Dirty Sanchez was making headlines this week for all the wrong reasons. But, hooking up with hot chicks doesn't get you booted from this list. Besides, she was of legal age in New Jersey. Creepy? Yes. Legal? Apparently.
Aside from the off-field shenanigans, Sanchez has led the Jets to two straight AFC championship games, and we can't knock him for that. Surely, the team has been driven by defense and a great running game but Sanchez has been pretty good when called upon. When you consider that he has started from day 1 in the NFL and didn't get a chance to be an understudy you have to be fairly impressed.
Born in Long Beach, CA Sanchez played his college ball at USC under then head coach Pete Carroll. As a sophomore Sanchez backed up John David Booty and really only started a full season for the Trojans as a junior in 2008. He finished the '08 season with 34touchdown passes, 2nd in school history only to Matt Leinart, and 3,207 yards. When Sam Bradford, Colt McCoy and Tim Tebow all elected to stay in school Sanchez saw an opportunity and wisely entered the NFL draft in 2009.
The Jets traded up to select him with the 5th overall selection and he immediately became their starting quarterback under new head coach Rex "pretty feet" Ryan. In 2009 he played a very conservative style, with the Jets limiting the necessity for him to win games for them. He was prone to the typical rookie mistakes, throwing 20 interceptions on the year and he also put the ball on the carpet too much for 3 lost fumbles.
In 2010 he had a more open playbook, though they did not run a wide-spread offense. He cut down on his interceptions significantly, while also throwing more touchdowns. Where Sanchez earns his dough is in the playoffs, where his passer rating jumps about 20 points compared to the regular season. He also manages to come up with some big throws when he needs them, none more so than his pass to Santonio Holmes that helped seal the victory against New England in the 2010 playoffs.
*Obligatory highlight...Pats fans need not rewatch.
He is certainly not the prototypical "pocket passer" that Brady or Manning are. He does have more mobility than those kind of quarterbacks and is a bit of an improviser, making plays outside of the pocket. And he doesn't have the all-around game that Aaron Rodgers put on display in 2010 for Green Bay. In some regards he can be viewed as a poor man's Ben Roethlisberger. Because he's viewed as a bit of a game manager, he's not higher on this list. That being said, many consider the Quarterback position to be the toughest position in all of sports, and this guy has managed it well enough to be in two straight conference championships. He may never be a 4,000 yard passer but winning counts for a lot and so far he's been pretty good at that.
The real question is why is this guy, the quarterback of a good football team in New York (more like Jersey...but still) who is young and considered handsome doing running around with 17 year old girls when he could be tearing up Manhattan in fur coats and white shoes like Broadway Joe before him? I just don't get it.
And that, Mr. Sanchez is why you're not higher on this list...no swagger. Tom Brady plays in Foxboro...not exactly a bustling metropolis and he snagged Giselle. She only needs one name! Sanchez is messing around with some 17 year old socialite. Pathetic.
None the less, Mark Sanchez looks like he can be the franchise quarterback the Jets need for the next few years, though he'll need to win a ring to replace Joe Namath as the all-time great Jet QB. At 24 years old he still has plenty of time and a talented team around him to help him get there.
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