Mark Sanchez plays down Russell Wilson's slow start, reminds Tom Brady was 7-5 in 2020

Modified Sep 22, 2022 17:53 GMT

Houston Texans v Denver Broncos — Russel Wilson for the Denver Broncos (right)

Mark Sanchez and Russell Wilson have both been near or at the top of the league at one point, but they've both had their quiet moments as well. Speaking on The Herd with Colin Cowherd, the former New York Jets quarterback compared Peyton Manning and Tom Brady's previous slow starts to that of Wilson. Here's how he put it:

"Well then Hackett comes in, maybe expecting to get Aaron Rodgers. And now the tables kind of flip. 'Okay, we're going to do it with Russ.' And I mean, it just takes time, right? Well, don't forget now, even when Peyton Manning went there, it took a little time with Tom Brady and the Bucs two years ago."

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He went on, looking back on Brady's slow start:

"I know that's the in-vogue thing. You get your potential Hall of Fame quarterback - whether it's Stafford or Brady - and you go win a Super Bowl. For Tom Brady, they were 7-5 at the bye and got absolutely smoked by the Kansas City Chiefs that week."

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Lastly, he also mentioned Matthew Stafford's slow period with the Los Angeles Rams:

"Romo had enough juice to say, ‘That's the Super Bowl matchup’ and predicted it months beforehand, which people were like, ‘this guy's crazy. He's lost it. He's out of the game too long.’ Well, he nailed it. But the Bucs were on the ropes. Look at Stafford last year with the Rams. That was a horrible month in November."

Russell Wilson's subpar start in Denver

Russell Wilson was expected to hit the ground running in 2022. Well, almost the opposite has happened in the eyes of many. In his debut against the Seattle Seahawks, he threw for 340 yards and one touchdown while completing 69 percent of his throws. Nonetheless, the team ultimately lost 17-16.

In Week 2, the quarterback completed just 45.2 percent of his throws, throwing for 219 yards, one touchdown, and one interception, but the Broncos won 16-9.

This week, the team faces the San Francisco 49ers on Sunday Night Football. The quarterback will be expected to finally be in sync with his receiving corps at Mile High. With another spotlight pointed at the franchise in a matchup against the NFC West, will the Broncos respond?

If any of the above quotes are used, please credit The Herd with Colin Cowherd and H/T Sportskeeda.