JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — When it was over, when Mark Sanchez had done his part helping the Jets beat the Jaguars 17-10 yesterday to climb to 6-7 and give themselves at least a pinhole ray of postseason hope, the Jets quarterback stood at a podium outside the visitor’s locker room and did his best Joe Cool impersonation.
It was quite a “What, me worry?’’ act.
Five days before he set foot on EverBank Field in Jacksonville yesterday, Sanchez had no idea if he was still the Jets starting quarterback and he couldn’t possibly be certain about his future with the team that drafted him four years ago.
That’s because seven days before, Sanchez was benched for the first time in his career after a miserable turnover-infested performance that simply pushed coach Rex Ryan, his biggest supporter, too far.
To say Sanchez boldly responded to Ryan’s decision to stick with him would be an embellishment. He was hardly Johnny Unitas out there.
In fairness to Sanchez, though, the Jets game-planned for him not to screw it up the way he nearly did a week ago against a terrible Cardinals team. So don’t blame his modest final stats — 12-of-19 for 111 yards — on Sanchez not slinging it all over the park. The game plan was never going to allow him to post gaudy numbers.
Sanchez’s best throw of the game came in the fourth quarter on a third-and-8 play when he connected with tight end Jeff Cumberland for 37 yards just before the two-minute warning.
When he led the offense to its first score of the game on the opening drive of the second half, it ended a 16-possession stretch without a touchdown for Sanchez. So it has hardly been smooth sailing for him, not even in victory yesterday.
Yet when he stood at the podium after the game, Sanchez acted as if everything’s been just fine the last week, thank you. There was no baring of his soul about how difficult the week of uncertainty has been or any acknowledgment of what a relief it was to make last week’s debacle appear a lot smaller in the rearview mirror.
“Oh, I feel confident every week so that doesn’t change,’’ Sanchez insisted.
Based on Sanchez’s turbulent season, lowlighted by the benching, it was difficult to buy what he was selling at that podium.
“I just think he just had that moment — that ‘Come to Jesus’ moment where he said, ‘Hey, I’ve got to get right’ — and he came out and played well,’’ Jets linebacker Calvin Pace told The Post. “He found a way and that’s what you’ve got to do. It’s never going to be perfect. The thing I wish Mark would understand is to be efficient. He doesn’t have to go out there and try to be Joe Montana. That’ll come. Just go out and make some plays. If it’s not there, there’s nothing wrong with punting. We got your back.’’
When Sanchez was asked if he was looking over his shoulder after last week’s benching, he said: “Not at all.’’
Sorry, Mark. Not buying that, either.
“I don’t think you can approach it like that,’’ Sanchez said. “You can’t approach it like that, thinking, ‘Oh, what if I don’t play well?’ You eliminate the fun, and there was a lot fun out there.’’
The fun moments have been few and far between for Sanchez and the Jets this season.
“The gift and the curse of being in New York City is you’re in the ultimate spotlight,’’ Pace said. “Like they say, ‘If you can make it in New York you can make it anywhere,’ but this place can be hard on you, and I can only imagine what Mark had to go through the last week with some of the things people have been saying about him.
“The thing that’s promising about Mark is that every time he’s been placed in a situation where it’s kill or be killed, he stands up. He’s been in some situations where a lot of guys go in the tank. That’s a credit to him, his character and his will.
“He’s got to keep that going now. He’s got to always keep taking that approach.’’