New York Jets: 10 Reasons Mark Sanchez Will Silence the Critics in 2012

Since the addition of Tim Tebow, some have already written off Mark Sanchez' Jets tenure as a calamity. As he enters his fourth season, however, Sanchez has the opportunity to show the league—under the grandest of stages—that he is the type of player that can mitigate the negativity and lead the Jets to a title.

Sanchez has been under much scrutiny—some of it warranted—and this season figures to be a make-or-break year in terms of his Jets career.

The Jets have already had one scapegoat for last season, and one more mediocre season could spell doom for Sanchez, who is now being pushed by Tebow.

While the school of thought would suggest Sanchez is being set up for failure, the counter-argument would be that Sanchez is simply being motivated by the Jets organization.

Here are 10 reasons why Sanchez will remain in his starting role and have a successful season.

No. 10: He Has the Right Attitude Entering Camp

Although it is extremely early in the year, the NY Post reported that offensive coordinator Tony Sparano is really impressed by Mark Sanchez thus far. He noted his physical condition, and the hard work he has put in learning the plays thus far.

Sanchez could have sulked and given condescending remarks regarding the QB situation and his mediocre 2011 season, but he has handled the situation with class and professionalism.

If he is putting up a facade and is actually upset about the way the Jets organization is treating him, then he is doing a good job of hiding it.

In reality, it does not really matter what he thinks of the situation as long as the end result is that his performance improves.

Sanchez has made a concerted effort to resolve the locker room rifts of last season as well as limiting his public exposure as opposed to past seasons.

He does genuinely seem motivated and confident entering the season, which is step one in the process of eliminating the disgusting taste of the Week 15, 16 and 17 losses.

No. 9: The Offensive Line Will Perform Better

The fact that the Jets had three members of the offensive line technically named to the Pro Bowl is very misleading.

For starters, D'Brickashaw Ferguson was voted in primarily because of reputation rather than performance. Same could be said from Brandon Moore. Nick Mangold is obviously one of the best centers in the league, and he earned his spot.

For the two games that Mangold was injured, the Jets offense looked absolutely inept. They were crushed by Oakland and Baltimore during his absence, which showed his importance to the club while Colin Baxter was treated as a revolving door.

This season the Jets will obviously be counting on Mangold to play all 16 games and anchor the Jets running game in the same fashion as 2009 and 2010 when they ranked among the top of the NFL.

There must be a huge improvement from the right tackle position, where they received very poor production from Wayne Hunter. He was among the most penalized lineman in the league, and he forced the Jets to help him in passing situations by using an extra tight end.

Sanchez will need the type of consistency from the offensive line that the Jets received in Rex's first two seasons. Obviously, the retirement of Damien Woody hurt its production in 2011.

Sanchez will look much more poised in the pocket if he is given sufficient protection, and that will improve his performance.

No. 8: The Presence of Tim Tebow Will Keep Him Motivated

Much to the chagrin of the New York media, Mark Sanchez has been saying all of the right things about Tim Tebow and their potential QB battle.

Whether Sanchez' performance suffers or benefits from Tebow breathing down his neck remains to be seen.

One thing is for certain, after some players have questioned whether he was complacent, Sanchez will not have the luxury of resting on his laurels. Sanchez will need to separate himself from Tebow in some way, and it starts with proving his dedication through hard work and leadership.

Tebow has been lauded for his leadership abilities, but if this is Mark's team, he must be assertive in the fact that he is in charge of the offense and not the backup QB.

It will certainly not allow him to suffer a malaise, and "Broadway Mark" will be working his hardest to regain the trust of his teammates.

No. 7: Experience

Many people fail to mention that Mark Sanchez started 16 games in college. That, in addition to his three years of NFL experience, adds up to the amount of time mostly everyone else experiences in college.

Sanchez was thrown into the fire at not only a young age, but at an embryonic stage of his development.

Some will be quick to point out the rapid maturation of Mathew Stafford from the same draft class, but it would only be fair to mention to regression of Josh Freeman who was also part of the '09 QB class.

Regardless of his caliber of performance to this point, Sanchez is only now entering what would be his first year in professional football in terms of experience.

Not to anoint him in the same class of talent, but New York Giants QB Eli Manning won his first Super Bowl in his fourth season and the statistics through three years are strikingly similar.

Clearly, he has enhanced his resume in recent years, but it shows not all hope is lost for Jets fans.

No. 6: 1-2 Punch of Greene/Ganaway Will Provide Boost

When Rex Ryan became the head coach, he declared the Jets running game to be called "ground and pound."

Mark Sanchez benefited greatly from the Jets No. 1-ranked rushing attack in 2009 which averaged 170 yards per game. While Sanchez posted modest numbers, he was not relied upon to carry the burden and was able to win games without tremendous numbers.

In 2010 they slipped to fourth in the league, averaging 149 yards per game. That did not prevent them from making it to the AFC Championship game for the second consecutive season.

Last season, the running game slipped to 22nd in the league, averaging just over 105 yards per game.

It really affected the team considering the passing game was not much better, ranked 21st in the league.

Shonn Greene may not be the best RB in the league, but he compiled 1,054 yards in 2011. They really lacked a complementary back, as Joe McKnight was more suited for kick returning duties and LaDainian Tomlinson was at the very end of his illustrious career.

The Jets selected Terrence Ganaway in the sixth round. The 240-pound running back is a true power runner and will add another weapon for the Jets.

Gang Green will hope that Ganaway can capitalize on tiring defenses in the fourth quarter, reminiscent of Brandon Jacobs in 2007 for the New York Giants.

No. 5: Newly Found Chemistry with Santonio Holmes

Santonio Holmes has irked quite a few people in his short career. He has already been run out of one town, possibly two if not for his remaining contract.

Holmes was extremely productive in 2010 for the Jets, single-handedly beating the Houston Texans, Detroit Lions and Cleveland Browns with late-game heroics.

Last season, however, his production slipped tremendously. He caught only 51 passes for 654 yards. That type of production will not give him the luxury to behave however he wants.

In addition, Holmes was benched in the final game of the season for his behavior in the huddle. According to reports, some players said he and Mark Sanchez were not the biggest fans of each other.

Time heals all, however, and now the quarterback and receiver tandem have become best friends as they spent some quality time together in the offseason. They have reconciled the relationship and all seems well at the current time.

From the perspective of the Jets coaching staff, the only way to interpret this story is that much of their struggles last season was due to their lack of cohesiveness, and this season they have no excuse to have any sort of lack of communication.

The story itself may sound corny—because it is—but Jets fans will not be complaining if they are able to form the dynamic offense that they should have had last season.

No. 4: The Comfort of a Large Contract Extension Will Calm His Nerves

Last season Sanchez appeared very unnerved at times. It could have been from any number of reasons. One likely reason was his contract.

Despite rumors that the Jets would pursue Peyton Manning if he became a free agent, the Jets announced the contract extension of Sanchez which certainly ruffled the feathers of some fans who were not pleased with his 2011 performance.

The extension is worth three years and $40 million, however, only $20.5 is guaranteed.

Sanchez can now operate under the notion that he is the Jets starter. While that was the case the past three seasons, the extension shows that the Jets front office does not regret selecting Sanchez with the fifth overall pick in the 2009 draft.

No. 6 may still receive a great deal of animosity from the fans, but he has the paycheck to vindicate his importance to the Jets.

No. 3: The Presence of Stephen Hill

One of the missing ingredients of the Jets offense last season was the presence of a deep threat. Plaxico Burress was valuable in the red zone, and Santonio Holmes was solid at times, but there was nobody to "take the lid off the defense."

Stephen Hill is a physical specimen that can really boost the offense. Hill, from Georgia Tech, possesses elite speed and averaged 25.5 yards per catch in his collegiate career with nine touchdowns.

He won't need to have a Calvin Johnson-type impact. The Jets simply need a receiver with reliable hands and the ability to break off occasional long touchdown receptions reminiscent of Desean Jackson in the rookie season.

Sanchez had the safety net of Jerricho Cotchery and Tony Richardson during his first two seasons which really aided him on crucial 3rd downs. Last season, he was unable to connect with Holmes on a number of occasions which was really a detriment.

Sanchez will really benefit from the presence of rookie Stephen Hill, and fans already love him.

No. 2: Tony Sparano Has Implemented a New System

It is definitely a bit curious how Rex Ryan and GM Mike Tannenbaum praised the game-calling ability of Brian Schottenheimer just before the former Jets OC and the Jets mutually agreed to part ways.

Nevertheless, the Jets are putting their trust in former Miami Dolphins Head Coach Tony Sparano to right the ship with the offense.

Sparano was previously the head coach of the Miami Dolphins beginning in 2008 when he led the Dolphins to a 10-game turnaround from the previous season, which won him AP Coach of the Year.

Schottenheimer seemed to be intent on the Jets becoming a pass-first team, but Rex Ryan made it clear he believed the Jets should be primarily focused on running the ball.

The Dolphins were a run-first team, and he was one of the brains behind the "Wildcat" being re-introduced into the league.

Sparano will have the tough task of finding the perfect balance between not only the ground game and passing game, but also when to utilize Tim Tebow.

Tony Sparano is a well-respected coach around the league, and Rex Ryan is now trusting him in a situation without much leeway.

It will be a challenging task, but the skill set of Sanchez does appear to better suit the schemes of Sparano as opposed to Schottenheimer, which should enable Sanchez to be more efficient and eliminate his turnover total.

No. 1: Sanchez Has Thrived on Skeptics

Prior to his junior year of high school, Sanchez and his parents decided his best bet to become a top recruit would be to transfer to Mission Viejo High School in California.

He would have the tough task of following Carson Palmer, who went on to win the Heisman Award for USC. Many doubted he could handle the intricacies of their playbook. How did he respond?

Winning 27 of 28 games and leading the school to the state title.

That performance put him on the radar of many big time schools, and he ultimately signed to play at USC. While he saw limited playing time behind Matt Leinert and John David Booty his first two seasons, Sanchez was declared the starter for his junior season.

As luck would have it, Sanchez broke his kneecap during practice which cost him three weeks. Many doubted his ability to return to full strength and effectiveness.

Sanchez had a tremendous season, throwing for 32 touchdowns and 10 interceptions and leading USC to a Rose Bowl victory in his only bowl appearance.

This is all prior to leading the Jets to back-to-back AFC Championship games in his first two seasons, joining Ben Roethlisberger as the only QB to accomplish that feat.

What did this show?

Sanchez has been unfairly scrutinized for having a fragile psyche. He has played amidst a relentless New York media and has managed to win 32 games in his three seasons.

Granted last season was underwhelming, but 2012 will be a much improved season for the signal-caller of the New York Jets.