Transcript of Jets quarterback Mark Sanchez's news conference following Wednesday's afternoon meetings:
On if the team pulled any birthday pranks…
The D-line has been getting after us a little bit this week, the quarterback group as a whole. I don't know what that is all about. I have to look into that a little bit more. There is this spray that you put on your ankles when you tape them to help the tape stick a little better. They put it in our chin straps [laughing]. I had a bundle of socks in my locker today. We'll see what is going on with that. I have to confront some big guys about this [laughing].
On if he is refreshed after the bye week…
I feel great. It's exciting to be back. Watching the first half cut-ups, just a couple of plays here or there got me excited to come back, I know that. That's the general consensus around here, around the building. We're excited to play again. We know we're in a good spot. Missed some opportunities in the first half of the season, but we're looking to capitalize on them this go-around.
On the "rookie wall"…
This is about that time. It's important not to shy away from it or hide from it, not talk about it, but what ways can you avoid it. You have to be smart and keep working out as I have. There's no need to shy away from the weightroom. Continue to lift, upper body, lower body, all of that. Stay in good shape, continue to run during practice, which I do during the breaks. Those kinds of things physically and then mentally, stick to your regimen because it's worked so far.
I felt confident going into games, I felt that I knew what was going on. I just need to keep those routines in check. I'm talking to guys back home, Damien [Williams] and Stanley [Havili], my guys from SC, being there last week. They're getting ready for a bowl game. After November that is pretty much it. You have one game in early December, you're off for four weeks and then you play a game. During those four weeks we have to play games and then after those four weeks and that bowl game we still have to play, all the way up through January. This is only halfway.
On if he feels it physically…
I feel good. I feel like the bye week came at the perfect time to break up the season into different halves of eight games. It's been great.
On if he has had time to reflect during the bye and how he plans to improve…
Similar stuff to what we talked about before the break. Just look at the different cut-ups of the touchdown passes, the interceptions, to going over different protections, looking over the sack reel. A lot of those were definitely just hold onto the ball too long, missing a read here or there, rookie stuff that can be cleaned up.
That's what made me really excited to come back. There is a lot of room for improvement and we still went 4-4. You make those improvements and who knows where this team can be. We have plenty of talent and if I clean up a lot of little mistakes we'll be on the right track.
On what plays make him excited about coming back…
There are just some plays here or there where I miss a throw, I miss a read, my footwork wasn't great and I see the ball sail on me a little bit or I throw it a little short. And "Man, I know that read. I know how to take a seven-step drop, reset, go look at my first progression, look at the second progression and just drill it down the middle of the field. I can do that." Then I go outside with Coach Johnson and work on it, throw a couple of balls that I missed during the first half of the season. It was just exciting. Next time I get that opportunity, I'm not going to miss it now. It was encouraging and exciting and great to be back.
On what Coach Ryan says to him…
He's just been the same guy. He's not a roller-coaster. He tells you exactly how he feels and he's even-keeled, so you know what to expect from Rex. He expects the best out of me and he expects me to have fun. I'm having fun when I'm prepared. I'm a fast mental player. That's when I am at my best. When I study during the week he is on the entire team about getting our preparation. It doesn't just happen on Sunday. Those little messages he gives me, he's blunt-force trauma. That's his deal.
On coming out to practice in short sleeves…
To prepare for the elements and make it as cold as possible. Just changing it up a little bit.
On if he realizes it's still warm in New York…
Oh, yeah. It's cold for me. I didn't need a bunch of layers today. I probably would have maybe the first half of the season. It is something you have to start to embrace and understand that we need to use it to our advantage especially when you get teams from Florida or warm-weather teams coming in. You have to start to use that as an advantage and really get used to that.
On if his improving can be the difference for the team…
Traditionally, teams go as the quarterbacks play. Not to put all the pressure on me, but that's kind of the way it goes. Look at a game like Buffalo. Look at the New Orleans game. Were there other mistakes? Absolutely, but I know what people are looking at and I know what I'm looking at. I'm looking at eight interceptions in two games. How are you supposed to win those games? It's one of those things where a couple of plays here or there and we might have a couple of more wins.
That's how I feel about it. I know there are a lot of other guys on the team who feel the same way about themselves, like, "Man, if I could have" or "If we could have." We don't want to be saying that come the end of the season and watch other teams in the playoffs. This is a great team and Rex has told us that. Even the veterans on the team said, "Man, we've got a shot here, so let's really come back from this break and everybody look within yourself and help this team out."
On if he is putting pressure on himself…
Oh, yeah, that's just me playing and the way I feel about it. When we win, I don't think it's all me. I start to think, "Man, that was an awesome catch" or "We couldn't do that without TJ [Thomas Jones] rushing for 100 yards." You just defer that kind of stuff until it's negative. Then I'll take it.
On if he thinks his game will get better…
I think the biggest thing is just that completion percentage. I feel like I'm a much more accurate passer than 53 or 52, much better than 50 percent. That's the way I feel. Looking back at the tape, I think there are a lot of easy throws that would have got me up to closer to 60 where you'd love to be as a rookie and closer to 70 hopefully soon.
On not converting third downs in the first half vs. the Dolphins…
In the Miami game there were a couple of tough plays on third down that really killed our drives. One, a linebacker made a really good play. I was starting my motion and he jumped right in front. If I hold onto that ball a second longer, I'm throwing to the guy underneath who's probably getting picked. I'm glad I didn't throw it, but I couldn't stop my motion in time. It's one of those ones that happens. The next one, I just missed J-Co [Jerricho Cotchery] over the middle, so that was another third down in the first half.
Who knows? We convert one of those plays, bust a long run ... we just need to make more plays and convert on third downs. That's what we started to do in the second half. It kept drives alive and it got a lot better.
On if he looked at the bad plays he made in the first half vs. the Dolphins...
Sure. I threw a lot of those routes. Not today. This was when I was home, with my high school [Mission Viejo]. Not just the plays but the routes. Once you see it on the film, "All right, I was going to my second read. It's a comeback to the right and I didn't get my feet around. Hey, high school guy, run a comeback, please." I'm going through it. I'm looking down here — boom — I'm going to reset it and nail it, just to feel good about it. Just like in practice every day. If you miss a couple balls during practice, you make someone stand out there. It just helps you feel better and know you can do it.
On practicing with his high school…
Solid. I threw on the scout team for them. I was like 8-for-8 at one point. I felt pretty good about myself. It was fun. It was great. I had a good time.
On if his high school had a game the next day…
They were playing San Clemente. Their quarterback is going to BC, I think. It was fun, though. Mission is rolling right now. I think they're 8-0 right now. They play for the league championship this Friday.
On if they needed him on the scout team…
They didn't need it [laughter], but it was fun.
On how big the Jacksonville game is…
I think Jacksonville is in a similar spot with the 4-4 record. These guys are looking to turn things around as well. Just like we feel like we're a good 4-4 team, like we might have lost a game here or there, they have to be saying the same stuff. We'll figure out who comes to play on Sunday. It's going to be a great matchup, though. We really respect what they do, so it's going to be fun for us.
On not blaming the fact that he is a rookie…
I don't like doing that. You learn from playing. There are a lot of pitfalls that coaches tell you about before it happens.
On how it feels to have only eight games left as a rookie…
Then you're just a young quarterback [laughter]. I just don't like making excuses like that because I feel that I can do it anyway.
On his qualities as a young leader…
What really helped over the summer was just talking to players in the cold tub, in the sauna, at workouts. I talked to them about where they're from, where they went to college, how many brothers and sisters they have. Not just to make conversation but to find out about these guys and know what they're all about. Who has kids? How old are they? Coming to the things like the Halloween party we had here and meeting some of the guys' kids. That's a big deal and they appreciate that. It's something that I want to do on my own.
When you build those relationships off the field, when you get into tough situations on the field, fourth quarter, two-minute drill and things like that, they know. Nothing is ever personal when you get upset at someone or when something doesn't go right and they know that you want to win. You care about these people. That's the way I was in college. I loved hanging out with guys on the team and that's what I do now. It's great.
I've always been confident in the huddle. I learned a lot from Coach [Steve] Sarkisian about your demeanor and how you carry yourself in the huddle after touchdowns, interceptions. After that Buffalo game, I felt like I learned a lot about body language and how that can spread through the whole team, whether you're a 23-year-old quarterback or 40. People see that and notice, so it's important for me to exude confidence. That's what I think I'm doing even at a young age.
On if the offensive schemes have been complicated…
It's complicated because a lot has to go right just for single plays to work. You put in all this time and effort and then sometimes it just doesn't happen. The most complicated part is just saying uncle sometimes. That's a phrase Schotty [Brian Schottenheimer] has taught me, that on the field sometimes you've just got to say it, that it's not there and you punt. The whole process has been awesome. I don't know how else to explain it except there is nothing else I would want to do whether we were 8-0 or 0-8. This is pretty fun and pretty special. I'm having a great time and I feel like it's only going to get better. I think this second half of the season is going to be great for us.
On if he thinks this is a playoff team…
Absolutely. People might say, "You're a rookie. How would you know what a playoff team looks like?" I'm just listening to the guys around us, the Alan Fanecas. Rex is like "I know we've got players to do this. I know we have the players." He tells us that in the meeting, so he's not blowing smoke at us. He wants us to be great and he knows we have a lot of talent. If we just realize our potential and keep working, I think this team is going to be pretty special. For me, it starts with my play and being accountable to these guys.
On how he keeps his arm fresh…
These last couple of weeks, what has really helped is during the warmups, I would go out before the games and throw probably 50 balls, which is more than a game. Then I'd go through a game and throw another 30-plus passes. It was just that extra day of throwing when you come back Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday. Those were just like extra throws I didn't really need, so before the game I've done all the throws I needed. I just play toss now these last couple of games.
Kevin O'Connell is actually the one who told me about that. He said he used to watch [Tom] Brady do that. Before the game, he's barely throwing. That's really helped. With the trainers, we're doing strength stuff just for my arm. Icing down whether I'm sore or not just for preventative medicine. I've been using an icing stem when you have injuries. It's a non-fatiguing muscle contraction that flushes out the lactic acid in your shoulder. It's been awesome. I haven't been sore at all. I feel great.
On Ryan being a rookie head coach…
He jokes about as he goes, I go, and vice versa, just joking about "We're in this together, rook." We've talked about some things, but he's great about getting input from other players, guys that have been around for a long time. T-Rich [Tony Richardson], our fullback, has been around forever now, he's been on a lot of teams. He knows how meetings are run, what time is great and what kind of schedule is great. He gets a lot of input from guys like that, Alan [Faneca], Bart [Scott].
I'm in a similar situation. I'm talking to Braylon [Edwards]. I'm talking to Jerricho about certain situations and routes: "What are you thinking when a corner does this? Where do you want me to throw this fade ball to you?" In these situations, you've got to rely on the guys around you. And we're fortunate. We've got a great group around us.
