Jets' Mark Sanchez: 'I'm the Starter, Now I Have to Act Like It'

FLORHAM PARK, N.J. -- An 8 AM meeting brought the news for which Mark Sanchez was hoping (and the news everyone was expecting) since the Jets traded up to pick him fifth in April's draft. Jets coach Rex Ryan summoned Sanchez and Kellen Clemens and broke the news that Sanchez (not Clemens) would be the team's starting quarterback.

"This comes with a lot of responsibility," Sanchez said at a news conference Wednesday afternoon. "So as happy as I am, I know this is just the beginning."

This is daunting, this thing he and the Jets are attempting. The 2008 success of Atlanta's Matt Ryan and Baltimore's Joe Flacco aside, things don't usually go well for rookie quarterbacks in the NFL. That's why the best thing Sanchez has going for him may be that the Jets aren't going to ask him to do all that much. Not this year, at least.

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"I know what our defense is going to be, I know what our offensive line is going to be and I know what our running game's going to be," said Ryan, who got to see Flacco's success up close last year as Baltimore's defensive coordinator. "If we were a different team, or maybe if our M.O. wasn't like that, then it might have been different. Joe Flacco is successful not just based on himself, and Mark Sanchez is going to be successful here not just based on his physical ability to play quarterback. He's going to be successful because he's got great teammates.

That's the key thing to remember about this decision. If the Jets are as strong as they believe themselves to be in all of those other areas, all Sanchez has to be in 2009 is competent. They drafted him fifth overall because they believe he will be a star four or five years from now, but also because they believed he could be serviceable right out of the gate.

"His job is basically not to mess it up," Jets defensive tackle Kris Jenkins said. "If we lose, he's probably going to catch it almost as much as the head coach is. He's our poster child, the face of our franchise. He's the quarterback, and he's got to be that guy. We're just making sure we're helping the little fella out."


The rest of the players in the locker room understand the point. They agree with the coaching staff about the caliber of the All-Pro offensive line, about the depth in the running game with Thomas Jones and Leon Washington, and about the defense being the hallmark of any Ryan team.

"On defense, we understand that no matter what goes on on offense, we have to pick up the slack," Jenkins said. "Now, I'm hoping he comes out slinging and everything is beautiful. But in case it's not, we know we've got his back."

Sanchez knows it too. He's fit in well with his teammates, impressing the veterans with everything from his film-room work ethic to his on-field poise to his impression of Ryan at the rookie talent show. (He put baby powder in his hair to make it gray.) Sure, he looked brutal on the first two offensive possessions Monday night against Ray Lewis and company in Baltimore, but everybody liked the way he bounced back from the rough start.

"He didn't give up. He responded. He fought back," Jenkins said. "If you always just saw him doing good, then you'd be wondering what happens when something bad happens. You're going to get hit. Bad stuff's going to happen. So you look to see whether they can handle it when it does. And not a lot of rookies have that. He has the mental stability to succeed in this league."

He's also got the necessary humility. Sanchez spent a lot of time Wednesday talking about all the help he's getting from his teammates. How it was Clemens (!) who reminded him to eat something before practice, because it had been so long since breakfast. And how he's been able to ask veteran teammates like Alan Faneca questions ranging from "How long do you sit in the cold tub?" to "What do I have to wear on the bus?"

"It's going to be about finding a routine -- how I want to watch film, break it down, all that kind of stuff," Sanchez said. "And then it's about asking questions. And I'm not going to be afraid to ask them."

When Monday night's game ended, Flacco pulled Sanchez aside at midfield and spoke to him. It's safe to assume the topic of How To Succeed As a Rookie Quarterback In the NFL came up. I was at Ravens camp earlier this month and spoke to Flacco about that very topic. His advice at that time seemed tailored for Sanchez.

"Success isn't based just solely on the quarterback position," Flacco said. "That position tends to get all the attention, but you're not going to find too many quarterbacks who can win without help, whether they're rookies or 10-year veterans. As long as you go in there and play with confidence, that's the most important thing. You learn right away as a rookie quarterback, you're going to have some tough times. You've just got to look for the joy in it and keep remembering what got you here."

Sanchez seems like he understands that. And the Jets have picked him, at least in part, because they feel like they can offer the kind of support system to which Flacco refers. Sanchez is counting on that, because he knows the job he's just been handed is no small thing.

"With this opportunity comes a ton of responsibility," Sanchez said. "To this team, to this organization and to the community around here. This is an all-around job, on the field and off. Now I'm the starter, and now I have to act like it."

The good thing is, at least on the field, if all goes the way the Jets are planning, he shouldn't have to do all that much.