NFL: Quarterback Competition Series: New York Jets

By Eagles Musings

The Jets took Geno Smith in the second round of the 2013 NFL draft. Does this spell the beginning of the end for Mark Sanchez, or can the veteran hold off the talented rookie?

 

*ALSO READ – QB COMPETITION SERIES:

#1 – BUFFALO BILLS

#2 – JACKSONVILLE JAGUARS

 

Can Mark Sanchez rebound from a tough 2012? – (via newyorkjets.com)

 

GAME 1 (@ LIONS)
 

When you are looking to establish yourself as the best quarterback on the roster and the leader of your team; what would be the one thing you’d want to avoid? Probably throwing a pick six on your first drive of the preseason.
 

The next time Sanchez saw the field after that horrific start, he almost had another pass picked off and looked very shaky. However, on his third drive he looked much better. He made some good throws and hit his wide open tight end Jeff Cumberland for a touchdown.

Geno Smith looked good in limited action as he showed off his strong arm with some quick throws, but he was forced to leave the field with quite a nasty ankle sprain in the third quarter.
 

Ouch. Ankles are not meant to go that way.

GAME 2 (vs JAGUARS)
 

With Geno Smith not fully recovered from his ankle injury, Mark Sanchez got plenty of action against the Jaguars, playing deep into the third quarter. He looked very good on the first drive, which included a quick strike to Stephen Hill between defenders.
 

A perfect ball by Sanchez where only his guy could get it. This is the type of throw that Sanchez should be making routinely.

However, for the rest of the game Sanchez was not very impressive. He had an unforgivable interception in the end zone where the man he was throwing to was well covered and Sanchez simply tried to force it in. Later on in the game, he had a wide open receiver in the end zone but didn’t keep his eyes up long enough to see him uncovered and the Jets were forced to kick a field goal rather than get the touchdown.

“I’m open!” – Clyde Gates, #19

These are the type of plays that separate the rest of the top quarterbacks in the league from Mark Sanchez, and unless he can start to make better decisions, he will not help the Jets win football games.

Who shouldwin? Geno Smith – We haven’t been able to see much of Smith, but he has the talent and potential to be a good quarterback in this league. Sanchez has played at a very low level for a number of years and we can not expect him to show much more improvement at this stage in his career.

Who will win? Mark Sanchez – The injury to Smith may have played a part, but I believe the Jets are willing to give Sanchez one more chance to lead this team.

 By Eagles Musings

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RELATED POSTS

 – NFL: QB Competition Series: Buffalo Bills
 – NFL: QB Competition Series: Jacksonville Jaguars
 – QB Battles to watch out for this Preseason

NFL: Quarterback Competition Series: Jacksonville Jaguars

By Eagles Musings

On Monday the Jaguars announced that Blaine Gabbert will be the starting quarterback this season. What did he show in the preseason in order to win the job?

 

*ALSO READ – QB COMPETITION SERIES:
#1 – BUFFALO BILLS

 



Blaine Gabbert was named the Jacksonville Jaguars starting quarterback – (via Debby Wong/USA TODAY Sports)

GAME 1 (vs DOLPHINS)

Blaine Gabbert had a very poor showing in game one, finishing the game with a 16.7 QB rating. His interception was unfortunate as the ball he threw was very catchable, but the rest of his throws were very inaccurate, including this:
 

This was described as “just a little too high” by the Jaguars Television Network despite sailing a few feet over the head of the intended receiver.

When Chad Henne entered the game, it looked like he had a spring in his step and brought some energy, and he started well with a good slant to Ace Sanders on his first drive. But ultimately his three drives resulted in no points. He also had two passes batted down at the line of scrimmage in a span of three plays.

GAME 2 (@ JETS)

In game two, Blaine Gabbert looked like the better quarterback, scoring on his first offensive possession and moving the ball down the field well. Jacksonville ran a fast-paced offense and Gabbert looked comfortable when getting the ball out of his hands quickly. He made a particularly good throw when he beat the blitz on a 3^rd-and-9 on his second drive.
 

Gabbert finds his tight end (yellow) on the hot read as three Jets blitzers come free (red)

Chad Henne, on the other hand, was underwhelming and had a number of poor plays. The worst came when he threw an interception straight into the hands of a linebacker in the middle of the field.

What were you thinking Chad?

Who shouldhave won? Blaine Gabbert – Gabbert proved in game two that he has the ability to move his team down the field. He has earned the starting position for now, but can he finally put together a full season of quality play? 

 

“Blaine has earned this opportunity and the entire organisation is excited about his growth and we will strongly support him”

– Gus Bradley on Monday

 By Eagles Musings

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RELATED POSTS

 – NFL: Quarterback Competition Series: Buffalo Bills

 – QB Competitions to Watch Out for This Preseason

NFL: Quarterback Competition Series: Buffalo Bills

By Eagles Musings

E.J. Manuel will miss the rest of the preseason with a knee injury, meaning Kevin Kolb may be the starter in week one. But when both QBs are healthy, who deserves to win the job?

E.J. Manuel has impressed in the first two weeks of preseason – (via BuffaloBills.com)

GAME 1 (@COLTS)

With an injury to Kevin Kolb, E.J. Manuel saw a lot of game action in the first week of preseason against the Colts.  As I mentioned in last week’s article, the Bills will use C.J. Spiller early and often this year and there was evidence of that in game one as they fed him the ball on their first three plays; two of which he took for first downs. However their opening drive, Manuel’s first as a Bill, did not result in any points. He looked like he was finding his feet in the first quarter, and while most of his balls were thrown very well, he wasn’t able to move his team down the field. However, with 1:50 remaining on the clock before half-time, he took to the field at his own 8 yard line and orchestrated an excellent 11 play, 92 yard drive for a touchdown. Manuel displayed good timing and decision-making and capped off the drive with an excellent well-placed ball to his tight end Dorin Dickerson down the seam for an 18 yard touchdown.

Manuel hits his receiver in stride for a touchdown.

GAME 2 (VS. VIKINGS)

The Bill’s second game of the preseason saw Kevin Kolb start the game as the quarterback, and his first outing was not pretty. He started his first drive with a wobbly throw at the feet of Spiller, and his second drive was even worse as he threw another misplaced pass on 3^rd down; this one resulting in an interception. Kolb stayed in the game until half time, but only managed to lead his team to 6 points on 7 drives. There were a couple of good moments, but there were even more mistakes by Kolb, including bad decisions and poorly thrown balls (often behind the intended receiver) eventually leading to boos from the Buffalo crowd.

Kolb throws behind his target who was running across the field.

Then, to start the second half, on came Manuel. On his first drive, he threw a perfect slant route to Marcus Easley; providing a breath of fresh air compared to what we’d seen from Kolb in the first half. Manuel had the benefit of playing against the second and third team defense, but he made quick throws and moved the chains effectively; his first drive resulting in a touchdown on which he showed his composure.

Manuel started the play looking to the left, but kept his eyes and feet moving and found Brad Smith in the right corner of the end zone to complete a 14 play drive.

Who shouldwin? E.J. Manuel – Manuel has the most talent of the two quarterbacks and he certainly has more of an ‘upside’ than Kolb. If it wasn’t for his injury he would be starting in week one, and don’t expect it to take him long to reclaim the starting job.

Who will win? Kevin Kolb – Kolb will most likely be starting in week one simply because of Manuel’s injury. It will be very hard for him to hold onto the job without playing ‘lights out’ and benefiting from Manuel missing any extended period of time.

By Eagles Musings

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