Transcript of Jets quarterback Mark Sanchez's news conference following Wednesday's midday practice:
On if he did extra work with receivers after practice…
Just some stuff after practice, getting some timing stuff down. A little extra work just to help out our chemistry.
On what the last few days have been like…
A lot of learning. Just going over plays from the game. We're past this last game already and we're moving on to Oakland. Plenty of film study on Oakland. We're facing another tough defense, an active front line and a team that we definitely need to be ready for. Learning from mistakes last week and moving on to this week and try to improve on the good things.
On if he feels "out of it"…
I wouldn't expect to be into it after a game like that. Life goes on, you have to move on for the sake of this team and for the sake of myself. You have to bounce back and we're already into practice now. I was just happy to get back onto the field.
On if he tried to force plays…
The pick to Braylon [Edwards], when we faked the toss and threw the deep ball to Braylon, that was definitely a force. And then the last one in overtime was a force. The first pick to Braylon, I'm a smudge off. That kind of stuff happens, guys make good plays. So that one you shake off. The next one is the ball to Braylon on third down. I could have probably thrown it to Leon [Washington], which was my first read. It would have been a pretty good throw, trying to give him a back shoulder throw where he has to spin and make a first down. I threw it pretty hot to Braylon. That one gets tipped up into the air. The one to Dustin [Keller] is the right read all the way. I made a good fake and I just kind of babied the throw. I have plenty of arm strength to make it. I've made it a million times in college, in high school, here in OTAs. I just missed it.
Those kinds of things happen. If it is a physical mistake, those are going to happen. The ones that we can't afford to force at the end of the game when we are starting to play a little better in overtime and then the force into double coverage to Braylon.
On his mentality of trying to force it…
I wasn't trying to make up for anything. The only one that I felt like that on was that last throw. I wasn't trying to make up for anything. That is not the way you do it, 'I threw a pick and now I need to throw two touchdowns.' It's not that kind of mentality. Some poor decision making and then on top of that, a couple of physical mistakes. When they all happen in the same day, that's when you get a day like Sunday.
On chemistry…
There are different guys in there right now. Whoever is in there I have to put the ball in them. I'll shoulder that all the way. That's why I am out there after working. If I wasn't then there would be a real problem. Guys are eager to work and excited to get some extra reps in and that is what we need. That is the kind of attitude we need to turn this thing around.
On if he wants to balance his emotions…
The demeanor stuff is important to me because that's not the way you want to act on the field. Obviously, very disappointed visibly, but that's not what this team needs. Nobody is saying to be a robot. Nobody is saying to not get excited when you throw a touchdown and then not get upset when you throw an interception, but there has to be a happy medium there. That's something that's difficult because they know I care. This means the world to me. When it doesn't go right, it's like, "Man, what am I doing? I'm letting these guys down. Figure it out, you're killing us." It's OK to be upset, but it's not one of those things where I need to hang my head. We just have to get back and get rid of mistakes.
On if opponents seeing his emotions on the field is a weakness…
Anybody could have seen it. I might as well have had a sandwich board on. That's not good. You can't do that. It's just something that needs to be fixed and I'll continue to compete and do that.
On advice he has gotten this week…
I'm getting a lot of phone calls and voices right now. More than anything, I'm just taking the good things from people that are close to me that they're talking about, but it's all the same messages. There's the football side of it and then there's the demeanor side of it, your attitude. The way you play is one thing and the way you prepare and study is one thing, but the attitude. Those are things I'm trying to separate. The thing that needs to change immediately is the attitude part and the way you show your emotions, like we were talking about, hanging your head, you just can't do it. The second thing is just about playing. I've gotten to the truth of those interceptions and now it's a matter of not making those same mistakes.
In a game like that when things are rough, it's all right to punt. Schotty [Brian Schottenheimer] makes things sound so simple sometimes and you almost wish he could do that during the game. That's where you have to get to, to just slow everything down and simplify it and realize after every drive, here's how Schotty put it." After every drive we want to kick the ball. Hopefully, we want to kick an extra point. Second-best, we want to kick a field goal. Third-best, we're going to punt." If you think of the game that way, a 7-year-old could do it. Then you get all caught up in the reads and the protection and "OK, now I'm not playing good. OK, now what? I'm going to force the ball," and that's when things go south. Hearing that from him was important for me, but he and [Matt] Cavanaugh are the main voices that I'm listening to. A long-winded answer for you, it's a lot of voices and I'm leaning on a lot of people right now, but most importantly, I have to lean on myself and realize that I'm the only one who can turn this thing around and I'm ready to do that.
On if any of the players said anything to him that stood out…
So many things. A lot of the same theme though, just, "You're our guy. Keep playing." Some of the most encouraging things that guys have said, "You've shown that you can win. You've shown flashes being ready to step up and be one of the premier players in this league. We're not 0-6, so don't feel like that." If we would have lost our first three games and then won these last three games, how would I feel on Wednesday? I'd feel a lot better. It's just the way that things had happened, the amount of interceptions that came in one game. That stuff is hard to handle, but everybody's been very positive. All those things, a lot of the same things, just eager to get back out on the field is what I can say.
On his thoughts about following his best game with his worst game…
You want to be more consistent with throws, reads. The team doesn't need a rollercoaster at quarterback. We don't need a passer rating of 100 and then whatever single-digit. We don't need that.
On Coach Ryan saying they were going to simplify things…
I think the coaches felt like we were carrying a lot of different plays into a game plan and just cutting out two or three makes a huge difference. It's not like we're going in with 10 plays, so when we say cut back, it could be something minor. Maybe some of the reads, just clarifying some of things, maybe taking off an alert here or there to not get caught up in trying to find something that's not really there, but nothing crazy. I'm still making the same checks and making the same reads. It's been good though. We've clarified a lot of things in our quarterback room that will really help.
On not throwing any passes to David Clowney…
He was running the deep crossing route on the one I threw to Braylon, so he should have been the guy to get the ball there. The last interception, David's standing in the middle of the field just waving his arms, so I just need to find him. It's not a matter of David doing the right thing or not. He's there and he's working. He's one of those guys who's been staying after too. He deserves his catches and I need to get him the ball.
On what it is like playing in Oakland…
I don't know first-hand, but I have an idea what Raider fans are like. It's going to be a great experience for me and this team. We need to be ready for the crowd noise. We need to be ready for some unruliness from the stands. That's what this game is all about, so that will make it more fun. It will be exciting for us.
On playing his first professional game in California…
I know a lot of family members are coming, so it's important for me. Thank God they didn't come last week.
On if he thought there was a chance that he might not get to start this week…
I don't think so. I don't think like that until I hear something else. I'll never think like that. As bad as it gets, I still feel like there's something good coming right around the corner. No, I didn't get any hint of that.
On playing in tough conditions in the Meadowlands…
It's something that I just need to practice with when we get our opportunities here. Even if we're inside practicing, I need to go outside for 20 minutes and just handle it and get used to it. I haven't played in that before, but I still wouldn't attribute the weather to any of those bad plays. A windy day doesn't affect your reads and the ball up to Braylon. I've just got to put more air in it. The same thing with Dustin. The wind didn't affect those at all.
On if the process of being an NFL quarterback is harder than he thought it would be…
I knew there were going to be tough times. I knew that I was going to be the one to have to sit down and really think through some of these things, understand what I want to be as a quarterback and how I want to lead this team. It's one thing to think about that and then to actually have to go through it is a lot more difficult than you would imagine. This is everything I want to do. This is where good players either figure it out or they don't. This is a good test for me. As difficult as it is, I want to ace it. I want to do well. That's why I'm working. That's why I'm studying. It should help.
On if he has heard from any other quarterbacks…
Carson [Palmer] texted me. He just said, "Keep slinging it man." That's pretty cool to hear from him because he's had his share of tough games. He knows what it's like to be in this position. That was just one of those things to make sure, quarterback to quarterback, don't ever lose your swagger. Don't ever lose your confidence. He knows me well enough to know that that would never happen, but that was very nice of him to do that.
On what Carson Palmer said to him…
"Keep slinging it. Just get past it, watch the film and improve."
On Nnamdi Asomugha…
He's something else. That guy is good, rangy. He can run. He's smooth. Great ball skills. He's going to be someone that you need to know where that guy is in man coverage. One of those guys that can recover quickly so when a guy is open, you've got to give it to them now. There are no double resets to a route that he's covering. He'll bat it down or pick it off. We need to play well.
On what he does when he wants to get away from football…
After playing like that, I don't want to go anywhere. I just want to practice again and play. I wish we were playing today. I wish we were playing tomorrow. That's the way I approach it. Maybe for some other guys, they want to take a day off. With the preparation I felt like we got to win the game today. We've got to win the game tomorrow when we're practicing tomorrow. When we actually get to the game, just play well. I didn't want to leave it at all.
