Fight On!! Sanchez making his mark.

The Pete Carroll era at USC lasted from 2001 through 2009, during which the program enjoyed a period of dominance that it had not experienced since the 70's.  From 2002-2008, USC posted an 82-9 overall record (6-1 in bowl games) which included 2 national championships, 2 Orange Bowls, 4 Rose Bowls and a "Top 5" final ranking in all seven seasons.  The Men of Troy were on the map and from the look of things, they would be staying for a while (well, things changed when NCAA sanctions hit, Carroll fled to the NFL; but let's save that for another day).

The starting quarterbacks during this period were Carson Palmer, Matt Leinart, John David Booty and Mark Sanchez.  Palmer, Leinart and Sanchez were all drafted in the first round of their respective drafts; Palmer being drafted 1st overall in 2003.  With Sanchez just having completed his second NFL season, would it be fair to ask whether he's the best quarterback out of USC in the Pete Carroll era?

Sanchez was 14-2 as a starter & 2009 Rose Bowl MVP

Unlike Palmer and Leinart, who both starred in multiple seasons, Sanchez only started one season during which he led USC to a 12-1 finish and a Rose Bowl win over Penn State.  A Thursday night loss to Oregon State in Corvallis, OR, derailed any hopes the Trojans had of playing for a national title that year.

In the days following the 2009 Rose Bowl, Sanchez declared for the NFL draft; a move that wasn't exactly welcomed by Pete Carroll, who publicly criticized Sanchez for the decision.  I think Carroll must have known that without Sanchez, USC was headed for a rebuilding year.  They finished the season 9-4, so Carroll was onto something after all.

Sanchez was drafted 5th overall by the New York Jets, and started all but one game in his rookie season.  He led the Jets to the playoffs for the first time since 2006 and their first playoff win (Against the Palmer-led Bengals) since the 2004 season.  The Jets played in their first AFC title game since the 1998 season.  In his second season, he led the Jets back to the AFC title game, only to fall short against Pittsburgh.  All in all, Sanchez has played in (6) and won more playoff games (4) than Carson Palmer and Matt Leinart combined.

Palmer & Leinart were both Heisman Trophy winners at USC

Carson Palmer led Cincinatti to two AFC North division titles in 2005 and 2009, but the Bengals came up empty in the ensuing wildcard games.  In the 2005 playoff game against the eventual Super Bowl champion Pittsburgh, he suffered a late hit to his knee, and his absence derailed any momentum the Bengals had picked up, costing them the game.  In his most recent playoff game, the Bengals lost to the Jets, leaving Palmer's playoff record at 0-2.

Leinart, who could gone 1st overall in the 2005 NFL draft, opted to stay in school and almost led USC to their third consecutive national title.  He was drafted 10th overall in 2006 by the Arizona Cardinals and saw plenty of action during his first two seasons.  However, following an injury during his second season, he never regained his starting job; having to make do as Kurt Warner's backup during Arizona's run to the Super Bowl in 2008, as well as the 2009 playoffs.

Palmer might not even be at Cincinatti next season, and who knows if Matt Leinart will ever get another start, let alone make another roster.  Their futures are uncertain, but we do know that Mark Sanchez is only getting better.  Slowly but surely, he is being tasked with more than just "managing the game".  He has led the Jets to wins against tough teams, both in the regular season and in the playoffs.

So having seen the evidence that has been presented, I think it might be safe to say (albeit prematurely) that Mark Sanchez is indeed the best quarterback out of USC during the Pete Carroll era.

Joe Flacco vs the Steel Curtain.

Joe Flacco has accomplished a lot of neat things in just a short NFL career.  He recently became one of only four quarterbacks to lead his team to the playoffs in all of his first three seasons (he has a 5-3 record in the post-season).

The one thing that Joe Flacco has not been able to figure out so far, is how to solve the Steel Curtain.  For the second time in three seasons, Baltimore's Super Bowl hopes have been ended at the hands of the rival Pittsburgh Steelers.  In their most recent matchup, the Ravens lost 31-24 after going leading 21-7 at half time.

In his rookie season, Flacco played a key role in helping the Ravens get to the AFC Championship.  In a close affair vs Pittsburgh, he was intercepted 3 times; the second of which was returned for the game clinching touchdown by Troy Polamalu.  In that game, you could have chalked it up to his inexperience.  You could have said that maybe the whole situation was a little more than he could handle.

Flacco was sacked 5 times by Pittsburgh

Rarely does Baltimore ever give up a 14 point lead, or any lead for that matter.  What happened however, was a classic "second half collapse" in the playoffs.  Pittsburgh turned up the heat in the second half, while the Ravens just faded away.

Flacco overthrew teammate Todd Heap, only to be picked off by Pittsburgh's Ryan Clark.  Later on, a botched exchanged between Flacco and center Matt Birk resulted in a fumble that was recovered by the Steelers, resulting in another score. 

Granted, it really wasn't all on Flacco.  Anquan Boldin dropped a sure touchdown pass that would have put the Ravens up 28-24, and T.J. Houshmandzadeh dropped a perfectly thrown pass on "4th & 19" that would have kept a possible game-tying drive alive.

Flacco, in his days as a Fighting Blue Hen

What's ironic here, is that this is the same field where Joe Flacco's collegiate career began.  As a Pittsburgh Panther, he redshirted in 2003 and saw limited action in 2004.  Looking for more playing time, he transferred to Delaware, a 1-AA school that has produced NFL quarterbacks such as Jeff Komlo and Rich Gannon (2002 NFL MVP).  At Delaware, he set several school records and led the Fighting Blue Hens to a runner-up finish in the 2007 1-AA playoffs.

Joe Flacco has more than filled Baltimore's search for a franchise quarterback.  In the team's short existence, mostly journeymen have filled the position; Vinny Testaverde, Jim Harbaugh, Tony Banks, Trent Dilfer (I know what you're thinking), Elvis Grbac, Anthony Wright, Steve McNair. 

In 2003, the Ravens drafted Kyle Boller, hoping that he would be the franchise quarterback, but he never panned out.  During his time at Baltimore, he was on two playoff teams (2003, 2006), but he NEVER really led them to the playoffs.  Anthony Wright supplanted Boller in 2003, while in 2006, he was Steve McNair's backup.

For his career, Joe Flacco is 2-6 all-time against Pittsburgh (0-2 in the playoffs).  When all is said and done, he will have rewritten any and every franchise record at Baltimore.  However, until he can figure out how beat Pittsburgh in the playoffs, Trent Dilfer will most likely remain the best quarterback to have played for the Ravens (I can't even say that with a straight face!!).

If it's any consolation, it was once thought that the only way Peyton Manning would EVER win a Super Bowl, was if he could beat New England in the playoffs.