Former New York Jets quarterback Mark Sanchez feels for the current man who holds down that job, another USC product in Sam Darnold.
Mark Sanchez is simply a guy who understands.
While on ESPN’s Now or Never, Sanchez discussed the New York Jets quarterback situation, which means Sam Darnold—a USC brother—represented a huge topic. The all-time Jets’ playoff quarterback king (4-2 record) came across an empathetic way.
Sanchez firmly believes the Jets have dropped the ball in the talent department.
“Absolutely dealt a bad hand but listen, they have to get him some talent,” Sanchez said about Darnold’s team. “They have to follow the Buffalo Bills model of drafting a young quarterback—letting him play early, as they did. Then, they have to acquire around that quarterback to make him successful. Look what they did in free agency with Stefon Diggs.”
He also spoke similar words on another network and show around the same time.
“It’s unfortunate because Sam’s been … in some cases, he’s at a gunfight with a knife and he’s trying to make these plays,” Sanchez said on SNY’s The Tailgate. “So as long as you see flashes, you’ve got to keep investing in him. Get him the No. 1 receiver, get him a legitimate No. 2 receiver. Because I think (Jamison) Crowder is part of the solution (and) they have pieces there that are part of the solution. But they need to keep adding and keep building through the draft.”
Sanchez, 33, played just four years (five years employed in total) with the organization that drafted him fifth overall in the 2009 NFL draft. Winning four road postseason games in six tries, Jets fans thought they had snagged their franchise quarterback for at least the next decade.
Instead, the Sanchize couldn’t quite get over the hump from a consistency standpoint. Similar to Darnold, the general manager who drafted Sanchez, Mike Tannenbaum, was fired during Sanchez’s run (2013, his final season).
Unlike Darnold, he had all the help in the world.
Rex Ryan’s early squads boasted the best offensive line and arguably the best defense in the league. At times, No. 6 was simply asked to steer the ship while avoiding the disastrous iceberg.
Nevertheless, Sanchez is backing his USC brother while the Trevor Lawrence talk ramps up after the team fell to 0-7 this past Sunday. He’s also not a dummy and realizes if the Jets finish worst in the league, Joe Douglas will select Lawrence.
“Of course it’s going to happen because that’s the next sexy pick that is available,” Sanchez said. “But it’s the same rule. I don’t care how good your quarterback is, he can only do so much.
“It’s the toughest position in all of sports, but it is also the most dependent position on the rest of the group position in all of sports. You need other players to make your job easier; it doesn’t work like that.”
With the New York Giants blowing a late fourth-quarter lead to the Philadelphia Eagles last Thursday night, and the Atlanta Falcons and Jacksonville Jaguars also falling in Week 7, the Jets lead on the No. 1 pick is only at one game.
Whether it’s Sam Darnold or Trevor Lawrence, Mark Sanchez believes much more help is needed to ensure the quarterback finds NFL success.
