FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. — Jets quarterback Mark Sanchez is ready to “get it done” and “knock it out.”
Too bad he’s not talking about a Super Bowl victory.
Speaking for the first time since it was announced he will have surgery on his left knee, was upbeat while addressing a number of topics — including his upcoming surgery, how he’s on a mission to someday have the command of Peyton Manning and how close the Jets are to playing in the Super Bowl next season.
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Sanchez said he doesn’t have an exact surgery date, but it’ll take place in the next two weeks and be done by Jets orthopedists, Dr. Ken Montgomery and Dr. Eliot Hershman.
“Get it done, knock it out,” Sanchez said. “Talking with Dr. Montgomery, the analogy he gave me was, ‘You’re car’s out of alignment. Either you keep driving like it is and keep thinking about it and keep worrying about it, keep having to wear a brace and stuff like that, or you get this thing fixed, nip it in the bud right now, and it’ll be fine.”
Sanchez confirmed the procedure is a patellar-stabilizing surgery. He said Montgomery told him the outpatient-type procedure is “minimally invasive” and that he definitely would back for training camp and “as many OTAs as possible.”
Honestly, I think it’s the right move,” Sanchez said. “I thought about it for a few days now, and it’s just one of those things that I don’t want to have to worry about.”
Sanchez vowed he’s “definitely coming back for the season, that’s for sure. There’s no two ways about that.”
By the starting training camp? “Absolutely,” he said. “Before that is what we’re really aiming for.
Asked what message he wants to deliver to concerned Jets fans, Sanchez said with a smile, “Rest assured . . . don’t sweat it. This is only going to help us get better. I guess that’s the biggest message.”
Another message Sanchez wanted to deliver was the fact he’s bent on being back at the Super Bowl next season — as a player.
“That’s where I want to play. That’s where you want to win. It’s pretty cool,” he said. “We’re ready to go. We’ll be ready to go next year. I feel like we have the talent. We have the coaching staff. We have the management to make it to this game. It’s going to require a lot of hard work in the offseason by each player, and we’ll be ready to go.
“Do we think it can happen next year? Absolutely. That’s the way we feel.”
Sanchez then talked about how inspiring Rex Ryan’s final team meeting was.
“I think Rex had the best message for us and that was just, ‘Everybody improve,'” Sanchez said. “Two-a-half quarters away. Think about that. He’s like, ‘Think if we were two-and-a-half quarters better. Then what? Then we’re playing for the championship, we’re playing for it all.’
“And he’s like, ‘Do do we have that kind of talent in here? Absolutely. Do we have that kind of discipline? Well, that’s up to everybody in the room.'”
Sanchez said he’s making it up to him to follow in the footsteps of Manning.
“I’m not even close to where I feel like I can be,” he said. “Just looking at the film from the year. There’s a million throws that I want back. I’m better than that, I know that. Hopefully, there’s no ceiling. Hopefully, I keep getting better, because that’s what guys like Peyton Manning did.
“After 14 or whatever years, he’s still getting better. You’re just in awe watching him. You want to get there and as competitive as I am, it’s like, ‘I want to do that.’
“I better be on my game.”