Right QBs, wrong eras?

GreenWave · 11-29-2011, 10:44 AM

All the talk on the board these days seems to be about the marriage between QB and philosophy. Got me thinking about all the QBs that have come through the doors since the 80s - is it possible that the Jets have drafted the right QBs, but didn't have the talent or philosophy at the time to make the QB successful?

Imagine if the '02 version of Chad Pennington was playing for this team in '09 and '10. Great line, dominant run game, and an OC that only wants him to throw short / intermediate passes accurately. Pre-injury Pennington might have won two SBs - remember he was successful in Schotty's offense in '06 with no running game AND no o-line.

Imagine if the deadly accurate Ken O'Brien was the QB for the Herm teams. Line wasn't as good then as it was the last two years, but was serviceable. More importantly, O'Brien had Pennington's accuracy AND the ability to get the ball downfield. Coles (and later Moss) might have had even greater success here, if not quite enough to win championships.

Coslet had a washed up O'Brien / Esiason and dumb-as-rocks Nagle to work with. He was a successful OC in Cincy - would he have had greater success here with an athletic QB with a live arm like Sanchez? For all the flack Coslet took (deservedly), he was almost in the playoffs 2 out of 3 years here, despite mediocre QB play.

Nagle probably would never have been much, but the 80's offense with Toon and Walker and non-stop deep throws was made for him. His quick release could have helped avoid the types of sacks that O'Brien took, since he had to wind up like a jack-in-the-box to get the ball out.

I realize that it's mostly about who's available when you pick - this is obviously just a hypothetical. But it does make me wonder why Rex & Schotty chose to go with a downfield guy like Sanchez instead of looking for a more cerebral/short-range QB if the offensive approach was going to be about ball control and avoiding turnovers.

What did they see in Sanchez that told them he was going to be a good fit for what they want to do offensively?

11-29-2011, 10:44 AM	#1
GreenWave Veteran Join Date: Apr 2003 Posts: 2,401	Right QBs, wrong eras? All the talk on the board these days seems to be about the marriage between QB and philosophy. Got me thinking about all the QBs that have come through the doors since the 80s - is it possible that the Jets have drafted the right QBs, but didn't have the talent or philosophy at the time to make the QB successful? Imagine if the '02 version of Chad Pennington was playing for this team in '09 and '10. Great line, dominant run game, and an OC that only wants him to throw short / intermediate passes accurately. Pre-injury Pennington might have won two SBs - remember he was successful in Schotty's offense in '06 with no running game AND no o-line. Imagine if the deadly accurate Ken O'Brien was the QB for the Herm teams. Line wasn't as good then as it was the last two years, but was serviceable. More importantly, O'Brien had Pennington's accuracy AND the ability to get the ball downfield. Coles (and later Moss) might have had even greater success here, if not quite enough to win championships. Coslet had a washed up O'Brien / Esiason and dumb-as-rocks Nagle to work with. He was a successful OC in Cincy - would he have had greater success here with an athletic QB with a live arm like Sanchez? For all the flack Coslet took (deservedly), he was almost in the playoffs 2 out of 3 years here, despite mediocre QB play. Nagle probably would never have been much, but the 80's offense with Toon and Walker and non-stop deep throws was made for him. His quick release could have helped avoid the types of sacks that O'Brien took, since he had to wind up like a jack-in-the-box to get the ball out. I realize that it's mostly about who's available when you pick - this is obviously just a hypothetical. But it does make me wonder why Rex & Schotty chose to go with a downfield guy like Sanchez instead of looking for a more cerebral/short-range QB if the offensive approach was going to be about ball control and avoiding turnovers. What did they see in Sanchez that told them he was going to be a good fit for what they want to do offensively?