NY Jets Game Preview (Week 2 Patriots)

Sunday September 20th, 1pm CBS
1-0 New England at 1-0 NY Jets
by Joe Grinwis (124)

Mark Sanchise. That is what some of the players in the Jets locker room have jokingly called the fifth overall pick in the 2009 NFL Draft since he walked onto the field in his first NFL start and shred apart the Houston Texans secondary to the tune of 272 yards and a touchdown. Mark Sanchise, the man who has given Jet fans hope that maybe, just maybe, this will be the first true franchise Quarterback since Joe Namath.

Mark Sanchise. That is what we Jet fans will call him as well. With the poise and leadership that this young 22 year old rookie has shown, there is little doubt in this Jets fan mind that this guy could lead us to special things. Of course, it is too early to tell for certain. It was after all, only one start. Jet fans remember Browning Nagle’s first start in which he almost threw for 400 yards and we all know how that turned out. However, to compare Mark to Nagle would be doing a disservice.

Mark Sanchise. The new kid on the block will meet the polished, proven and not yet one hundred percent superstar of the AFC East, Tom Brady. Brady looked rusty for first three quarters of the Patriots season opening comeback victory over the Buffalo Bills. However it was Brady who threw two touchdowns in 66 seconds to rally the Patriots to another impressive victory. One day, Mark hopes to be not only be in the same sentence as Tom, but to be better and to be looked upon as the best. Because Mark is a competitor and he wants to win. He will do anything for the sake of the team. His leadership skills cannot be taught.

Mark Sanchise. We saw more risks taken, and converted, from him in his first NFL start than we saw from Chad Pennington in six years as the starting Quarterback for this organization. Chad is good guy and he can be a good Quarterback on his best day, but he never took any chances, always opting for the safe dump off on 3rd and 10 instead of slinging it 15 or 20 yards down field. Mark is not Chad. Not even close. His arm is much better. He IS better.

Mark Sanchez is his real name but after Sunday he will be known as Mark Sanchise by every single New York Jets fan. Mark Sanchise: The man who WILL lead the Jets to victory on Sunday over the New England Patriots.

Key Matchups:

WR Wes Welker vs Jets Secondary

Who will get the call to cover the speedy, slippery favorite target of Tom Brady? Will it be second year man Dwight Lowery or will two time Pro Bowler Lito Sheppard move inside and get the nod? Could it possibly be Kerry Rhodes or Jim Leonhard? We will not know until game time for certain, but whoever it is faces a tough task ahead of them. The last time the New England Patriots faced a Rex Ryan defense, Welker was held to 3 catches for 18 yards. The Ravens used a number of Defensive Backs to cover him, as well as Linebacker Bart Scott, now a Jet. It will be interesting to see what the Jets do with Welker and it very well could decide the game. Welker has had great success against the Jets in the past, if they can contain him, with Pro Bowler Darrelle Revis locking down Randy Moss, the chances to win this game go up a huge notch.

Jets Front Seven vs Patriots Offensive Line

There is no secret formula for defeating not only Tom Brady but any Quarterback in this league: Get to him and hit him. Hit him hard and hit him often. The last time we saw Brady walk off the field with a loss, the New York Giants defense hit him all day long. Brady was flustered and made mistakes. The Jets hope to do the same thing. In the first game, Matt Schaub was hit consistently and by the 4th Quarter had a look on his face like he was tired, mad and didn’t even want to play anymore. That is what Scott, Kris Jenkins, David Harris and the rest of the Jets front seven hope to do to Brady on Sunday. If they do, the Jets will force him into mistakes and then it comes down to making the most of those mistakes. If the Patriots can protect Brady, he will pick apart this Secondary.

Leon Washington vs Patriots Defense/Special Teams

The last time the Patriots saw Leon Washington he was running down the field into the endzone on a Kickoff Return. Once again the Jets are going to need their Mr. Everything to come through with a big performance. Not only on Special Teams, but on offense as well. Thomas Jones, minus his two long runs, looked sluggish on Sunday. Washington who had 60 yards on 15 carries, looked like the better runner. The Patriots are weak at the Linebacker position with Jerod Mayo scheduled to miss 6-8 weeks and Adalius Thomas suffering from a concussion he received courtesy of the Bills on Monday Night. The key here is to get the ball in Leon’s hands often. He received over 20 offensive touches in Week 1, I would suggest to Rex Ryan and Brian Schottenheimer to make it closer to 30 in Week 2.

Prediction:

New England – 24
JETS – 28

MVP: Mark Sanchez – 17-28, 258 yards, 2 TD

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