No Matter What Happens, New York Jets Fly by Dealing for Mark Sanchez

The New York Jets selected former University of Southern California star quarterback Mark Sanchez Saturday after making a trade with the Cleveland Browns to acquire the fifth overall pick in the NFL Draft.

Sanchez, 22, a third-generation Mexican American who was named the 2009 Rose Bowl MVP, wowed Jets Head Coach Rex Ryan and offensive coordinator Brian Schottenheimer during a workout at his old high school last month and Gang Green's brass were determined to land the Trojans onetime signal-caller.

"We saw the great feet, we saw the poise and how confident he was," said Ryan of the 2008 First Team All-Pac 10 nomination who played 16 games as a Trojan in coach Pete Carroll's sophisticated, pro-style offense. "Brian put him through every route known to man and he passed every throw with flying colors. We knew right then this is the guy we wanted."

In order to attain the fifth pick, New York traded Cleveland their first and second round choices (17 and 52) and starting defensive end Kenyon Coleman, promising quarterback Brett Ratliffe and productive safety Abram Elam.

Jets General Manager Mike Tannenbaum admitted it was peculiar to forge a deal with Browns coach Eric Mangini only months after he handed the famous whistleblower his deserved pink slip.

"It is ironic, but we also looked at it as an opportunity," Tannenbaum remarked of brokering a deal with the coaching “genius” who faltered on the sidelines in Gotham.

Sanchez, the Jets' highest-drafted quarterback since "Broadway" Joe Namath was selected first in the 1965 AFL Draft, seems undaunted at the prospect of leading Gang Green under the glaring Big Apple spotlight.

"The media training I had at USC, a pretty large media market, not quite as big as New York, it's only going to get bigger and better. But I think that helps," said the All-American who led USC to a 12-1 record last season.

"At USC, they put a lot of emphasis on the quarterback with Heisman Trophy winners, All-Americans and national champions. They want results, just like the fans here, just like the press here. That's what I'm prepared to work for, obviously with such a great team around me now, it's going to be a blast."

On paper, Tannenbaum and Ryan have assembled an enormously talented defense this offseason and their offense was vastly improved this past weekend at Radio City Music Hall in New York.

In addition to snagging Sanchez, the Jets also traded-up 12 spots to select University of Iowa running back and 2008 Big Ten Offensive Player of the Year Shonn Greene in the initial portion of the third round.

Greene, 23, who transferred to Iowa last spring from Kirkwood Community College after he raised his grade point average there to meet Hawkeye standards, rushed for over 100 yards in every one of his 13 games as a junior on the gridiron last season.

Even a stickler would acknowledge that the Jets enjoyed a solid draft weekend that may eventually catapult them to an elite status in the NFL.

Nevertheless, it is fair to wonder if Gang Green should have considered alternate trade offers and opportunities before they focused the bulk of their efforts toward acquiring Sanchez.

Sanchez is extremely inexperienced and he has suffered from a litany of minor injuries throughout his abbreviated career.

The native of Long Beach, California scoffs at the notion that he is a one-year wonder who is unprepared to succeed in the NFL.

"I bring up Matt Cassel. He didn't start at all and look what he's doing," said Sanchez, referring to his fellow USC alumnus who had not started a game at quarterback since high school prior to last September with the New England Patriots.

Sanchez fully expects to defeat incumbent reserve Kellen Clemens in the quarterback competition slated for this upcoming preseason.

"I didn't grow up dreaming of being a backup,” stated Sanchez, who threw 34 touchdown passes in comparison to a measly 10 interceptions last autumn.

Sanchez’s former coach at USC believes that his erstwhile leader is ready to thrive in the professional ranks immediately despite publicly questioning his decision to vacate Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum with one year of eligibility remaining.

"He's as equipped as anybody," Carroll said of the first quarterback to leave the USC program prematurely since Todd “Marijunavich” Marinovich did after the 1990 campaign. "He understands the principles and the concepts. Unless the system is jam-packed, there are very few concepts they will be able to put in front of him that he has not already done."

In essence, the Jets simply squandered a second round draft pick to position themselves to select Sanchez. Virtually every pigskin analyst is in agreement that such a minimal sacrifice by the Jets was an obvious maneuver to secure a player of Sanchez's caliber.

However, there were also reportedly a slew of other young and more-experienced signal-callers available for the Jets to consider acquiring via trade for a sufficient bargain over the weekend.

According to a number of media sources, Mangini is not enamored with either of his inherited quarterbacks, Brady Quinn and Derek Anderson.

Quinn, 24, the 2006 Johnny Unitas Golden Arm Award winner who holds virtually every passing record for the Notre Dame Fighting Irish, and Anderson, 25, a 2007 Pro Bowl selection with the Browns, are both intriguing prospects who could have possibly been landed for less than the Jets first round selection.

Similarly, Washington Redskins Owner Daniel Snyder seems to covet his current franchise thrower, Jason Campbell, as much as a Mexican desires to become inflicted with swine flu.

Campbell, 27, is a solid field general who threw for 3,245 yards and 13 touchdowns, in contrast to six interceptions, in 2008.

Obtaining any three of the aforementioned quarterbacks for marginal players and a second round pick or less may have ultimately been more advantageous for the Jets.

The Jets could have gained their leader under the gun and they still would have owned their first round selection to potentially land a big, powerful wide receiver or a ferocious pass rushing defensive lineman.

In the grand scheme of events, Tannenbaum and Ryan likely gave Mangini an overdue Cleveland steamer.

On the contrary, if the USC heartthrob is the latest in an extensive collection of New York draft busts, Jets management does not warrant a dirty Sanchez in this rare instance for their moves.

The Jets sought quality over quantity this entire offseason and if their draft-day finagling pays dividends, the Jets will fly high for the next decade.

If their transactions falter like they often do, the Jets failed this time genuinely trying to better their cursed franchise.

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