When Mark Sanchez left USC one year early, Pete Carroll -- then his college coach -- wasn't happy.
The reasons for Carroll's sentiment were a topic of discussion Wednesday as his Seattle Seahawks await a visit from Sanchez's New York Jets on Sunday afternoon.
"I did not blame Pete Carroll one bit because if I had that young man as my quarterback, I'd say whatever it took to get the guy to stay with me," Jets coach Rex Ryan said, according to the New York Daily News. "Like, 'Oh you're not ready, son. As far as you know you're not ready to play.' Deep down, he knew he was ready."
Carroll stands by his comments that Sanchez -- who quarterbacked the Jets to two AFC Championship Games but has continued to struggle -- could have benefited from playing his senior season at USC.
"I told Mark exactly what I would have told my son," Carroll said, according to the Seattle Times. "I just told him what I knew was the truth. He could have been better prepared if we'd have had him for another year. And I think it would have served him even better."
Sanchez, who has played it cool off the field this season amidst some trying situations, has no regrets about his decision.
"It was a big jump, a really big jump," Sanchez told The Star-Ledger. "He just didn't want someone who he thought was talented to get lost. But who knows? Everything was timing. I was lucky, but that can break a player. ... That was me, my decision, and this is what I always wanted to do. I'm happy with it."
Follow Kevin Patra on Twitter @kpatra.
