The Great Debate: Part 1

Let the debate begin. Matthew Stafford vs. Mark Sanchez. They will be linked together like Tim Couch/Donovan McNabb, Peyton Manning/Ryan Leaf, Eli Manning/Phillip Rivers; and Alex Smith/Aaron Rodgers. Sorry, I would have more historic references but I am only 22. Ask Guy #1 for those, he is our resident old man. Anyway, we are faced with the task of determining who will be the better pro quarterback, Matthew Stafford or Mark Sanchez. Some might say it is stupid to try to predict who is going to be better, between quarterbacks who have yet to take NFL snaps. However, we are Guys who like sports and don’t care who knows, and we do stupid things from time to time. For example, we chug whiskey and compare two rookie quarterbacks. You have to live sometimes.

To begin this argument we need to set the ground rules. We aren't trying to argue to see who is the better overall quarterback right now because as the Florida homers we are, we’d clearly take Sanchez over Stafford any day. This comparison is strictly to see who will have a better pro career when it’s all said and done. Rather than just taking into account draft grades, we will take into account current team situation, arm strength, media attention and pressure, technical skills and other metrics when determining who has the better pro career… actually I think we can throw that out the window because Stafford is going to be throwing to Calvin Johnson. Do I even need to continue this argument, the guy is nicknamed Megatron. For the next two years you’ll be watching your favorite team play and then JB or whatever low-life they have anchoring the Fox pregame show, come on and say, “We have a scoring update for you from Detroit.” It will be an amazing hookup between Matthew Stafford and Megatron to cut the lead to 38 (whoever the Lions are playing) to 17 (Lions).

Meanwhile, Mark Sanchez will be pounding the ball to Thomas Jones, throwing screen passes to Leon Washington and then trying to rely on Dustin Keller and Jericho Cotchery, as his go to guys. I don’t like where this is going. Although Sanchez might have a better offensive line to protect him and running game to depend on, he is going to be playing in an extremely hard division without a safety blanket at receiver to rely on. There will be multiple times this year where faced with defensive pressure, Stafford will just throw the ball up and Megatron will make the play for him. Sanchez just doesn't have this luxury.

Also, while Mark Sanchez was backing up Matt Leinart and John David Booty, Matthew Stafford was starting in the Georgia pro-style offense for those two years. Some might use this argument in Sanchez's favor, saying that he has the better pedigree coming from USC, which has produced Carson Palmer, Matt Leinart, and John David Booty in recent years. However, Palmer, Leinart, and Booty all had the chance to start for more than one season while Sanchez only started for one. In addition, Sanchez's own coach thought it was a mistake for him to leave college this year.

If you aren't convinced yet that Stafford will have a better career than Mark Sanchez then look no further than who he will be backing up to start his career. From the University of Central Florida, weighing in at 282 pounds, Daunteeeee Cullllpepper. Ladies and Gentlemen, the debate is over, we have our winner.

NFL Draft Countdown T-minus 2 days

With two days to go until the NFL draft, we’re continuing our NFL draft preview. In this edition, we take a look whether underclassmen quarterbacks are a gamble and debate the similarities of Mark Sanchez and Jack Sheppard from Lost.

The buzz surrounding this year’s draft focuses on where QB’s Matthew Stafford and Mark Sanchez will be taken. While Sanchez had a good year at USC, is he really ready to be a franchise quarterback? Some speculation has the Redskins trading up to select him in first round, but is he honestly better than Jason Campbell? Is he worthy of a top 10 pick, or does he happen to be the second best signal caller in a weak quarterback draft class? If Sam Bradford and Colt McCoy had entered the draft, would he still be considered a top 10 pick?

In Sanchez’s defense, USC has been a quarterback factory the past few years. Carson Palmer, Matt Leinart, Matt Cassel, and John David Booty are all QB’s in the NFL. However, none of those players left college early.

If one thing's been proven, it's that quarterbacks who leave early haven't had a great deal of success. Of the past season's 12 playoff quarterbacks, Ben Roethlisberger was the only one who left early. Yes, we know that Roethlisberger was the Super Bowl winning QB, but he’s more of an exception to this rule. It should be noted that he started for three full years at Miami Ohio. Sanchez only started one full season.

Matthew Stafford is another junior QB expected to go high in the first round, but like Roethlisberger, Stafford has three years of starting experience. At the quarterback position, experience and reps are vital in the development process. While he played well this year, we at Guys Who Like Sports don’t see the reason for wanting to leave early. Did one year against porous Pac 10 defenses really get you prepared for the NFL?

I feel in three years we're going to see a bearded, distressed Mark Sanchez hanging outside of an airport yelling to Stafford, "We were never supposed to leave. WE HAVE TO GO BACK!!!”


(Because there was no new Lost last night, we felt it necessary to make some mention on the blog today.) Since Sanchez declared for the draft, Pete Carroll has shown vast similarities to John Locke. In Lost, Locke was adamant about Jack not leaving the island, while Carroll was very vocal in declaring that Sanchez was making a mistake in leaving. Does USC= The Island? Only time will tell. (End Lost rant)

However, one of the key issues in all of this is how the NFL overvalues college performances. Look at Matt Cassel this past season. He started 15 games and played at a Pro Bowl level in THE NATIONAL FOOTBALL LEAGUE, yet is only worth a second round pick. However, there are GM’s who will trade up to use a Top 10 pick on a guy in Sanchez who started one full season in college. How does this make any sense?

While Sanchez will certainly cash in earlier, he won’t be as prepared to handle of the pressures of being a franchise QB. As the USC quarterbacks before him have proven, staying that extra year can prove huge dividends.