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Former Jets running back LaDainian Tomlinson provided some thought-provoking insight on quarterback Mark Sanchez for the NFL Network . . . . . . . . .
I think the following quote might be the most honest, dead-on comment about Sanchez we have heard the entire off-season.
“Mark has to start to trust himself,” Tomlinson said. “Mark does a great job in the film room but when he comes out on the field, he doesn’t trust what he sees out there in terms of coverages and the timing with his receivers. If he starts to trust himself and not hesitate in throwing the football, then he possibly could turn his career around. I think it’ll be tough at this point because rarely does a zebra change his stripes.”
Wow. I hate to say this to the Sanchez fans out there, but this quote nails it.
Mark’s biggest problem the last couple of years is that he doesn’t trust his eyes, especially last year.
He would consistently survey the field, and you would constantly see a hesitancy, a skittish disposition.
Hey, maybe part of it was not being comfortable with Tony Sparano’s offense last season.
In his last two starts, Tennessee and Buffalo, he looked totally lost.
While he was a little better two years ago, that wasn’t a great season either. And remember, Tomlinson was on that team.
Tomlinson clearly wasn’t thrilled playing on a team with that kind of quarterback play. Reading the tea leaves, he seemed fed up that year, and wanted no part of coming back to that in 2012.
When you heard him talk after the final game of the season, he seemed like a guy who had reached his wit’s end.
In a quaterback-driven league, bad quarterback play can really suck the life out of players on the roster.
In the NFL, you can’t hesitate throwing the football. The throw that epitomized Mark’s problem was the pick in the end zone against Seattle by CB Richard Sherman.
He was staring down his target in the end zone, and must have triple-cocked his arm while eye-balling his primary receiver, and Sherman basically said after the game he was just waiting for the quarterback to chuck it up there, and he did.
While I think Sanchez can play better than last year, I don’t think he will ever be great at reading defenses.
“I think it’ll be tough at this point because rarely does a zebra change his stripes,” Tomlinson said.
But I do think that Marty Mornhinweg is a better play caller than Sparano, and will be more proficient at dialing up quality first and second reads for Sanchez. Which will be a huge help to Sanchez.
And that is the key, make the first and second reads outstanding, and Sanchez can be serviceable.
The better offensive coordinators can do this.
“This is a West Coast offense, and really Mark Sanchez has that type of DNA in him because he played at USC in a West Coast offense,” said Tomlinson.
For Sanchez to succeed, the Jets need that formula from early in his career – great defense, solid running game, and a complimentary passing attack.
Over and over we have seen, thatwhen you ask Sanchez to air-it-out, and chuck the ball all over the lot, say 40-50 times, that is a terrible recipe for this player.
Tomlinson thinks Sanchez could be on a short leash
“Early on, we probably will see Sanchez take the snaps at the starting spot,” Tomlinson said. “But here’s the thing: in preseason, if Mark Sanchez doesn’t show the ability to improve from turning the football over and that race is close between the two, Geno Smith will be the starter.”
While I agree with LT on his first two points, I respectfully disagree on this one.
If the Jets hand Geno the football at the beginning of the season, I think they are asking for major trouble.
I have a bridge in Brooklyn to sell you if you think this raw, skinny kid coming out of a gimmicky college offense is ready to start in Week One.
June 21, 2013
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