Jets Set Future of Franchise by Drafting Sanchez
USC Quarterback Should Provide Consistancy For Years to Come
After the 2008 season, the New York Jets made a conscience effort to overhaul the defense that collapsed toward the end of '08 and address the future of the offense without Brett Favre. The Jets' first step was to hire Baltimore Ravens Defensive Coordinator Rex Ryan to replace Eric Mangini (now the head coach of the Browns). Ryan immediately made an impact by using his reputation as a defensive wizard to court targeted players. However, it was clear the offense still needed help, which would come at the 2009 NFL Draft.
The Jets Made it Clear They Were Committing to Youth on Offense
Ryan's new defense touted two clear signs: power and experience. While both descriptions suggest success in the NFL, the timeframe for a defense built like the Jets' is relatively small. The offensive holes would need to be filled with players that can produce immediately, and the Jets had their options during the offseason. Veteran free agent quarterbacks like Jeff Garcia and Byron Leftwich passed through the Jets' radar and signed elsewhere. Had the Jets signed players like these, it would be clear that it would be a temporary solution with the intention of possibly making a deep playoff run in '09 or '10, then reassess the team's situation thereafter. By passing on these veterans, it appeared as if Kellen Clemens and Brett Ratliff were going to compete for the opening day job.
The Jets Took Advantage of Perfect Opportunity on Draft Day
The Jets' intentions were clear going into the 2009 NFL Draft: if they could move up and select USC quarterback Mark Sanchez, they would. These reports began to swarm as draft day neared, but nothing could have been finalized until the teams were making their selections. Conveniently enough, Sanchez slipped through Seattle (the only possible team that would have taken Sanchez with a top 4 pick to potentially backup Matt Hasselbeck) and the Jets found themselves with a "too good to be true" situation.
Any team could have been drafting 5th, with any other coach. But instead of trying to meet draft pick demands with an arbitrary team, the Jets had the good fortune of dealing with Eric Mangini and the Browns. Mangini had clearly told the Jets he was interested in taking a few of "his guys" with him to Cleveland, and Rex Ryan found these players expendable. The Jets made the deal and not only got their quarterback of the future, but kept their entire 2010 draft stock intact (reports were that the Jets would need to give up at least their 2010 second round pick to move up as far as they did).
The Jets Make a Bold Statement Via a Bold Move
Drafting Sanchez indicates one thing: the Jets are preparing to contend for years to come. Maybe Sanchez turns out to be a bust. Maybe Clemens wins the job outright and leads the Jets to the playoffs consistently. Whatever the outcome is, it is actually irrelevant. The key is that the Jets acknowledged a need at the quarterback position and opted to eliminate that need for more than just one or two years. Even if Sanchez's whole purpose ends up being just a motivation for Clemens to succeed, the move was good. The Jets finally did something that fans had not seen in years: believe in somebody.
What do you think about this article?
Latest Articles