Jets' Brunell thinks Sanchez has all tools for success

CORTLAND, N.Y.

The Mark Sanchez-Mark Brunell relationship got off to a dicey start the other day. As the two Jets quarterbacks were driving to the team's upstate training camp, a New York State Trooper wondered why they were in such a rush.

Sanchez was at the wheel when the police officer pulled alongside. Fortunately for the Jets' quarterback, he got off with just a wave to slow down.

"Our first run-in with the law together," cracked the 39-year-old Brunell, signed by the Jets to serve as a mentor and backup for Sanchez. "Hopefully it's the last one. Must be that Southern California pedal-to-the-medal thing."

An appropriate beginning to Sanchez's second season: The 23-year-old quarterback knows no other speed except fast. As in really, really fast. On the road. On the football field. And with Sanchez fully up to speed on most nuances of the Jets' offense, it's not unreasonable to expect him to transform last year's late-season improvement into a similarly rapid start.

Just ask Brunell, who sees plenty of himself in the Jets' young passer. Consider: In Brunell's first year as a starter in Jacksonville in 1996, the Jaguars went 9-7 and advanced to the AFC Championship Game. Sound familiar? In Sanchez's rookie season, he led the Jets to a 9-7 record and the AFC title game.

"The sky's the limit for him," said Brunell, who was Drew Brees' backup last year with the Super Bowl champion Saints. "He has great mechanics, a strong arm, he's very athletic. He's a good leader. He cares. His teammates respect him. He's smart, he's got everything. He can be as good as he wants to be. I think he's going to be a very good quarterback for a long time."

And the Jets need him to be a very good quarterback right here, right now. If this season of expectation is to end with that Super Bowl title the Jets so openly talk about, then Sanchez must elevate his game to a championship-caliber level. He came close last season, but it wasn't enough to get past the Colts in the AFC title game.

More than any player on the Jets - yes, more than even Darrelle Revis, whose contract situation continues to simmer during his absence - it is Sanchez who will determine how far the Jets go. Pressure? You bet. But in keeping with his cool Southern California demeanor, Sanchez doesn't let it get to him.

In fact, he thrives on it, reveling in his leadership role that has become even greater now that there's no training-camp battle for the starting job this year.

"You just have that calm, knowing that I'm the guy," Sanchez said. "I just go out and try to make the guys around me better and perform my best, not constantly look over my shoulder."

Last year, it was a daily competition with Kellen Clemens until Sanchez won the job. This year, Sanchez is the unequivocal leader. Add in the mentoring factor from Brunell, and Sanchez believes it's all set up for him to succeed. And no, he's not shy about mentioning the Super Bowl like the rest of this very confident team.

"We're not afraid of saying we want to win the Super Bowl," he said. "Rex [Ryan] tells us not to be timid about saying it. Write it down. Read it. Talk about it. It's fine, and it's not a false bravado. It's what we want, and I think we have the players to do it. It's about coming together."

Sanchez's grasp of the offense likely will be the deciding factor in whether they live the dream. With more than a year in the system, and with a work ethic Ryan calls the most intense he's ever been around, Sanchez knows all the nooks and crannies of offensive coordinator Brian Schottenheimer's system. He even had his receivers and tight end Dustin Keller travel to Southern California for what he called "Jets West," a summer camp in which the Jets not only practiced together, but bonded as well.

"We had a great opportunity to throw and to hang," he said. "These guys had a blast. It was a first-class deal. The guys were really excited it went well. Hopefully we can do it again next year."

It helped make up for his lost time in the offseason as he rehabbed after knee surgery. And it gave Sanchez another chance to show off his advanced leadership skills. Talk about having the "it" factor; Sanchez exudes it.

The Jets hope it carries them all the way to Dallas in February.