Tag: Mark Sanchez

Former USC QB Mark Sanchez evaluates Caleb Williams, Drake Maye … and Sam Darnold

Mark Sanchez recently discussed Sam Darnold and what the future holds for him in Minnesota.

Mark Sanchez chatted with Colin Cowherd about Caleb Williams, Drake Maye, and Sam Darnold. We have talked a lot about Caleb. We have talked a little about Drake Maye. Let’s pull apart the Sam Darnold piece of Sanchez’s conversation.

Darnold has to know that the Vikings are going to draft a young quarterback. What will be interesting is if the Vikings trade into the top three for that quarterback, try to get a quarterback in the top 15, or just settle on the No. 23 pick they currently have.

Vikings Wire has more:

“The Minnesota Vikings are going to be trading up a lot in mock drafts over the next five weeks. This number was bound to spike up after they acquired the 23rd overall pick from the Houston Texans.

“NFL Network’s Daniel Jeremiah got the memo and provided some chaos in his latest mock draft. He had the Vikings trading up for the fourth overall pick with the Houston Texans to select Michigan quarterback J.J. McCarthy.”

There is a wide range of opinion on McCarthy. Some think he’s a legitimate top-tier quarterback, while others think he is third-round material. Let’s play along with the hypothetical. If the Vikings do take McCarthy, Darnold would have to love his chances of being the Day 1 starter in 2024 for Minnesota. If the Vikings draft Jayden Daniels or Drake Maye, it might be a different story.

Here’s Mark Sanchez on Darnold, Caleb Williams, and Drake Maye:

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Mark Sanchez talks about why Caleb Williams will translate in the NFL

Mark Sanchez evaluates Caleb Williams as an NFL prospect.

What does Mark Sanchez think about Caleb Williams? One wonders.

Mark Sanchez had a respectable NFL career, not attaining stardom but reaching two AFC Championship Games with the New York Jets. He got close to the Super Bowl twice and made winning plays in playoff games. He is now an NFL game analyst for Fox Sports. He is an authoritative, knowledgeable voice on NFL quarterbacks and the larger matter of what it takes to succeed in the NFL at the most important position on the field.

Sanchez discussed Patrick Mahomes a month ago.

Mark Sanchez was the quarterback on the last great Pete Carroll USC team. Sanchez led the Trojans to the 2009 Rose Bowl championship over Joe Paterno and Penn State. USC finished the season with only one loss. If the four-team College Football Playoff had existed in 2008, USC stood a very good chance of getting in. The playoff not existing during the Pete Carroll era creates one of the great what-ifs of college football — and USC — history.

Here’s Mark Sanchez on Caleb Williams and the NFL:

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Former USC QB, current NFL television analyst Mark Sanchez discusses Patrick Mahomes and the Chiefs’ dynasty

Former USC QB Mark Sanchez weighs in on Patrick Mahomes.

Former USC quarterback Mark Sanchez, a Pac-10 and Rose Bowl champion, reached the AFC Championship Game in an NFL playing career which, though not spectacular, was not a bust either. Sanchez has tasted the highest levels of competition in both college and the pros. He carved out a respectable career and is now an NFL game analyst for Fox Sports on Sundays. Sanchez is one of a select few people who has a color commentator role on national television for NFL Sunday games. He is doing quite well in his post-playing career. Sanchez discussed the Kansas City Chiefs’ win over the San Francisco 49ers in Super Bowl LVIII in Las Vegas, with Patrick Mahomes featuring prominently in his comments.

Mahomes is the main engine behind the Chiefs’ dynastic rise, with back-to-back Super Bowl victories for the first time in the NFL since the Tom Brady-Bill Belichick Patriots in the 2003 and 2004 seasons. The Chiefs, who have made four of the past five Super Bowls and are 3-1 in those four Supes, have won three of the last five NFL championships and just completed a run in which they beat the top two seeds in the AFC on the road with Rashee Rice as their No. 1 wide receiver. If they could do that, and if they can find an elite receiver this year, their dynasty — with Mahomes at the wheel — is not likely to end anytime soon.

Here’s more from USC’s Mark Sanchez:

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Looking back at the 16 quarterbacks in 15 years since Brett Favre in 2008

The Jets sure have quite the gallery of starting quarterbacks in recent memory. Tim Boyle will be the 16th different starter in the past 15 years.

The one thing all NFL franchises want is a long-term quarterback. Someone that they know will lead their team for at least 10-12 years, if not longer. Every team wants a Patrick Mahomes or a Peyton Manning or a Tom Brady. Unfortunately for the Jets, they haven’t exactly struck gold in that department in recent years.

With the Jets deciding to start Tim Boyle at quarterback in place of Zach Wilson, the Jets are now starting their 16th different quarterback since they went pushed their chips for Brett Favre in 2008. It’s not exactly a “Who’s who” list but it’s certainly a list alright. Let’s take a quick trip down memory lane for each quarterback that has started or will start, in the case of Boyle, a game for the Jets in the past 15 years.

Former Trojan Mark Sanchez discusses the problems with USC’s defense

Mark Sanchez has a lot to say.

Against Utah, Alex Grinch didn’t notice that the Utes had a wheel route in their playbook. Against Washington, the USC defense allowed well over 200 rushing yards, most of them before contact. Against Cal on October 28, USC’s defense wasn’t ready to play.

One week after another, humiliations and embarrassments piled up for Alex Grinch.

After the Cal game, we noted that “Grinch has to be gone as USC defensive coordinator after the Trojan defense allowed 28 points in the first 21 minutes of Saturday’s game against the California Golden Bears in Berkeley. Soft. Unprepared. Powerless. Outclassed. These and similar words properly apply to a USC defense that was shredded by Cal’s star running back, Jaydn Ott, and backup quarterback Fernando Mendoza.”

Just what went wrong with the USC defense? Just what happened which made the firing of Alex Grinch inevitable and, ultimately, the only choice for Lincoln Riley? People want answers. Former USC quarterback Mark Sanchez, now a television analyst, offered commentary and analysis:

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Mark Sanchez went on a weird tangent about salmon and Vaseline to describe Jalen Hurts’ balance

Who on Earth is covering salmon in Vaseline and why???

As an MVP-caliber quarterback, a lot of people have likely made creative comments to describe Jalen Hurts’ talent as the Philadelphia Eagles’ signal caller. However, I’m not sure I’ve ever heard the bizarre analogy Fox’s Mark Sanchez used to give Hurts’ brilliance more context.

When Hurts escaped a ton of New York Jets’ defensive pressure from the shadow of his own end zone in the third quarter, Sanchez launched into a tangent about how the “slippery” Hurts is apparently like a salmon covered in Vaseline.

I mean … sure? I do understand what Sanchez is trying to say. But … who’s covering a salmon in Vaseline? Don’t most people, you know, eat salmon? I can’t imagine it’s too appetizing (or even edible) once covered in a skin cream. So, where was Sanchez going this?

If it were me, I would’ve perhaps talked up Hurts’ strength and balance by noting that he squats a lot in the weight room and clearly does a lot of yoga. I would’ve maybe even said he’s something akin to Reed Richards in flexibility and movement around the pocket. But that’s just me.

I don’t know where Sanchez got this analogy from — he’s a Southern California native — but I’m so happy he decided to unleash it upon us.

Josh Allen nearly recreated the butt fumble against the Jets and of course Mark Sanchez noticed

(Embarrasing) game recognizes (embarrassing) game.

Josh Allen had a very bad night in his 2023 NFL season opener. The former MVP candidate flailed in stretches against the New York Jets’ swarming defense, getting battered in the backfield and firing bad passes downfield.

His three interceptions left the door open for a Jets team forced to play all but four offensive snaps without Aaron Rodgers, who left the game with an undisclosed lower leg injury. Allen struggled with deep throws. He struggled with intermediate throws. And late in the fourth quarter he nearly committed the biggest sin one can commit at MetLife Stadium; he nearly butt fumbled.

Allen didn’t just suffer the ignominity of a fourth quarter fumble that allowed New York to kick a go-ahead field goal late. He did so after slamming into one of his own linemen.

That wasn’t quite as embarrassing as running whole hog into your teammate’s derriere and giving up a fumble-six, but it didn’t go unnoticed by the one man who is the unquestioned expert on butt fumbles.

That’s right, Mark Sanchez, the man who unleashed this gift upon the world:

proved that game, indeed, recognizes game. Allen’s fumble wasn’t nearly as bad, but it was more costly, eventually leaving his team in a 16-13 hole with fewer than two minute to play. Fortunately for the Bills, the two-time Pro Bowler was able to redeem himself by pushing Buffalo into field goal position with a clutch two-minute drill to send the game to overtime in its waning seconds.

Jets have most rookie Opening Day starting quarterbacks since 2002

The Jets have had a couple rookie quarterbacks on day one.

For the first time in seemingly quite some time, the Jets can feel good about their Opening Day starting quarterback as Aaron Rodgers will take the reigns for the 2023 season.

It’s also a strong veteran presence for the Jets at the helm after a recent string of bad luck with putting rookies in the spotlight early. In fact, no team has relied on a rookie quarterback from day one over the past two decades than the Jets.

Touchdown Wire’s Mark Lane took a quick trip down memory lane to check out all the rookie quarterbacks that started on Opening Day since realignment in 2002.

In 2009, the Jets rolled with USC quarterback Mark Sanchez after taking him with the No. 5 overall pick. His career started with a 24-7 win over the Houston Texans and he would go on to play in two AFC Championship Games under head coach Rex Ryan.

The last two obviously leave a bitter taste in Jets’ fans mouths. One is Sam Darnold in 2018, though the first game was a positive, a 48-17 Monday night win over the Detroit Lions. The other of course is Zach Wilson in 2021, aka not Trevor Lawrence. That was the Sam Darnold revenge game as the Jets lost to the Carolina Panthers, 19-14.

The Jets may go through this again in the future. But for now, it’s full speed ahead with Rodgers. No one is thinking about the future. It’s the here and now for the Jets.

Every first-round QB who started NFL Opening Day since 2002

Take a look at every first-round QB who started Opening Day as a rookie since 2002.

Taking a quarterback in the first round can go two different ways in the NFL. Either a team can afford to let the talent mature — as was the case with Patrick Mahomes and Aaron Rodgers — or they need inspired play under center immediately.

The latter approach either leads to a quarterback who takes his lumps and grows with the team — think Cam Newton — or takes so many lumps he’s spent, like David Carr.

Not every first-round quarterback starts Week 1. Some who should have sat, and some who should have sat were thrust into the moment.

Here is a look at each first-round rookie quarterback who started on Opening Day since 2002.