To date, Mark Sanchez has done all the right things.
Since he was drafted by the Jets, Sanchez has been well-spoken, confident, but not cocky, humble and hard working. He won the starting quarterback job over veteran Kellen Clemens and he was gracious doing it.
Since being named the starter, Sanchez has performed well in the preseason games, said all the right things, won over the admiration and confidence of his teammates and generally acted the part to perfection.
Now, with the Jets’ regular-season opener awaiting tomorrow in Houston, the question is this: Will Sanchez take that act to the real world in the NFL, help the Jets win real games and help lead them to where they want to go?
The early returns suggest he will be one of the exceptions to the rule that says few rookie NFL starting quarterbacks find success right away.
“The kid has got a good head on his shoulders,” veteran right tackle Damien Woody said. “Not that much rattles him. He’s been well-schooled. Granted, there’s going to be a lot of things thrown at him, but we have a pretty good cast around him.”
Woody said Jets fans shouldn’t expect the team to avoid putting Sanchez in position to make big plays just because he’s a rookie.
“He’s a playmaker,” Woody said. “He’s able to do things when things break down. His arm is strong and . . . he puts it on the money — I mean on the money. He puts the ball right where it needs to be and that’s the measure of a quarterback.
“The one thing I see from him is it’s not too big for him. He’s not out there looking like a deer in the headlights.”
The veterans have taken to Sanchez — not only because he’s talented and the new face of the franchise, but also because of the way he has conducted himself.
“He’s humble, he works hard and he’s always asking questions,” Woody said.
Center Nick Mangold said Sanchez has “done a great job of coming in and keeping his head down, learning and asking questions, while at the same time showing that he’s got what it takes.”
“You never know with a rookie coming in where he’s going to be,” Mangold said. “I think Mark has done a good job of answering that question. We don’t need him to be Superman. We don’t need any heroics out of him. He just has to do his part.”
Sanchez has been preparing for tomorrow all his life.
“I know I’m going to be a little nervous and excited, but this is all I’ve ever wanted,” he said. “I’ll trust my preparation and let it go. It’s going to be important to get a completion early and stay within myself and not try and press.”
Sanchez said he’s well aware the speed of the game will be ratcheted up quite a bit from preseason.
“All I have to go with is what we’ve seen in the preseason and as close to a [real] game as possible was probably the Giants [preseason] game,” Sanchez said. “It has to be enough because it’s all I’ve got. I’ll be able to feel the difference in excitement and energy.
“It’s important for me to be loud and demonstrative at the line and express my leadership and authority and just let it go. It’s going to be fun to experience and I’ll just keep learning as we go.
“Win or lose, this is a great opportunity and I want to make the most of it. I can’t promise that we’re going to win the division. I can’t promise that we’re going to make the playoffs and win the Super Bowl, but with this group I’ve seen so far this team has the potential.”