“Sanchise” or “Franchez” — depending on which of the nicknames his teammates have given their new franchise quarterback you prefer to use — hasn’t had to perform for the Jets as his handles suggest.
And the fact that rookie Mark Sanchez hasn’t had to carry the team might be the biggest and best news of all for the Jets.
To date — and keep in mind the season and Sanchez’s career is a mere two games old — there have been no catastrophic mistakes that rookie quarterbacks are prone to make.
There have been no prolific 300-yard passing games, no last-minute comeback drives to win a game, either.
But the Jets have needed neither from Sanchez, and that’s exactly the plan coach Rex Ryan had all along.
Sanchez hasn’t been as flashy as many expected he might be considering his pedigree as a big-time college star, high draft pick and instant millionaire.
Instead, he’s been steady, consistent and mature; the same guy every day. And that’s exactly what the Jets wanted — and needed.
Will he need to make a few more big plays in the passing game Sunday at Giants Stadium against a Titans defense that ranks No. 1 in the league defending the run and 32nd against the pass?
Possibly, but Sanchez seems up for the task.
When it was suggested to Titans coach Jeff Fisher this week that the Jets have been babying Sanchez with a scaled-down playbook for fear of having him do too much, he scoffed.
“They’re 2-0 against two very good defensive teams,” Fisher said. “It’s difficult to go out and open on the road.
“[Sanchez] looked like a six-year veteran out there in Houston. Last week [against the Patriots] he understood where his problems were, what his challenges were. He held the game very well.”
Against Houston, Sanchez was so prolific on third downs, going 12-of-15 for 191 yards, that he ranks No. 1 in the AFC and fourth in the NFL in third-down passing efficiency with a 119.5 rating.
“The first game, I think he exceeded our expectations in converting all those third downs,” Ryan said. “You don’t see that very often in any quarterback, let alone a rookie quarterback. He was tremendous. He’s doing a good job for us. He’s just having fun playing the position.”
That exuberance of a 22-year-old rookie living his dream has trickled down to the veterans.
After Sanchez connected with wide receiver Jerricho Cotchery on a 45-yard pass play to open the third quarter against a Patriots defense that, to that point, had stifled the Jets offense, the rookie was in the grill of Cotchery’s facemask screaming and slapping his helmet.
“I was like, ‘What happened? Did you throw it and start running after it right away?’ ” Cotchery recalled.
“When you catch a long pass 30, 40 yards down the field, you’re not used to seeing your quarterback right there in your face when you get up.”
Cotchery called Sanchez’s demeanor in the huddle as “goofy, like a little kid, just playing around a lot.”
“The guy loves playing football,” right tackle Damien Woody said. “You make a big play, and he’s ready to tackle you. I’m like, ‘Man, slow down.’ ”
Left guard Alan Faneca said Sanchez “is serious about this,” adding that there’s “no wavering or shaking or trembling in his voice.”
That’s because Sanchez prepares himself every week like a veteran.
“He’s a lot further along at this point than a lot of guys thought he would be, but that’s a credit to him wanting to be good and studying,” veteran fullback Tony Richardson said.
Said Sanchez: “That’s really important for me, because these guys need to have confidence in me.”
As ahead as he’s been, Sanchez said he has found himself wondering if the coaches are emptying the playbook for him, so he asked veteran backup QB Kellen Clemens about it the other day.
“I said, ‘Am I doing everything right? What do you think? Are we holding back on a lot of plays?’ ”
“[Clemens] said, ‘Dude, this is all we’ve got. We’re throwing a lot at you and you’re doing an awesome job at it. Just keep it up and keep studying.’ “