Mark Sanchez Comes Through in Debut

HOUSTON -- Just before kickoff between the Jets and Texans on Sunday, Jets rookie quarterback Mark Sanchez was one of the last players to run off the field into the locker room.

But Sanchez made a detour to speak with a legend. The Jets' young phenom needed some last minute advice from Hall of Fame quarterback Joe Namath.

Sanchez asked Namath what he remembered about his first game as a rookie. Namath said he couldn't remember.

He then told Sanchez that the quarterback's NFL debut wasn't about him. It was about Sanchez.

"What a pep talk," Sanchez said. "That was Joe Namath taking all the credit from himself and throwing it back at me."

Sanchez said the pep talk gave him chills. He then went out and performed like a veteran rather than a rookie, leading the Jets to a season-opening 24-7 victory at Reliant Stadium.

Notable Jets QBs in their NYJ debuts
	Player	Com-Att, Yds	TD-INT
9/26/65	Joe Namath	19-40, 287	2-2	L at BUF, 33-21
10/31/76	Richard Todd	6-20, 87	1-2	W at BUF, 19-14
9/6/92	Boomer Esiason	29-40, 371	2-1	L vs. DEN, 26-20
9/20/98	Vinny Testaverde	12-21, 203	4-1	W vs. IND, 44-6
10/6/02	Chad Pennington	22-29, 237	2-1	L vs. KC, 29-25
9/908	Brett Favre	15-22, 194	2-0	W at MIA, 20-14

Sanchez completed 18 of 31 passes for 272 yards with one touchdown and one interception, totaling a quarterback rating of 84.3. He also wasn't sacked, though he avoided pressure several times. He led the Jets offense to 462 yards.

"Sanchez showed a lot of good stuff out there and also showed a rookie play or two," said Namath, standing outside the Jets' locker room. "You can bet he's not happy with some of the passes because he has guys [in his face], but, hell, he was under duress at times, too."

Sanchez was able to avoid pressure in the pocket by moving around, giving the offensive line some time to block defenders and placing pressure on a Texans' secondary that had to cover wide receivers down the field for extended periods of time. There were times when the Texans would get just a step away from Sanchez, and he would find a receiver for a completion.

"We thought he showed great poise in the pocket," Jets' coach Rex Ryan said. "He's able to move and buy a little extra time, again, this is why we took the guy. Why we traded up to get him."

Near the end of the first half, Sanchez was faced with a third down. With middle linebacker DeMeco Ryans converging on him from the outside, the rookie found Jerricho Cotchery for a 10-yard first down completion. On third down, Sanchez completed 12 of 15 passes for 191 yards and a touchdown -- a 141 passer rating.

Sanchez's first touchdown came with the Texans blitzing and man coverage. Sanchez, in the shotgun, read the safety blitz and, when nickel corner Brice McCain pushed Chansi Stuckey away thinking he had deep help, found Stuckey wide open.

The score, with 3:21 remaining in the first half, gave the Jets a 10-0 lead.

But it wasn't all perfect. Sanchez had a pass tipped at the line of scrimmage, he under threw a wide open receiver on a pass that was almost picked off and did have the interception returned for a touchdown.

It was the pick that was a test for Sanchez. After he threw it, resulting in the Texans' only score of the game, most Jets fans wanted to see how he would respond.

On the ensuing possession, Sanchez was faced with a third down and made a perfect pass to tight end Dustin Keller, who was able to get inside position on strong safety Nick Ferguson, for a 40-yard gain.

"It could have been anywhere," Keller said of the pass. "But I could have closed my eyes just let my hands out and it would have been right there. You know he throws a great ball."

It's very easy to believe in what Sanchez can do.

"I'm satisfied more than I thought I'd be," Namath said of Sanchez.

Yet, Sanchez said you can't get too excited because in the next two weeks the Jets host New England and Tennessee.

As for what Namath did in his first AFL start with the Jets, he completed 19 of 40 passes for 287 yards with two touchdowns and two interceptions in a 33-21 loss at Buffalo on Sept. 26, 1965.

But those little 90 second conversations Sanchez had with Namath won't happen every week. The Jets will instead rely on a strong running game and a fast defense to beat teams. Still, they'll take a win however it comes.

"You want to get a win under your belt," Sanchez said. "It means the world to me."