veteran competition/back-up to Geno. Essentially he was to play the role we thought Vick was brought in here to play. Although Vick was the more accomplished player, his ceiling was capped at stop-gap. Sanchez was still young enough to change the trajectory of his career and have the Jets yield a good return on their initial investment. In hindsight, getting hurt was the best thing for him, though not for the organization. He finally was forced to repair a shoulder that probably should have been looked at some time ago. Also, as it turns out the Jets weren't really interested in having competition for Geno.
I'm a Geno basher but it's just that I don't think he's ready to start. He needs a few more years holding a clipboard. He may have been damaged by starting him too soon. Only the most elite QBs should start straight out of college. I'm talking top 5 pick.
I personally think the Pryor pick will be looked at as a huge disappointment in the future. Especially considering the "what if"s that will be surrounded with the pick because of the people around it but mostly because I think he will not be a good NFL safety. I hope I'm wrong but I hate the way this kid plays. Most alarming to me is his football instincts... some of that stuff you can't just learn-it's god given. Look at Jarrett's 2nd INT yesterday. He just got it practically standing still waiting for the poor throw from Roethlisberger. That was instincts, football know how. Pryor would've keyed on the receiver across the middle, losing track of the ball in the air and in his attempt to make the hit let the ball sail by his head.
I agree that Pryor in the right scheme can be a pretty good player. I believe that to be the case with Milliner as well. Geno's compatibility to the WCO makes Sanchez's look like Montana's. And as great as Richardson already is he would be even more dominant playing the 3 technique consistently. There in lies the problem with Idzik. When Idzik is not completely whiffing on picks, he is drafting guys that don't fit what we currently run. Either he is completely incompetent or my theory holds true that he is drafting for his next set of coaches and not his current set.
Do you think Idzik is drafting by himself and not getting any input from Rex, Thurman, MM, Lee etc. when making the picks alongside his scout team?
Based on the players that have been dubbed "Rex's picks" (e.g., Conner, Boyd, S. McKnight…etc), I'm pretty sure Rex is clueless with regards to the draft process. He to some degree can afford to be clueless in that department as he's not getting paid to evaluate college talent; Idzik is. So no, I don't think Idzik is drafting by himself. I'm sure they get a consensus but the GM makes the final call at the end so the buck stops there. Rex signing off on the guys we drafted is like the voter who constantly votes against his/her own self interest.
I hope you're talking about Pennington. Because Sanchez isn't tailor-made to run a lemonade stand, let alone the WCO. Good West Coast Offense QBs are universally smart, and Sanchez is not intelligent.
Dexter McDougle: http://www.nj.com/jets/index.ssf/20...ex_ryan_had_doubts_about_dexter_mcdougle.html (To sum up story, Rex didn't get the McDougle hype but saw Idzik, the scouts and especially Thurman rave about the kid and changed his tune) Calvin Pryor vs Haha Clinton Dix: http://www.jsonline.com/blogs/sports/274618091.html (Quote from Rex "“Both guys were excellent players,” the Jets coach said on his conference call Wednesday. “We would have been happy with either guy. But I took the guy who will knock your face in.”) Rex Ryan who has had his back for Dee Milliner since being drafted by the Jets: http://www.nfl.com/news/story/0ap20...an-dee-milliner-will-be-top-rookie-cornerback "He's close to being that player that we want," Ryan said Wednesday. "I will say this: By the time the season's over, I think he will be the best rookie corner and playing better than any rookie corner in this year's draft. I don't think there's any doubt. We anticipate that. "He was the No. 1 cornerback selected, but that's how we feel about him. I think he's close. I really do." No one man is making the picks by themselves is my total point so for Richardson's success, it isn't just on Idzik, its on everybody from the scouts to Rex and his defensive staff. I just don't think Idzik is neglecting any input a defensive coach like Rex who has been in the game for years upon years when it comes to potential defensive targets in the draft. If Rex loves a guy where he will fight for him in the draft room, Idzik and others would take notice. That's how any organization goes. Idzik may have "Final say" but he has a team of guys all in the war room who have done their research leading up to the draft, it isn't like Idzik goes into the day blind and just throws darts on picks. Rex has been to the NFL combine, has joined Idzik on trips to college workouts and has gone to college games like the last one reportedly between Wake Forest and Clemson.
I don't know why people want to talk about Sanchez here. Putting aside the debate about how much he was to blame for shortcomings, or even whether he will succeed, and to what extent, elsewhere, I don't think there was any way he was staying with the Jets any longer. He'd finally gotten to a point with his contract where they could get rid of him, not being able to the year before. Meanwhile they had Smith, and went into the year determined to hand him the starting job. Sanchez's history made him a bad fit to match up any longer with Smith, and so they went to an older vet in Vick. WIth Vick on the squad, it made even less sense to retain Sanchez. Sanchez Fans can talk all they want about what great things they expect from him on the Eagles now. I think that is pretty much horse poop, but I suppose it is of interest to them. But it is not about whether he should still be on the Jets. The answer to taht is no and it really is beyond debate.
Not sure why this is addressed to me since I already said Rex is probably completely clueless about the draft and likened him to a voter voting against his self interest. I think you had this write up ready no matter how I responded to your question.
