Mark Sanchez vs. Ryan Fitzpatrick: Which QB Is Worth Betting on in 2012?

Mark Sanchez vs. Ryan Fitzpatrick is one of the most heated debates among New York Jets fans, Buffalo Bills fans and NFL fans in general.

Each quarterback has struggled and shined, but usually fall somewhere between those distinctions. 

On a weekly basis during the season, ESPN.com's AFC East Blog runs a Sanchez-Fitzpatrick watch (that also includes the Miami Dolphins quarterback) to provide readers a platform to argue which QB had the more impressive game, and opine on who's the better overall signal-caller. 

Ron Jaworski listed Fitzpatrick No. 24 and Sanchez No. 23 in his 2012 quarterback rankings. 

Enough with the arguing, people; let's settle this dispute of mediocrity by comparing the two head-to-head.  

Obvious Statistics

The first and most obvious place to begin the comparison is in the stat book. 

Fitzpatrick has started 37 games for the Bills dating back to 2009, and Sanchez has started 47 games for the Jets in his first three seasons. 

Based on 16-game averages from those starts, Sanchez and Fitzpatrick stack up like this: 

Sanchez

266 completions, 481 attempts, 3,134 yards, 18.7 TD, 17.3 INT

Fitzpatrick 

335 completions, 557 attempts, 3,769 yards, 25.9 TD, 20.9 INT

So, Fitzpatrick has clearly been placed into a more pass-happy offense in Buffalo, and is more of volume quarterback. His 569-attempt 2011 inflates his numbers a bit, but it's distinctly evident that if you need more of a game-manager, Sanchez is your guy. 

If you're looking for more attempts, completions, completion percentage, yards and touchdowns, you'd go with the Bills signal-caller, but you'll get more interceptions in the process. However, Fitzpatrick's touchdown-to-interception ratio is slightly better than, Sanchez's.

Don't forget that. 

Advantage: Ryan Fitzpatrick (scheme dependent). 

Accuracy/Yards Per Attempt

To many football evaluators, these two stats best express how good a quarterback is. Ask Ron Jaworski or Todd McShay. 

Over his last three seasons with the Bills, Fitzpatrick's yards-per-attempt average is 6.6. During that same stretch, in 10 more starts, Sanchez has compiled a 6.5 yards-per-attempt average. 

Neither quarterback has necessarily thrown the ball downfield more than the other on average, thereby making their accuracy numbers comparable. 

Taking Sanchez's completion percentage average from 47 starts with New York, his 16-game average is 55.3 percent. 

Fitzpatrick, on the other hand, has a 16-game average of 60.1 percent in 37 starts with Buffalo. 

Advantage: Ryan Fitzpatrick

Awareness/Decision-Making

There's no quantitative stat to compare the two quarterbacks in this department, but it's fair to say each guy can flash great decision-making for stretches, then suddenly look completely out of sorts. 

Sanchez is much better at stepping into the pocket to deliver the football when edge-rushers are closing in, yet the two QBs have similar overall awareness of their surroundings. 

Neither are remarkable athletes, but both have more scrambling ability than given credit for, and can make plays with their legs when protection breaks down.

In terms of decision-making on passes, based on the numbers, Sanchez has thrown an interception every 27.7 passes in his Jets career. Fitzpatrick has tossed a pick every 25.7 passes. 

On the qualitative side of things, Fitzpatrick makes bad decisions more often, though New York fans would argue they've seen a plethora of dumb throws by Sanchez.

Bad and overly risky decisions could come from the fact that the Bills quarterback hasn't been able to trust his defense enough to simply throw the ball away. Maybe he has an intrinsic sense to try to make things happen with his arm in pressure situations, but over the last few seasons, he's been sporadic deciding when and where to throw the football on more occasions than Sanchez. 

What's tricky about this part of the breakdown is that Fitzpatrick carries the "smart" label, while Sanchez hasn't ever been dubbed a "heady" quarterback.

Advantage: Mark Sanchez

Pure Passing Talent

Sanchez is a much more gifted passer, though the numbers don't necessarily indicate that. 

His delivery is a smoother, more traditional motion, and his arm is stronger when throwing the deep ball or zooming it across the middle. 

Fitzpatrick's arm is better than many believe, but he has to exert more energy into a 15-yard dig route than Sanchez, and certainly doesn't possess the same amount of arm strength as the Jets quarterback. 

There's a chance Buffalo's quarterback is more comfortable this year after working with quarterback guru David Lee this offseason, the guy who helped the somewhat unconventional Tony Romo in Dallas. 

Advantage: Mark Sanchez

Leadership/Intangibles

After a tumultuous end to the 2011 campaign for the Jets and Mark Sanchez, and with Tim Tebow potentially causing more locker-room division this season, it's hard to say No. 6 is the true leader of the New York Jets. 

In all fairness, Fitzpatrick's inconsistent play most likely frustrated teammates down the stretch last season, but he is backed by his coaching staff and locker room and hasn't had any public conflicts with any Bills players.

Both guys, when down, can look extremely uncomfortable and tentative, but Sanchez has periods of seemingly serious anxiety when he looks anything but a leader.

Though Sanchez is slightly the better decision-maker when it comes to throwing the football, and that's not saying much, the way Fitzpatrick sacrifices his body when scrambling and shows no fear when asked to block on a run play or reverse scores him points with teammates and fans alike.

The connection he's struck with head coach Chan Gailey is important too. It'll be interesting to see how Sanchez and Tony Sparano interact in 2012. 

Advantage: Ryan Fitzpatrick

Team Situation

Since 2009, the situations in New York and Buffalo for Sanchez and Fitzpatrick have been drastically different, even if the Bills are now closing the gap on Gang Green. 

Before last season, the Jets offensive line was greatly superior to the Bills group. Overall, it's still a better unit, but the offensive scheme in Buffalo keeps Fitzpatrick on his feet more often. 

Sanchez has played with a more talented and established group of pass-catchers than Fitzpatrick, without question. Guys like Santonio Holmes, Braylon Edwards, Plaxico Burress, Jerricho Cotchery and Dustin Keller easily trump the Bills contingent Fitzpatrick's had on his roster: Lee Evans, David Nelson, Stevie Johnson, Scott Chandler and Roscoe Parrish. 

The running backs are a push, and this year, Buffalo looks to have the more dynamic tailbacks with Fred Jackson and C.J. Spiller. 

The defenses have been in different stratospheres, and they matter. 

New York has been in many more games than the Bills since 2009, and their stingy defense has had a lot to do with that. 

One can't punish Sanchez for being in a more favorable situation, but it has been something that's arguably benefited his progress as a player and helped his team succeed. 

Advantage: Mark Sanchez

Verdict

Through six rounds of comparative analysis, not surprisingly, Sanchez and Fitzpatrick each have the advantage in three categories, though it's not that cut-and-dry. 

Fitzpatrick has the "advantage" in terms of statistics, but a lot of that is due to the scheme in which he operates in Buffalo. He's more accurate and has had a higher yards per attempt over the last three seasons. Clearly, he's the more palpable leader. 

Sanchez is the better decision-maker and has far more pure talent as a passer. 

However, the final "win" for Sanchez is based on the situation he's been in with the Jets to start his career. Again, he shouldn't be penalized for something he can't control, but playing on a more quality overall team has masked some of his deficiencies and has allowed him to win games when he's played poorly. 

From that, Sanchez has been better in big games (playoffs), but Fitzpatrick simply hasn't been there.

It's close—very close—but here's the verdict: 

Ryan Fitzpatrick vs. Mark Sanchez: 

Advantage: Ryan Fitzpatrick