Ryan, Sanchez believe QB is up to the task
New York Jets quarterback Mark Sanchez and Rex Ryan during the fourth quarter against the San Diego Chargers in an NFL divisional playoff football game. (Jan. 17, 2010) Credit: AP
INDIANAPOLIS
Rex Ryan got his first inkling that Mark Sanchez wouldn't shy away from a pressure situation long before the quarterback set foot in the Jets' locker room. This was a few weeks before the 2009 draft, when Ryan and every other key member of the Jets' organization - from team owner Woody Johnson to general manager Mike Tannenbaum right on down to the scouts - were watching Sanchez go through a private workout.
Ryan marveled at the physical brilliance of the USC quarterback, but more at the kid's poise.
"It can be a nerve-wracking experience going through that, knowing that everybody's watching every move you're making," Ryan said. "Some guys can handle it and some guys can't, but Mark was lights out in that workout. That showed me a lot."
It was the moment when Ryan began to envision Sanchez as the quarterback to lead his team. Tannenbaum did the rest, orchestrating the blockbuster trade with Cleveland to draft Sanchez with the fifth overall pick.
Two years into the relationship, Sanchez is everything Ryan could have wanted. The Jets are in the playoffs again, and on Saturday night, Sanchez will go up against Peyton Manning for the second year in a row. Ryan believes his quarterback is decidedly more capable of getting the Jets past Manning's Colts than he was in last year's AFC Championship Game, which the Colts won, 30-17.
"Last year, I was going to put it more in the hands of the running game," Ryan said. "Three yards and a cloud of dust, punt and we'll play defense. I think we can do more than that offensively now.''
This is about as good as you can get with a coach and his quarterback this early in the process: Two years into the relationship, a run to the AFC Championship Game in Year 1, followed by an 11-5 record and a return trip to the playoffs in Year 2. Even Manning didn't get to the playoffs as quickly as Sanchez did. In fact, the only first-time coach/quarterback duo to do better than Ryan and Sanchez in their first years together are John Harbaugh and Joe Flacco of the Ravens, who have made the playoffs their first three years together.
"I'm feeling better toward the tail end of my second year," Sanchez said. "I feel light years ahead of where I was last year.''
Sanchez beating Manning? It almost sounds silly, given Manning's brilliant resume. Manning's Colts have made the playoffs in nine straight seasons, tying the Cowboys for the longest such streak in NFL history.
Sanchez over Manning? Well, it wasn't that way last year. But in the run-up to the championship game, Sanchez beat more widely acclaimed quarterbacks Carson Palmer and Philip Rivers before succumbing to Manning's Colts.
And it wasn't as if Sanchez wilted under the pressure in that one. He finished with two touchdown passes in compiling a 93.3 passer rating.
The Jets will need another solid performance from their young quarterback. But anyone who thinks the Sanchez-Manning duel is a mismatch hasn't been paying attention to Sanchez's poise during his apprenticeship as a young quarterback. He doesn't shy away from the big moment; he revels in it.
The next big moment comes Saturday night in prime time when he faces a quarterback for the ages. Sanchez can't wait - even if he can't quite explain why he isn't daunted by the enormity of his challenge.
"I have no idea," he said. "It's just that these games are the most important. They count the most. You just get excited for these big ones. You know there's a lot riding on it."
Like everything.
