CORTLAND — Bart Scott expects Mark Sanchez to rise up the charts this season.
The Jets linebacker said Sanchez is ready to become one of the top quarterbacks in the league this year, his fourth season in the NFL.
Asked what the expectations for Sanchez are inside the locker room, Scott said, “to take that next step into being one of the top 10 quarterbacks in the league.”
Sanchez finished 23rd in quarterback rating last season. He had some good moments (26 touchdowns) and some bad (26 turnovers) as the Jets stumbled to an 8-8 finish.
Scott, who has been with Sanchez since his rookie season, said he expects to see improvement in Sanchez this year because the fourth season is when players usually make that jump.
“In year four, the game slows down for you,” Scott said. “[It’s] a little hiccup with a new offensive system, but when you’re in the fourth year, a route is a route. You understand route combinations. You understand reading the safeties and the game should be a little slower for you. I think last year you saw [Ravens quarterback] Joe Flacco take the next step in the fourth year. You could see Mark do the same.”
Teammates say you can see a clear difference in Sanchez during this training camp in not just how he’s throwing the ball, but also his demeanor.
“I think everybody’s seen a difference in how he walks, how he handles it if he throws a bad ball, how he carries himself,” Scott said. “Mark’s always been a guy that you can see his emotion and how he’s feeling about himself in his facial expressions. But I think now he carries himself upright. He sticks that chest out like a peacock. I think that
really shows confidence to him, but it also helps and inspires his players because he’s their leader and they’re going to go as he goes.”
Scott compared Sanchez with Giants quarterback Eli Manning.
“I thought [Sanchez] overreacted too much to bad plays,” Scott said. “You look at Eli, he has the ultimate poker face. His happy face, his sad face, his excited face are all the same. I think that’s a strength, because if defenses see that, they’ve got to you, it’s only going to pile on.”
Sanchez has had a strong training camp, even as he has dealt with the arrival of backup Tim Tebow. Jets players said Sanchez has seemed unaffected by Tebow’s presence.
Cornerback Darrelle Revis said if the Jets are to reach their goal of winning a Super Bowl, they need Sanchez to lead them there.
“It’s something where the quarterback needs to take us there, and we’re counting on Mark to do that,” Revis said. “Everybody has to do their job, but if we lose, it falls on Mark, and if we win, it falls on Mark. I think the biggest thing is we’re very confident in Mark, and we know he can lead us. He’s done it in the past, and we’re counting on him. We’re counting on him.”
The Jets gave Sanchez a three-year, $40.5 million extension in March. Scott said that may have helped Sanchez feel like the team was backing him.
“I think that helped him feel [more secure],” Scott said. “We all feel a little bit more secure when you put a little bit more money in us and give us a secure future. But just wanting to prove the doubters wrong … if you’re motivated by money and contract terms, then you’re in the wrong sport. … If that’s the case, go get your hedge fund and get paid even when you mess up.”
brian.costello@nypost.com