Jets Want Sanchez to Be Quicker After Taking Snap

Now that his surgically repaired knee is healed and he’s back on the field, Mark Sanchez can concentrate on cleaning up some mechanical glitches. One area he’ll be focusing on is his takeaway from center. It seems like an easy skill – get the snap and drop back – but the coaching staff is trying to improve two aspects of his takeaway.

1. The first step – Sanchez needs to be “a little more explosive in his first step away from center,” offensive coordinator Brian Schottenheimer said. “We want him to be more balanced his stance, drop his (butt) and explode away from center.” Why? Because they want Sanchez to be quicker into his drop back, achieving the proper depth a split-second sooner than usual. That will help his field vision. Remember, Sanchez is only 6-2, not a statuesque pocket passer, so he can’t see over the rush like others can.

2. The blind spot – When he pulls away from center, Sanchez, like many right-handed quarterbacks, tends to keep his hips and shoulders closed, facing to the right. “It’s hard to see what’s going on to your left,” Schottenheimer said. “That’s why, in our quick, three-step passing game, he wasn’t as accurate to the left as he should’ve been.”

That’s an understatement. According to stats from the Elias Sports Bureau, Sanchez threw 13 interceptions and only one touchdown on passes to the “left sideline” and “left side.” It’s not known how many of those picks came on three-step drops, but you get the idea.

Imagine what it would have been like if the Jets could have eliminated his throws to the left. Thats obviously a joke, but you see what I'm saying. They would have been better and Sanchez would have thrown under ten interceptions on the season. Imagine what working on this will do for him come the start of the regular season!

During his down time, Sanchez studied cut-ups of every pass from last season. The coaching staff made the corrections, and now he’s on the field, trying to fix what he learned in the classroom.