Sanchez's caution a sign of maturity

Here's the thing with Mark Sanchez: He can go through these periods where he looks so downright miserable you wonder if he'll ever develop into an elite quarterback. Then, seemingly out of nowhere, he'll throw a pass that convinces you it's only a matter of time before he'll be one.

In Monday night's preseason game against the Giants Sanchez looked discombobulated. He rushed some throws, forced others, and was wildly inaccurate on still others. Through late in the second quarter, against a very good Giants defense, Sanchez was 4-for-10 for just 13 yards.

And then, there it was . . .

On second-and-2 from the Giants' 17, Sanchez dropped back and looked for Plaxico Burress over the middle. Covered. The quarterback then looked to his second read, and saw Santonio Holmes on a post route. Sanchez threaded the ball perfectly and Holmes made the catch for the Jets' first touchdown of the night.

Grind it out, try not to turn the ball over even when you're not on your game, keep chucking it and good things will happen.

"It was a slow start, but I was proud of the offense for weathering the storm," Sanchez said.

It was the latest example of the steady progression Sanchez has shown in this, only his third NFL season. Has he arrived? No, of course not. Even after helping the Jets to the AFC Championship Game in each of his first two seasons, there is still plenty of room for improvement. But is he taking the kind of steps that any quarterback who dreams of winning a Super Bowl must take to position himself to get there? Absolutely.

And that includes the short passes that might make him look timid to throw down the field, the check-downs to the running backs that don't go for big yardage. Sanchez has thrown a bunch of them in the preseason, but what he hasn't thrown in his first three appearances is an interception.

It doesn't mean he'll be mistake-free once the games begin to count on Sept. 11, and it doesn't guarantee he won't commit the untimely turnover. But Sanchez, 24, continues to show positive signs, and there's no reason to think the improvement won't continue.

"I showed a little progress from last year in getting it to the backs, scrambling for a couple of yards on first down, giving us a second-and-manageable and keeping the chains moving," Sanchez said.

Sanchez continues to trust his instincts, that if he's not comfortable throwing deep, then there's no shame in taking the check-down to the running back.

"I thought at times he threw the ball really well," coach Rex Ryan said. "He had a couple balls tipped, [but] I was happy. He was able to avoid the rush a little bit and ran the ball some, so I was happy to see that."

And don't forget: In preseason, teams are running plays not specific to the opposition, so what you're seeing now will be completely different from what you see in the regular season. Which means you just might see Sanchez throwing it downfield more often when he sees the potential for a big play.

He's excited about the possibilities of this offense, and he should be. No, it won't be the four-touchdowns-a-game machine that Plaxico Burress and Derrick Mason have talked about. But it will be a more effective offense than we've seen in Sanchez's first two seasons. It will be that way because the quarterback is ready for the next step in his progression. Even when you think there are times when he's not, there's that throw that makes you realize it's time.