Jack Lambert once advocated putting quarterbacks in dresses. The Jets are coming close this week with Mark Sanchez.
The team officially named Sanchez the starting quarterback for tomorrow’s game with the Falcons, and revealed that, in addition to the pair of braces he will wear on his ailing knees, they have added wool lining normally used in winter boots to his helmet to keep the rookie warm.
“We put some of the Ugg boot stuff in his helmet so he’s going to be warmer,” Jets coach Rex Ryan said. “I’m not kidding. Look at his helmet. He’s got some of that in there. We try to make sure our guys are comfortable and healthy and protected.”
It’s uncertain if Sanchez will wear a glove on his non-throwing hand, as he did at New England on Nov. 22. There also was no word whether there will be chicken noodle soup available on the sideline tomorrow.
Worried about their quarterback looking soft, the Jets media relations staff later clarified that Sanchez is not the only player to wear the helmet lining and it was not custom-designed for him.
“The equipment staff is doing everything they can to make me comfortable,” Sanchez said in quotes released by the team. “It’s really working and I appreciate their help.”
With an ominous forecast for today and tomorrow, the Jets have reason to worry about their rookie quarterback playing in the elements. The temperatures will be in the low 30s, but will feel much colder with heavy winds expected in Giants Stadium. Snow, scheduled to begin today, is projected to stop before kickoff, but the field might have a covering from the storm.
Sanchez, who spent his life in Southern California before this year, never has played in a game in temperatures colder than 44 degrees. That came in October at the Meadowlands against the Bills.
Ryan named Sanchez the starter after dancing around the issue all week. Ryan said he made the decision after consulting with the medical staff in the morning then watching him practice.
After spraining his right PCL against Buffalo two weeks ago, Sanchez missed last week’s victory over the Buccaneers. He increased his workload each day in practice this week until he could take all of the reps yesterday.
Sanchez will play the game with a brace on his right knee. He already wears a brace on his left knee from a previous injury.
“He’s got both knee braces, so it’s going to be a Joe Namath throwback game for Mark,” Ryan said. “He slid right in front of me in practice to make sure I knew he was ready to go.”
The knee is not the only body part the Jets are worried about, apparently. They took the boot lining and stuffed it in the spaces between the pads in his helmet. Sanchez is sure to take abuse over this like he did earlier in the year when he opened a postgame press conference with prepared remarks or last spring when he posed for GQ.
The Jets said the helmet lining is a standard practice by the equipment staff and will be used by several players this week: all the quarterbacks and kickers, James Dearth, Bryan Thomas, Sione Pouha and Kenwin Cummings. Players also may ask for it on game day.
“I don’t think the conditions will be a factor at all for him,” Ryan said. “He’s got big hands, which I think you have to have in cold weather games. . . . He can throw it, so he’ll be just fine.”
brian.costello@nypost.com