Why Freeman Is Not A New York Jet
May 9th, 2011
It seems Rex Ryan has written a book devoid of feet-orgy stories but filled with interesting football nuggets.
Sports Illustrated scribe Peter King, who recently insulted Team Glazer publicly, tells a story from Ryan’s book about the Jets’ decision to draft Mark Sanchez over Josh Freeman. It appears today in King’s popular Monday Morning Quarterback column on SI.com.
Ryan tells an interesting story in the book about pursuing a franchise quarterback once he got the Jets job. The choice came down to USC’s Mark Sanchez and Kansas State’s Josh Freeman. “We sent both of them a mini-playbook and asked them to learn what they could from it before they met with us,” Ryan told me. “They both blew the doors off us when we got them in a room. We’d ask about out formations and bam-bam-bam, they knew it all quick. Both very, very sharp guys.”
But in telling the story in the book, Ryan says one of the factors that swayed the Jets was how Sanchez was regarded by his peers. He said 24 high school and college mates showed up to catch balls for Sanchez. When they’d been to Kansas State to work out Freeman, two of his receivers showed up. “Honestly,” Ryan told me, “that might have been what separated them — the immense respect we sensed from the people who played with Mark and knew him so well.”
While Joe gets Ryan’s logic, perhaps Freeman wasn’t interested in bringing a mountain of people out to his workout? It’s not a popularity contest; it’s a workout with an NFL team.
Given recent news accounts of Sanchez, it’s no surprise the high schoolers were out there in full force.
Thankfully, the Bucs got the better quarterback.
May 9th, 2011 at 12:08 pm
Sanchez is over-rated and if he is not flushed out to make throws he is ineffective. There is no question who the better QB is.
May 9th, 2011 at 12:15 pm
I have a friend who went to school with free and he said he was a bit arrogant in school and very cocky but he changed that when he got to the NFL so I guess that’s what Ryan may be referring to.
May 9th, 2011 at 12:16 pm
Yup, I wouldn’t trade Josh for any QB in the league. Guy is amazing, and a class act professional too!
May 9th, 2011 at 12:16 pm
I hate the Jets and “Sanchize”
Jets cudda won the SB this year with a half-decent QB
I hope Sanchez plays mediocre for the rest of his career – not enough to get benched but enough to hold that talented team back from a championship – if they win it we will never hear the end of it.
May 9th, 2011 at 12:30 pm
I would have told Peter King “Cool Story, bro”.
May 9th, 2011 at 12:32 pm
Personally, I don’t see anything wrong with him (Sanchez) dating a 176 year old girl…so long as no sex happens until they are married (that’s a personal thing) and he does not give her alcohol/drugs.
On Freeman…I still think that in the long run, he will be judged the best QB of that class. I didn’t originally think that, but he won me over before his first season even started.
May 9th, 2011 at 12:33 pm
“176 year old girl” = 17 year old girl
lol…big hands here
May 9th, 2011 at 12:36 pm
As opposed to seeing who is the best quarterback, lets see who is more popular. How’s that working out for you.
May 9th, 2011 at 12:51 pm
Sanchise is a good fit for the NY market. They can keep him.
Freechise is the best thing that’s happened to the Bucs since 2002 and our first (almost ever) Franchise quarterback.
May 9th, 2011 at 12:56 pm
Pete, There is nothing wrong with dating a 176 year old girl. Methuslah did it and everybody seems to like him! (Sorry! Just could’nt resist)
May 9th, 2011 at 1:00 pm
Let me think, the try outs were in the city of the college? Oh, USC = Southern California = about 20 Million people living there. Kansas State = Mahattan, KS – 125 miles west of Kansas City, MO. Mahattan, KS = 52,000 people including those living on the campus. So if we divide 24/20,000,000 = 0.0000012 or 0.00012% of those that might. 2/52,000 = 0.000038 or 0.0038% of those that might. Sems to me that comparing area to area Josh had a boat, no a stadium more elgible people show up. Who would of thought?
May 9th, 2011 at 1:01 pm
Oh, I forgot, I am glad Rex Ryan can’t count.
May 9th, 2011 at 1:05 pm
lol
@OB
Rex can count! So long as the players take their shoes off!
May 9th, 2011 at 1:35 pm
“Personally, I don’t see anything wrong with him (Sanchez) dating a 176 year old girl…so long as no sex happens until they are married (that’s a personal thing) and he does not give her alcohol/drugs.”
Man, that’s what’s messed up with this world…
May 9th, 2011 at 1:45 pm
I agree Matt. This dude coundn’t find anyone his age? 17? Come’on.
And you think he’s gunna date her without sex until married. Pete, do you live next to Disney World? She don’t need drugs shes high on the fact she’s 17 and dating a staring NFL QB.
May 9th, 2011 at 1:45 pm
*starting/staring either way
May 9th, 2011 at 1:50 pm
The fact Ryan wrote about it in his book to try to justify their choice says it all. He’s trying to justify it to make it sound like they made the best choice. Obviously, we all know who the best choice was. ***in my best William Wallace voice*** FREEEE-MAAAN!!!!
May 9th, 2011 at 1:57 pm
LOL @ Tommy Boy
@ Not a Rocket LOL! Freechise I like it!
May 9th, 2011 at 2:29 pm
Great Job Rex! Thx Buddy! Love ya 4 Life!
May 9th, 2011 at 2:41 pm
You only need 2 or 3 WR’s to run a workout. It’s not a party or a popularity contest. Using that philosophy Matt Leinart would be a Pro Bowler by now. Maybe Sexy Rexy can trade for Leinart and have two overrated Trojans on the roster, then they could have 48 WR’s show up for workouts.
May 9th, 2011 at 2:43 pm
some states u can date 16 year old so its all where u live i guess
May 9th, 2011 at 3:34 pm
That is an idiotic reason to draft one qb over another. I watched Free in college and he had issues with accuracy. If that was the reason to select sanchez first, i would have understood that decision. But based on the number of supporters who came to the workout – huh?
Free proved to better inyear2 than sanchex, year 1 was close. I would never trade freeman for sanchez but i do think that sanchez will be a good player.
May 9th, 2011 at 3:36 pm
According to the players, Freeman is the 10th best QB in the league! That is amazing considering he’s only played 1.5 seasons. He has “it” and will lead this team a championship one day!
May 9th, 2011 at 3:45 pm
rex ryan’s mouth will forever write checks that his teams won’t be able to cash. he’s a loud mouth moron, just like his old man.
May 9th, 2011 at 3:50 pm
After finding out how the Bucs were able to draft Freeman, I have now become a huge Rex Ryan fan. Thank you Rex. Oh and Josh says hello.
May 9th, 2011 at 3:54 pm
enjoy second rate sanchez jets fans I know we sure enjoy freeman
May 9th, 2011 at 4:16 pm
haha..I had just sent the peter king blurb to a Jets fan friend with the subject “dumbest reason for the worst decision ever”
May 9th, 2011 at 4:43 pm
@joe Thankfully, the Bucs got the better quarterback….
so true joe, i totally agree… the only thing sanchez really has going for him is the 2 championship appearances… but i have no doubt if freeman was in that same situation on the jets he would have taken them further
May 9th, 2011 at 5:12 pm
wow this is one of the first times I am actually in agreement with Thomas 2.2….i guess that could only mean the end of days is near lol
May 9th, 2011 at 5:25 pm
Big marlon: open up your mind and you will find the forest through the trees more often my friend.
Part of what cuts against the accusations of me being completely anti-buc and negative is my consistent praise for freeman, also i defend mike will, davin joseph, barret ruud, earnie, faine, even mark dominik and greg olson. Folks tend to ignore those comments and just obsess on my commentary about rah and also gmc.
I am not a supporter of rah as HC(i have always approved him as d backs coach), i thought that gmc was a bad pick at #3 and a reach. What I saw from him in 2010 confirmed my pre-draft impressions. Otherwise, I have occasionally provided positive comments.
May 9th, 2011 at 6:38 pm
GMC will get better tom tom
May 9th, 2011 at 7:44 pm
well he certainly cant get any worse.
May 9th, 2011 at 8:06 pm
@Thomas,
You just couldn’t help yourself could you? Even when you are trying not to mention Raheem and Gerald, you still can’t do it.
May 9th, 2011 at 8:51 pm
I’m sure in two more years, when GMC is in the Pro Bowl, Thomas 2.3 will tell us how he loved the GMC pick.
May 9th, 2011 at 8:54 pm
Only to indicate that there is some balance to my opinions.
The negative mostly relates to the aforementioned for the above-referenced reasons. I have said many positive things that you choose to ignore because it doesnt fit your agenda of getting me banned for being completely negative and always redundant – that just isn’t true. Of course, I have made the same point more than once but usually in response to different people on a variety issues.
I will not weaken or filter my comments bc they hurt your feelings.
May 9th, 2011 at 9:08 pm
did you say, a 176-year-old girl. Considering that he plays in New York, dating out of ones class seems to be a prerequisite. do we really care what Peter King says or thinks, not so much.
May 9th, 2011 at 9:43 pm
If you think a little boy like you could hurt my feelings, think again. And to say you may made the same point more than once is like saying Aqib Talib has been in an off the field issue more than once. And if you could read (which apparently is very tough for you), I actually asked Joe to stop allowing you to make the same point over and over, and to stick to the issue of the article. Once again in this post, an article that has nothing to do with Raheem or McCoy has been turned to them as a result of you. Good job proving me right.
May 9th, 2011 at 10:11 pm
My wife held out till she was 26…when we got married.
I mentioned the drugs and alcohol because he met her in a “nightclub”
As far as dating her…it’s pretty clear they already had sex, but I was speaking in general. I thought he was a bit younger as well. Whoops!
May 9th, 2011 at 10:20 pm
It’s cool, and here are some other stats:
6th in passing in the NFL (3rd in NFC)
3rd least interceptions in the NFL (1st in NFC)
10th in touchdowns in the NFL (5th in NFC)
Not too shabby 🙂
May 9th, 2011 at 11:47 pm
is there any way thomas could meet me and hawaiian so we can throw our empty 12 doller beer cups at him…dude defines the word LOSER
May 10th, 2011 at 12:03 am
Who wouldn’t show up to catch passes in front of NFL decision-makers? I’d have shown up and treated Mark, er, Mr. Sanchez with tons of respect. Sounds like Sanchez called everybody he could think of and said “hey buddy, wanna show off your skillz?” while Freeman handled it a little more professionally?