Column: As Caleb Williams rides the NFL’s QB roller coaster, Mark Sanchez can relate to the Chicago Bears rookie

Fifteen years ago this weekend, Mark Sanchez left Giants Stadium on top of the world.

What a year he was having.

On New Years Day, as the star quarterback at USC, Sanchez had been the Rose Bowl MVP in a convincing defeat of Penn State.

In April, the New York Jets made him the No.

5 pick and the second quarterback drafted, behind only top selection Matthew Stafford.

By that summer, Sanchez had begun to understand how much Jets fans were investing in him, hoping/believing/wishing that he could become their forever quarterback.

Youre supposed to be Joe Namath, Sanchez said.

Youre supposed to save the franchise and youre supposed to win the Super Bowl.

At least one.

And by the end of Week 3 of his rookie season? With the Jets defeating the Tennessee Titans to move to 3-0? Well, Sanchez admits his elation had skyrocketed.

Its just like, This.

Is.

Awesome! I dont know what everybody was talking about that the NFL is so hard, he said.

That would be heady stuff for just about anybody.

But for a 22-year-old still crossing the bridge from college to the pros, that energy spike was pronounced.

It wasnt like I felt like I was on easy street, Sanchez said.

We were working hard for that success and we were reaping the benefits of our preparation.

But youre saying to yourself, Damn, I could get used to this.

Jets quarterback Mark Sanchez throws under pressure from the Titans Tony Brown on Sept.

27, 2009, at Giants Stadium in East Rutherford, NJ,.

(David Pokress/Newsday) As Sanchez soon would learn and confirm repeatedly over his 10-year career life comes at you fast in the NFL.

Over and over and over again.

The lows can be twice as stressful as the highs are intoxicating.

Thus, finding the proper perspective to process everything while developing the ability to continually return to center may be among the most important duties of the QB1 role.

You have to learn that process, Sanchez said, and that approach.

Sanchez will be back at Soldier Field on Sunday afternoon as Foxs color commentator for the Chicago Bears game against the Los Angeles Rams.

And just as he did during the season opener three weeks ago, he will be able to offer some unique and incredibly valuable insight into the experience Bears rookie quarterback Caleb Williams is immersed in.

Like Williams, Sanchez was the star quarterback at USC.

Like Williams, he was a top-five pick in the NFL draft, joining a popular team in a massive media market.

Like Williams, Sanchez entered the league playing for a defensive-centric head coach with a strong unit on that side of the ball.

Bears quarterback Mark Sanchez (6) talks with Mitch Trubisky (10) while Mike Glennon walks away during a preseason game against the Broncos on Aug.

10, 2017, at Solider Field.

(Armando L.

Sanchez/Chicago Tribune) And like Williams now, Sanchez also once had his own locker stall inside Halas Hall in 2017 after the Bears signed him to be, in his words, a coach in cleats as part of the rookie-season support structure the team set up for Mitch Trubisky.

Sanchez knows the demands of the job, the pressures of this market, the speed of the NFL roller coaster.

He understands the Caleb Williams Experience has only just begun in Chicago but recognizes why such significant intrigue already has exploded.

Theres a fascinating growth process starting here, Sanchez said just before the season began.

Its fun to watch.

Its easy to criticize.

But hell have his work cut out for him.

I know Caleb has the talent for sure.

He has the makeup and the demeanor to handle it all.

Now so much of it is about what falls into place for him and what doesnt.

Three games into his career, Williams is in a bit of a different place than Sanchez was at the same point, fighting to steer the Bears back onto the road during this patience-testing two-game skid .

Week 3 photos: Indianapolis Colts 21, Chicago Bears 16 But Sanchez can empathize, understanding the citywide anxiety surrounding Williams in Chicago not to mention the amplified noise that comes with it.

After his 3-0 start to the 2009 season, Sanchez and the Jets dropped six of their next seven games.

Suddenly, the next Joe Namath had become the next Joe Blow.

That was probably the lowest I ever felt as a player, Sanchez said.

Just dealing with that and listening to the noise.

Youre supposed to be the savior of the franchise.

Everything goes well from the jump.

Then adversity hits and it almost felt like everybody (in New York) was bottling up all their negativity.

As soon as you make that one fatal throw, that one Oh, man! turnover, have that one drive where you dont execute properly to win, then all of a sudden it all comes out.

Such reality checks can be jarring.

You go from, Whoa.

I thought we were all doing just fine.

Now, after one mistake? One loss? Jeez, guys, he said.

Thats heavy.

And wheres the adversity in your life previously that can match that, that you had to fight through? ...

I was learning how to deal with all that really for the first time.

Sanchez did so successfully in 2009, helping the Jets reach the playoffs and advance to the AFC championship game.

And thats part of the advice he wants to pay forward to Williams.

Understand, kid, adversity in the NFL is a given.

Now its about sharpening the ability to refocus while having the proper support structure to rebound quickly.

Jets quarterback Mark Sanchez reacts in the third quarter against the Colts during the AFC championship game on Jan.

24, 2010, at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis.

(Elsa/Getty) If Sanchez had one wish he could apply to his career retroactively, it would be having the opportunity to be a color commentator before he ever took an NFL snap.

Theres just something so serene about experiencing a game from way up inside the booth.

As an outsider, when youre not looking through a face mask, getting a call in your helmet and going to operate with big dudes coming to take your head off, the game is so quiet and everything seems so obvious, Sanchez said.

Youre backed up at your own 10 yard line, you just committed a penalty, its third-and-20.

The chances of you getting a first down are pretty damn low.

And the chances of you giving the other team an absolute gift where now they can score almost immediately are pretty high.

In those scenarios, as a rookie and being highly competitive and feeling all that pressure, youre thinking, Ive got to throw the ball 21 yards down the field to get a first down.

When in reality thats the dumbest thing you can do.

That balls in the air a long time.

These defenders are really good.

And youre going to look like an idiot real fast.

I lived that.

Ive done that.

Just, Damn, I should have known better.

Yet arguably the best way to know better is to learn through experience, to grow through failure.

Thats a process Williams is in the early stages of with the Bears.

And, per Sanchez, one of the greatest tests he must pass during his rookie year is sharpening his forward-looking mindset with the ability to stay present.

How quickly can you discover that Now what? mentality? Sanchez said.

How quickly can you compartmentalize, turn the page and move on with the last play not affecting your next play? Thats hard after scoring a touchdown.

And its hard after throwing an interception.

Theyre both hard.

As a rookie, Sanchez had fellow quarterbacks Mark Brunell and Kevin OConnell to help him get back to center.

Day after day, week after week, month after month.

They could always get me back to where I needed to be to operate, Sanchez said.

They had their own way of doing it.

And you start to learn from those experiences of being coached how to get back to battle station mode.

Take a breath.

Here we go.

Now get back to your groove.

Bears quarterback Caleb Williams watches a replay of an interception he threw against the Colts on the video board on Sept.

22, 2024, at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis.

(Stacey Wescott/Chicago Tribune) Williams second interception Sunday in Indianapolis was a case study in the tightrope the Bears are trying to traverse within a developmental season for the quarterback that also includes lofty goals for the team.

With Rome Odunze one-on-one to the outside and Colts safety Nick Cross turning his back in coverage, Williams made an understandable choice to give his guy a chance to make a contested catch, a calculated gamble that registered as aggressive but far from reckless.

But Cross made a good enough play to disrupt Odunze, and the resulting ricochet turned into a Jaylon Jones interception along the sideline.

It was, at once, a valuable learning experience for a rookie quarterback as well as a costly turnover in what turned out to be a five-point loss.

Still, thats part of the juggling act the Bears signed up for when they added Williams to a playoff-caliber roster and dropped the rookie quarterback into a season that carries at least some win or else pressure.

Many of Williams mistakes will have significant short-term consequences even if they also include long-term benefits that prove difficult to see.

To that end, Sanchez can recognize how the Bears push to make the playoffs this season may create at least some tug-of-war tension with the organizations ultimate desire to win consistently for a long time.

How do you balance the development of your quarterback with the win-now mentality? Sanchez said.

We went through that in New York.

Do you just put the handcuffs on Caleb to win games now to where you potentially stunt his growth but you win a bunch of games right now? I mean, thats hard.

The point is to win games.

Yet to win games consistently, you do also have to develop talent if you want to sustain that success over a long period of time.

Bears quarterback Caleb Williams scrambles while under pressure by the Colts defense in the first quarter on Sept.

22, 2024, at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis.

(Stacey Wescott/Chicago Tribune) Three games into the season, the Bears have seemingly allowed Williams to spread his wings with few limitations on what theyve asked him to do.

But who knows if they eventually might reach a crossroads in their season.

Its at those intersections where some of those calls become the toughest to make, Sanchez said.

If this year is ultimately supposed to be about Calebs development, but late in the year youre fighting for a playoff spot and hes being careless with the football, now maybe you consider knocking his pass attempts down.

Now, though, suddenly youve also delayed his development a bit.

Then what? Everybody in the Chicago Bears organization, Sanchez said, has to see this thing through Calebs eyes.

Every day of every week.

And with a clear-cut, shared understanding of where the organizations bulls-eye lies.

Sanchez remains enamored with Williams potential, appreciating his on-the-move talent and special ability to create.

Like so many others, Sanchez also admires how calm and confident Williams seems to be in every setting and in a manner that seems galvanizing.

That gift should not go underappreciated.

He just has such an easygoing and calming presence, Sanchez said.

And it is infectious.

Its palpable.

Because youre kind of looking around like, Man, arent we all supposed to be nervous here?' Williams, though, doesnt appear to be, confident he is equipped to handle every aspect of this demanding experience.

The next few pages of his story will be written Sunday at Soldier Field with the Bears facing the Rams and Sanchez aiding the TV broadcast.

Sanchez will know better that anyone what hes seeing and what Williams is experiencing.

Yet he also understands the hourglass that accompanies the young quarterbacks growth process.

That, too, affects the dynamic of this whole thing.

Not everything in this world especially playing the position of quarterback is Instant Grits, Sanchez said.

This stuff takes time.

It takes a lot of time, a lot of reps and a lot of patience.

Theres a but coming ...

But, Sanchez said, unfortunately for young star quarterbacks like Caleb, people dont have a lot of patience.

So you have to deal with that.

Two seasons after helping the Jets to their second consecutive AFC championship game appearance in his second season, Sanchez was benched late in 2012 and replaced by Greg McElroy.

He missed the entire next season with a shoulder injury and was gone from New York the following spring as a free agent who landed in Philadelphia in a QB2 role.

Life comes at you fast in the NFL..

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