Sanchez shows he can handle the heat

Mark Sanchez never has erased the doubts of pundits and fans that have dogged him throughout his career, no matter how many gold stars he has on his playoff resume.

But in the wake of Saturday's disastrous loss to the Giants, the Jets quarterback has felt the full brunt of a critical assault, as only New York can do it.

All that matters in the end, naturally, is how Sanchez responds on the field, against the Dolphins Sunday but more importantly when the Jets likely play their next meaningful game come September.

That remains an open, fair question, particularly after back-to-back flops against the Eagles and Giants. In the meantime, if there is a dollop of comfort for concerned Jets fans it is that the 25-year-old appears to be holding up well emotionally, thank you.

Sanchez stood his ground at his locker yesterday as reporters grilled him about the criticism he has taken, and seemed more upbeat and unperturbed than he has been for much of this season.

Certainly so compared to his sour demeanor after he was booed during introductions before a Nov. 27 home game against the Bills.

Sample question: Does he ever wish he was playing outside the glare of the New York spotlight?

"No, no, no, no, no,'' he said. "Win, lose or draw I'm the luckiest guy in the world. I promise. I'm lucky to be here; I'm fortunate and blessed.''

How about this: Does he ever feel angry when people question him, what with \his four road playoff victories in two seasons?

"No, because you can't hang your hat on that, at least I don't,'' he said. "I know a lot of Jets fans this past offseason were, 'Man, you took us to two AFC Championships, these are the best two seasons we've had in so long,' and they thanked me and been excited.

"And right now obviously when you're not winning it's like, 'Man, c'mon, you have to play better than that.' So that's OK. Fans want results. That's fine. We're here to create results.''

The above quote looks more defensive than it sounded. Sanchez seemed genuinely at peace. He was so serene I asked him whether it came naturally or whether people advised him on how to maintain a brave public face.

"I'm real fortunate to have great family members and to be in a world-class organization where they want to help,'' he said.

"There's the psyche side and there's an emotional side to this game and as much as you want to shut it off you have to give yourself a little perspective.''

Sanchez said the trick is finding a middle ground between losing your competitive edge by keeping the results too much in perspective while also not having "zero perspective where you are driving yourself into a wall.''

At least Sanchez is not alone. Coach Rex Ryan and offensive coordinator Brian Schottenheimer have taken their fair shares of abuse.

Sanchez said he and his coordinator understand their realities. "We know, we know,'' he said. "You win and you're the best in the world. You lose and the sky is falling. So, that's the way it goes.

"It's important to understand that that's what's going to happen and two, don't let it affect you.''

It probably is too late to do anything about this season. So the question is how Sanchez learns and improves in Year 4.

He insisted he has come a long way already -- "light years,'' actually. And he insisted he feels no pressure to assure everyone he is the guy to deliver a championship.

"I'm not out to prove anything like that to people,'' he said. "These are the guys I'm playing for right here, in this locker room and in this building. When we all have that approach I think that's when it's great for the fans, too . . . We get wins, and then everybody is happy.''