A lot is expected of Jets quarterback Mark Sanchez; so goes the territory with high draft picks in the NFL, but quarterbacks usually take time to produce—just ask Eli Manning.
The former first-overall pick was named starter midway through his rookie season, but struggled for several years before catching on. This season has seen his best numbers yet (career-best 97.0 QB rating), putting him among the top signal callers out there—just as he claimed before the season to a round of skepticism.
The player Manning famously compared himself with—two-time MVP Tom Brady—was more than solid in the regular season his first few seasons but didn’t put up his now-expected spectacular numbers until he had matured a bit.
Brady’s maturity was sped up a bit by the addition of Randy Moss in 2007. Brady threw an NFL-record 50 TD passes that year (culminating in a still-career-best 117.2 QB rating) as a 30-year-old—the same age as Eli Manning is today.
The 25-year-old Sanchez, who drew the ire of coach Rex Ryan Sunday night for his clock mismanagement, has actually put up numbers comparable to Manning through his first three seasons as starter. Though his early stats still lag behind Brady’s, it gives hope to Jets fans that better days are to come—provided he learns when to call timeout.
