Mark Sanchez, Matt Stafford, Matt Cassel and the NFL quarterback chess game?
By Wilm
As we approach the 2009 NFL draft the question “which 2008 college quarterback will go to which team” becomes murkier and murkier.
Two months ago it was a toss up who would be the first quarterback taken, Matt Stafford (Georgia) or Mark Sanchez (USC). Two weeks ago Sanchez seemed a shoe-in after an impressive performance during the “Combine” in Indiana; when Stafford opted not to throw any passes? This week things may have changed yet again.
Teams most in need of QBs were: Detroit, San Francisco, and Kansas City. Dallas needed a back up to Romo and the New York Jets and Tampa Bay Buccaneers were also considering a QB … but doubted they could get one of the top two since their first round picks were too low. Further muddying the waters was the fact that Detroit and Kansas City desperately needed to bulk up their defenses. Why take a high draft quarterback if he was going to spend his first few years running for his life.
Well K.C. settled their problem when the New England Patriots let Matt Cassel go to K.C. Everyone in the know felt Detroit had decided to invest their first round pick on a defense selection but last week they traded QB Jon Kitna to Dallas as a back-up to Romo. Whoops…since they implied from the beginning that if they took a QB it would be Stafford that seemed to indicate that Stafford and Detroit had already made a deal. (Detroit would not risk a first pick hold-out.) So now San Francisco was in position for Sanchez as well as Denver who indicated they’d like to cut a deal to trade Jay Cutler if they could get Cassel and now Cassel was out of play.
OK then we can assume that Orange County’s own, Mark Sanchez was going to go to the 49ers, Buccaneers or Broncos…right? Well not exactly. “Reliable sources”…you know the value of those, say that Sanchez and the Jets might be close to a deal. If, and it’s a big if, one of those 3 or 4 trading position upgrades can be worked out on draft day. If so, the very personable and hardworking ( in college) journeyman, Sanchez, will rekindle the memory of Broadway Joe for Mr. and Mrs. Knickerbocker. It would be a great deal for New Yorkers and for Mark Sanchez if it comes to pass.
Stay tuned.
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