Expectations high for Sanchez
The New York Jets will go from one extreme to the other this season when they hand the reins of their offense to rookie quarterback Mark Sanchez. The USC project was expected to be heir apparent to Brett Favre, who retired, unretired, retired again and will now be plying his trade with the Minnesota Vikings in 2009/10. The weight of a very expectant Jets Nation is now on Sanchez, who only really had one full season under center at Southern Cal but was still thought of highly enough to go with the fifth pick of the draft.
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Sanchez realistically had little competition for the job, with only Kellen Clemens seeming to be in his way, but Clemens has never really looked like making it as a regular starter in the NFL, so coach Rex Ryan anointed Sanchez as his man before their third pre-season game.
Ryan had better hope Sanchez is ready to go when the opening game comes up at Houston on September 13 or the Jets could be looking at an horrific 0-5 start despite plenty of promise throughout the rest of their roster.
The Houston clash – and no-one should be sleeping on them this season – is followed by home games with Super Bowl favourites New England and then Tennessee, who boasts one of the best defenses Sanchez will have to face, even without the presence of Albert Haynesworth this season.
But it’s unlikely that the Jets will have a quick hook with their new face of the franchise, who has a five year $60m deal behind him, and has always looked like a pro prospect through college despite perhaps coming out of USC a year earlier than his coach Pete Carroll had wanted.
One thing that NFL betting expects now is that the Jets will be a running team in 2009, even if Thomas Jones is getting on a bit. Jones, the speedy Leon Washington and rookie Shonn Greene will all get their carries and take some pressure off Sanchez to be the hub of the offense.
But there is no reason to expect Sanchez to fail – he is, after all, a far more polished quarterback than Joe Flacco, who for many came from nowhere last season to take the Baltimore Ravens all the way to the AFC Championship game. It will be tough for Sanchez, but Jets fans hope this might just be the start of something special.
