As the self-proclaimed leader of the Jets and the quarterback of a team that has lost three straight games, Mark Sanchez said all the right things yesterday.
“It’s on me as a leader to assert myself and make sure we’re doing the right things,” he said before adding, “I think we’re working through a tough experience. Three tough road losses is no fun and it’s not easy. But it’s a good test for us. It’s a good test for this team to see how we’re going to bounce back.”
Give Sanchez credit. From day one he has understood that he was the Jets franchise quarterback and has tried to embrace all that it entails, including being the leader of the team both on the field and in the locker room. It’s during a time of crisis when true leadership demonstrates itself and having dropped three straight games amid high expectations is about as big a crisis as the Jets have experienced during his tenure.
Heading into Monday night’s game against the Dolphins would be a prime time for the third-year quarterback to demonstrate his stature on the team. But it’s hard to hear him because of all the other opinionated voices in the Jets locker room. Wide receiver Santonio Holmes yesterday was chirping about how the offensive line needs to improve to protect Sanchez, and there was this somewhat lukewarm endorsement of the quarterback from cornerback Darrelle Revis.
“Mark has taken strides to be more of a vocal leader. We trust in Mark. In Mark we trust,” Revis said with a grin. Then he said, “We’re stuck with him. This is the guy for us and that’s how we feel.”
It seemed to be odd phrasing even if Revis might have meant no disrespect. Still, the Patriots would never say they were “stuck with” Tom Brady or the Packers with Aaron Rodgers. It’s clear Sanchez still has a ways to go before earning that kind of status from his teammates.
Rex Ryan has said he doesn’t muzzle his players. But the problem is the more opinions that are expressed; the harder it will be to hear Sanchez.
We’ve seen this before in this city. When Giants quarterback Eli Manning was in his early years, he was swallowed up by the personalities of more vocal teammates like Tiki Barber, Michael Strahan, Jeremy Shockey and Antonio Pierce. It wasn’t until Barber retired and Shockey was injured during the team’s Super Bowl season that Manning seemed to come into his own.
Manning, now in his eighth season, still isn’t a big talker, but there’s no question who is the leader of the Giants.
Sanchez hasn’t gotten there yet, and that might be as big a problem as all the discussion about whether the Jets need to throw the ball more or run it more.
Much of leadership has to be earned. Sanchez understands that. He also understands he always will be a target for the talking heads on television whether they’re ex-Jets or ex-coaches. He has thick enough skin to handle that. Six road playoff wins and two trips to the AFC Championship Game have given him enough success to ignore the outside critics.
“That’s part of this job,” he said. “That’s what you sign up for playing in New York. If you can handle the praise when everything is going well, going to the AFC Championship and beating the Patriots in the divisional game, you’ve got to be able to handle the flip side.”
If Derrick Mason was squawking about Sanchez, then he needed to go. But it will be difficult for Sanchez to truly become the leader of the Jets if Holmes is talking about what the offensive line needs to do or if Revis uses phrases like “we’re stuck with him.”
Such talk in the locker room could stunt his growth as much as anything that happens on the field.
george.willis@nypost.com