Freeman, Stafford, or Sanchez?
We’ve all seen how second year players can suffer from the infamous "sophomore slump", and with three starting quarterbacks entering their second season, the questions that remains is which one will falter in 2010?
Last season, we witnessed two sophomore quarterbacks (Matt Ryan and Joe Flacco) avoid the devastation of the sophomore slump, although Ryan was unable to guide the Falcons into the playoffs. But in terms of numbers, both Ryan and Flacco had solid seasons.
Now with the 2010 season nearly upon us, the 2009 rookies will all be embarking on their second season, but even though Stafford, Sanchez, and Freeman all arguably had good seasons for the situations that they were placed in, it’s time for them to take the "next" step in the competitive world of the NFL.
Mark Sanchez has the better weapons of the three. With Santonio Holmes joining Braylon Edwards and Jerricho Cotchery out wide, the former USC gunslinger has three reliable options. Even tight end Dustin Keller is a rising star in this league. The Jets also went out and gave Sanchez some help in the backfield with longtime Pro Bowler, LaDanian Tomlinson. With dreams of clinching a berth in the Super Bowl for New York, Sanchez will be the most relied upon out of the three sophomore quarterbacks.
Former Georgia Bulldog, Matthew Stafford, returns the same weapon(s), most notably Calvin Johnson. Nate Burleson will look to aid Stafford in his second season, and tight end Brandon Pettigrew (also entering his second season) hopes to provide Stafford with a big targer over the middle. The Lions added California rookie running back Jahvid Best with their first round pick in hope that he will take some carries away from third year man Kevin Smith.
Tampa’s Josh Freeman has a lot of new faces on offense, mainly at the receiver position. Two rookies appear to be earning their way to starting spots (Mike Willliams and Arrelious Benn), while former Philadelphia Eagle Reggie Brown looks to man the slot role. However, Freeman does return his favorite weapon, Kellen Winslow, who will continue to be his main target in the 2010 season.
So which one of these guys will hit a wall in 2010, and who will continue to flourish in their sophomore season?
I believe Sanchez and Freeman will continue to elevate their level of play, while Stafford will take a slight step back. The Jets will be battling all season for the AFC East division lead with New England, and will most likely be the lone sophomore quarterback in the playoffs. Freeman, with the help of all his new weapons at receiver, will see a boost to his numbers and overall performance of the entire unit as a whole. Stafford has the best receiver out of the three in Calvin Johnson, but other then him, he has a bunch of "hit-and-miss" type of players.
How do you see this situation playing out for the three quarterbacks?
40 comments
|
0 recs |
Do you like this story?
Comments
Voted Freeman because homerism
But I really shouldn’t. Stafford has Calvin Johnson to throw to, and Pettigrew and Burleson are no slouches. Plus, his running game got a good upgrade with Jahvid Best and they got some good upgrades on defense (though their defense is still terrible if you ask me).
Sanchez has 3 or 4 good quality receivers, a good running game and a killer defense.
And then Freeman – he has a TE who’s got some injury issues, only one somewhat competent receiver with experience and a defense that showed extremely little last year. Even if he’s going to be the better QB next year, he’s going to be in a worse situation than the other two.
I go with Stafford,
No- I don’t hate Freeman. It’s just that it will take time for him to gel with our WR’s and gain their trust, also- the matter that he has lit. no one proven to throw to.
So you can keep knocking but won't knock me down
No love lost, no love found
I also voted for Stafford...
I simply think he is more NFL ready than Freeman at this point. Not to say it will always be that way, because I fully expect Freeman to be the better of the 3 in time. I do wish Gruden, and the superior coaching staff he could provide, were doing the teaching instead.
by Cracker Ball on Aug 12, 2010 11:06 PM EDT up reply actions
I wonder what would happen if we hired
Gruden as QB coach.
So you can keep knocking but won't knock me down
No love lost, no love found
This is the first time I've heard someone refer to Brown as likely to take the slot, by the way
Seems extremely unlikely to me, really, because Reggie Brown isn’t that kind of player. From what I’ve been hearing he’s the fastest WR of the bunch and he’ll easily be best on the outside. Benn and Stroughter seem much more likely to man the slot.
Lol i was thinking the same thing about the slot.
"You have to play this game like somebody just hit your mother with a two-by-four."
-Dan Birdwell
by TheOneInRed on Aug 12, 2010 10:43 PM EDT up reply actions
If Brown is starting, he's your starting split end. That seems to be a given
He has no business in the slot.
by Thomas Beekers on Aug 12, 2010 10:45 PM EDT up reply actions
I meant i was agreeing with Sander.
Brown will never be in the slot.
"You have to play this game like somebody just hit your mother with a two-by-four."
-Dan Birdwell
by TheOneInRed on Aug 13, 2010 12:24 PM EDT up reply actions
yep...
also the first time i’ve heard someone say they think stafford will take a step back. a step back from what? doesn’t make any sense. and who will continue to flourish? who is it exactly that you thought was “flourishing” last year?
the poll is absolutely ridiculous. the results anyway. i voted sanchez on the grounds that he’ll at least play in january.
and maybe it’s just me, but the article in general was poorly written. several omitted words. confusion between “then” and “than.” so far from the new batch of “writers”, sander, you are far and away the best.
If you will it, dude, it is no dream.
This poll is funny since you can predict the results
And I don’t blame any of you, that’s how homerism works.
However, the three QBs had similar statlines through their rookie seasons, but both Sanchez and Stafford are in significantly better situations than Freeman. It’s not impossible that Freeman has the best year, who knows, it’s the NFL, but reasonable expectations would be that he has the worst year of the three.
I’m saying Stafford since I kind of expect Sanchez to cave under the pressure.
by Thomas Beekers on Aug 12, 2010 10:44 PM EDT reply actions
i want to say Freeman
But Matthew Stafford has tons of weapons now so i think he’ll have a better year stats wise
and Sanchez has an All Star lined team to carry him so he’ll have the better year team wise
but its not like any of them are Peyton Manning so if Freeman puts up some soild resonable numbers i think he’ll be right at pace with both of them
Yeah, Sanchez’s supporting cast is one of the better ones around the NFL. Unless he completely falls this season, he should have solid numbers.
"Hard work beats talent, when talent doesn't work hard"
his team is all running game
he’s not even gonna be given the chance to fail cause he only ever gets like 15-20 throws a game but once Holmes gets off his supension i think Sanchez might get to make a few more throws we’ll just have to see if thats a good or bad thing
can’t blame the jets for their style though
no need to fix somthing that ain’t broken
by ShiftyShayne on Aug 13, 2010 1:13 PM EDT up reply actions
Is it me or has Josh Freeman lost weight?
So you can keep knocking but won't knock me down
No love lost, no love found
I think so
He’s done a ton of weight training too. Still, he does still have that slight chubbiness and a slight double chin.
I'll of course be rooting for Freeman but...
it’s hard not to go with the playoff QB from last year.
Now if the question had been, who will show the most improvement compared to last year (the gist of the article) , Freeman would have a legit shot.
Stafford plays for the Lions. I just can’t get past that.
That playoff QB from last year did nothing to get the Jets to the playoffs
In fact, he only hampered their chances.
What I mean is
if the question is “who will win the most games” I’d choose Sanchez. If the question is “Who will have the best year individually” I’ll choose Stafford.
right on point
though i wouldn’t go as far to say that Sanchez was holding them back he can sell the run on PA very well and with a team like the jets where you’re expecting them to run all the time thats a big asset
by ShiftyShayne on Aug 13, 2010 1:15 PM EDT up reply actions
... and winning is money.
Sadly, money is what makes the world go ’round.
by Cracker Ball on Aug 13, 2010 9:28 PM EDT up reply actions
Wha?
Stafford has added weapons in Best, Burleson… and Tony Scheffler who you forgot. Kind of important to remember the big time receiving TE when the Lions will be using a 2 TE set quite a bit.
Also, Sanchez the most relied upon of the three? Are you kidding me? Stafford threw more passes in 10 games than Sanchez did in 15. The Jets will remain a run first offense.
As for the order of QB play next year? Stafford, Freeman, then Sanchez. Why so low on Sanchez? Well, lets see. Sanchez is barely relied upon, put up numbers similar to Stafford’s while playing 5 more games with a better supporting cast, and can’t be relied upon as a game winner. I mean look at his playoff games. He did good in the 1st but only threw the ball 15 times! The next game was poor with an average of 4.4 yards per pass. Then on the third they made it look like he did well but what really happened is the Colts basically ignored the pass because they knew they could win by stopping the run.
... adding on...
The only way Freeman doesn’t play better this year than Sanchez would be due to his supporting class but from what I have been hearing Mike Williams may be able to help with that. Jets will still be the better of the three teams though.
I picked Sanchez
simply cause I think his team will have the most success out of the 3, I think Matthew if he stays healthy will have the best statistical season. I feel Freeman will shoe the most growth out of the 3 as well as show that he is a better leader between the 3.
His (Sanchez) team will have the most success...
but it will be thanks to the great rushing game and their amazing DEF. Sanchez will hopefully just steer the ship forward and not lose any games. See Trent Dilfer during his SB winning season with BAL.
by Cracker Ball on Aug 13, 2010 3:38 PM EDT up reply actions
Sanchez will be the worst. My prediction is about 23 picks and maybe 16 td’s. and about 3,000 yards. The jets are the most overrated team in the NFL. Freeman I expect to be the best of the 3 in a few years, but right now he doesn’t have enough weapons.
Stafford is interesting, and I think he will have the best year of any of the three because of the weapons.
Being that you are a
PhinPhan, I can see why you would say that. But Mark Sanchez is put in to 1 of the best situations as a QB. All Sanchez really got to do is go out there and have fun.
by keysersoze19 on Aug 14, 2010 4:03 AM EDT up reply actions
Sanchez is the only one who showed improvement at all
I think all 3 will struggle as pro’s to be honest, but the Jets have a variety of playmakers on offence that Sanchez can utilize. Dustin Keller is a pro-bowl caliber player, they have the deepest receiving core among the three, not to mention one of the best lines in the game. They utilize the screens very well, which leads to easy completions. If Detroit/Tampa use a more vertical passing game, it will expose the inaccuracies of Freeman and Stafford.
I don't know how muck Sanchez and Matthew has improved
but I doubt either 1 has improved as much as Freeman has.
by keysersoze19 on Aug 14, 2010 4:40 PM EDT up reply actions
The role Sanchez has for the NYJ is very different...
that the role of the other 2 QBs. I bet Stafford has a very good season for himself. DET did a good job of finding some veteran help for him, as well as some good drafting.
by Cracker Ball on Aug 15, 2010 10:17 AM EDT up reply actions
That's why his TD/INT ration was 7:5 to start
And finished 3:13 over his last 6 games..
Depends on how you measure successful.
If you measure success by team record, then Mark Sanchez has a clear leg up but is at a disadvantage because of the strength of his defense and his coaches propensity to run the ball. This will affect his statistics because he wont be throwing as much.
Consider Matt Stafford and you have a situation where he is poised to take a step forward with arguably the most talented reciever in football a slightly improved defense and an unreliable running game. He will be called upon to toss the “skin” around alot more than Sanchez considering his divisional opponents ability to score points and the secondary issues of both Chicago and Minnesota. This circumstances lay the framework for Stafford to have a much better year 2 than year 1.
Our guy Freeman has some of the same “issues” working in his statistical favor (though a subpar defense is hardly a good thing) but considering the Saints ability to put up points, the strides that Atlanta is attempting to make in applying pressure and scoring points. Freeman, like Stafford will be called upon to help keep us in many games this year and will see a significant boost statistical performance due to those circumstances. Add that to the fact that we have experienced what I believe is an upgrade (not hard to do) our receiving corps and all that time that has been advertised that he has been spending studying and training and we should see the biggest improvement from OUR Quarterback.
Josh Freeman will be better than Matt Ryan, not so sure about Drew Brees!!
I was basing my answer on individual statisical measures...
not the team record at the end of the season. The NYJ are head and shoulders above DET and TB, so Sanchez will appear more successful based on that alone. I think Stafford got the help he needed and will benefit more from it. Freeman still needs some help to make it happen here.
Very good points........
But i feel as though you have to take into account that Stafford is playing against collectively better teams in his division 2x and we have a relatively easier schedule (by the numbers). I would flip a coin as to which one would have a better season. And even if Stafford does (which i dont have the data to argue against) i would bet that it wouldnt be by a considerable amount.
Josh Freeman will be better than Matt Ryan, not so sure about Drew Brees!!
Forgive Me
Im trying to avoid becoming a blind optimist like Keysorze but its hard.
Josh Freeman will be better than Matt Ryan, not so sure about Drew Brees!!

by 




















