In the first round of the NFL Draft Mike Tannenbaum and the New York Jets traded up from the 17th spot to number five to pick what surely will be the future of their franchise (we've heard it before around here!) in USC QB Mark Sanchez. Then the next day they did it again in the third round by moving up to the first pick, via a deal with the Detroit Lions, to get RB Shonn Greene from Iowa, the highest listed RB on the Jets board. For Greene they gave the Lions their third-round (76th overall), fourth-round (No. 115), and seventh-round (No. 228) picks. For Mark Sanchez they gave Eric Mangini's Cleveland Browns their first-round (No. 17), and second-round (No. 52) picks as well as defensive end Kenyon Coleman, quarterback Brett Ratliff, and safety Abram Elham. These two maneuvers left the NY Jets with only three picks in the 2009 NFL Draft. The other player taken was Nebraska guard Matt Slauson in the sixth-round. In minimizing the number of picks this year by trading away all the other picks, Tannenbaum has put more pressure on himself, his fun rookie coach Rex Ryan, and young Mark Sanchez. If these guys don't pan out, along with all the offseason free agent aquisitions, it most surely will be Tannenbaum's demise. If Tannenbaum were a cat he most certainly would be on his 9th life. But now on paper these decisions all look good. They always look good in April!
Remember Richard Todd, Ken O'Brien, Browning Nagle, Chad Pennington, Boomer Esiason, Vinny Testaverde, and I'm sure I missed a few... oh yeah, remember that guy from last year? The one who was supposed to be the savior? The second coming of Joe Willie Namath! I guess we'll see if Mark Sanchez has the stuff to lead us to another Championship after forty-plus years of futility. He does seem to have the qualities you want in a New York quarterback; confidence, a good arm, and the personality to deal with the media. The one thing he does not have is experience. Although he played in a pro type offense at USC, in college football's biggest market, he only started 16 games. He might not win the starting position right away from Kellen Clemens.
Sanchez already is a New York media darling. After throwing out the first pitch on Monday at the Mets game at Citi Field he talked in the booth with Ron Darling and Gary Cohen. Before the Mets game he was seen with fans in Citi Field signing autographs and talking. The kid definitely has personality. We'll see how that personality holds up after he loses a few games in New York. That's when you want to judge the kid. When he meets with some adversity in the Big Apple (New Jersey). If he can handle that and bounce back and win. That's when you'll see a good New York QB. Maybe not the second coming of Namath but someone who can lead you to a Championship nevertheless. Only time will tell Jets fans, only time will tell. Until then....It's always good in April. Enjoy it while it lasts.
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