oh now he is "raw", you know he had more college starts than Sanchez, right? you know Sanchez helped his team reach the title game as a rookie, right?
how come you don't discuss the advantage of playing in the same system and same coach he played for in college?
you do know Buf beat the cards in Arizona, right? and that was Tannehill's best game. You also know that Cincy lost to Cleveland this week, right? and you also know oak is 1-4, right?
Sanchez was dreadful in his rookie reason. So much so, that this year he's good in comparison.
In '09, the Jets made the Playoffs in spite of Sanchez, not because of him.
The Jets had far and away the best defense in the NFL that year. They were 1st in both scoring and total defense.
Top defenses in '09:
Jets: 14.8 points allowed per game (236 points allowed, 1st in the NFL), 252.3 yards allowed per game (4,037 yards allowed, 1st in the NFL), 31 turnovers created (8th in the NFL)
Cowboys: 15.6 points allowed per game (250 points allowed, 2nd in the NFL), 315.9 yards allowed per game (5,054 yards allowed, 9th in the NFL), 21 turnovers created (tied for 27th in the NFL)
Ravens 16.3 points allowed per game (261 points allowed, 3rd in the NFL), 300.5 yards allowed per game (4,808 yards allowed, 3rd in the NFL), 32 turnovers created (7th in the NFL)
49ers: 17.6 points allowed per game (281 points allowed, 4th in the NFL), 326.4 yards allowed per game (5,222 yards allowed, 15th in the NFL), 33 turnovers created (tied for 5th in the NFL)
Packers: 18.6 points allowed per game (297 points allowed, 7th in the NFL), 284.4 yards allowed per game (4,551 yards allowed, 2nd in the NFL), 40 turnovers created (1st in the NFL)
Patriots: 17.8 points allowed per game (285 points allowed, 5th in the NFL), 320.2 yards allowed per game (5,123 yards allowed, 11th in the NFL), 28 turnovers created (tied for 12th in the NFL)
Of those teams, the Ravens and the Packers were the Jets' main competition for best defense.
Jets vs. Ravens: The Jets gave up 1.6 fewer points per game (25 total fewer points) and 48.2 fewer yards per game(771 yards) than the Ravens. The Ravens created 1 more turnover than the Jets (32 to 31).
Jets vs. Packers: The Jets gave up 3.8 fewer points per game and 32.1 fewer yards per game (61 total fewer points) (514 yards) than the Packers. The Packers, however, created 9 more turnovers than the Jets over the course of the season.
The Jets turned the ball over 30 times in '09 (22nd in the NFL). Just imagine how much better their defense would've been had Sanchez not turned it over 20 times (terrible, considering he only passed it 364 times his rookie season). Just to compare and contrast, Green Bay had the fewest turnovers in the NFL that year with 16; the Ravens were tied for 5th in the NFL with 22.
The Jets also had a top notch running game.
Top rushing attacks in '09:
Jets: 172.3 rushing yards per game (2,756 rushing yards, 1st in the NFL), 4.5 YPC (tied for 5th in the NFL), 21 rushing touchdowns (tied for 3rd in the NFL), 4 fumbles lost in 607 attempts (1 fumble lost every 151.8 carries)
Titans: 162 rushing yards per game (2,592 rushing yards, 2nd in the NFL), 5.2 YPC (1st in the NFL), 19 rushing touchdowns (tied for 6th in the NFL), 8 fumbles lost in 499 attempts (1 fumble lost every 62.4 carries)
Panthers:156.1 rushing yards per game (2,498 rushing yards, 3rd in the NFL), 4.8 YPC (tied for 2nd in the NFL), 18 rushing touchdowns (10th in the NFL), 6 fumbles lost in 525 attempts (1 fumble lost every 87.5 carries)
Cowboys: 131.4 rushing yards per game (2,103 rushing yards, 7th in the NFL), 4.8 YPC (tied for 2nd in the NFL), 14 rushing touchdowns (tied for 15th in the NFL), 3 fumbles lost in 436 attempts (1 fumble lost every 145.3 carries)
Dolphins: 139.4 rushing yards per game (2,231 rushing yards, 4th in the NFL), 4.4 YPC (10th in the NFL), 22 rushing touchdowns (tied for 1st in the NFL) 5 fumbles lost in 509 attempts (1 fumble lost every 101.8 carries)
Ravens: 137.5 rushing yards per game (2,200 rushing yards, 5th in the NFL), 4.7 YPC (4th in the NFL), 22 rushing touchdowns (tied for 1st in the NFL), 3 fumbles lost in 468 attempts (1 fumble lost every 156 carries)
Saints: 131.6 rushing yards per game (2,106 rushing yards, 6th in the NFL), 4.5 YPC (7th in the NFL), 21 rushing touchdowns (tied for 3rd in the NFL), 4 fumbles lost in 468 attempts (1 fumble lost every 117 carries)
So the Jets had one of the top 2-3 rushing attacks in the NFL to go along with the top defense in the NFL . . . a defense, I may add, that may be one of the top 2 or 3 defenses we've seen since '09. Implying that the Dolphins will have to match what the Jets did in '09 in order for Tannehill to be on the same track as Sanchez (or to be "as good as") is nothing short of lunacy. The Dolphins may never have a comparable running game that benefited Sanchez during his rookie season, and they almost certainly won't have a comparable defense. Tannehill may not be a top QB (yet), but he's doing an admirable job considering the marginal overall talent around him.