BLOG: Making the case for Mark Sanchez – Mike Evans
May 9, 2016, 11:57 AM | Updated: Jul 13, 2016, 8:19 am
Geez, it doesn’t take much for the great listeners on The Fan to go overboard. I come out on the Schlereth and Evans show and say some nice things about Mark Sanchez and all of a sudden the Sanchize and I are sitting in a tree: k-i-s-s-i-n-g………….or worse, trending on twitter sitting together on a bicycle built for two.
Fine, that’s the way you want to play it? Then I’ll go all in and make the case for Mark Sanchez-Broncos starting quarterback.
Take a look at these three quarterbacks’ numbers:
| QB #1 | QB #2 | QB #3 |
| First 6 years | First 8 years | First 6 years |
| 90TD/114 int | 66TD/53 int | 86TD/84 int |
| 54 fumbles | 35 fumbles | 51 fumbles |
Care to guess the identity of these quarterbacks?
QB #1 is Jake Plummer. QB #2 is Rich Gannon. And QB #3 is Mark Sanchez
Photo Credit: Brad Penner-USA TODAY Sports
The goal of this comparison/contrast is to show that careers cannot and should not be defined by a certain sample size. There is a chance for a second act…for a career renaissance. It happened with Plummer. He came to Denver and thrived under Gary Kubiak. Rich Gannon enjoyed MVP type success at age 37. Why can’t it happen with Sanchez?
There WAS a reason he was drafted high up in the first round. He DID go to two AFC Championship games with Jets teams that were built on defense and a strong running game. Jets D was good, but, it wasn’t nearly as dominant as the Broncos last year. And while the Broncos running game was below average last year, there is enough reason to believe it will be better this year with an improved offensive line and more competition at the running back position.
I get it. The Butt Fumble. The Journey Man tag. The allure of the young stud Paxton Lynch. All reasons to discount and discard Sanchez as the answer for the Broncos’ QB problem. But, don’t do it. Give the guy a chance. Maybe you can take a spin on our bicycle built for two.
Mike Evans
