Keller: Sanchez comfortable with offense now

One of the ways to beat Peyton Manning and the Colts is for the opposing offense to play defense. That is, run the ball, sustain long drives that eat the clock and keep Manning on the sideline for as long as possible. That was the Jets' hope with rookie Mark Sanchez at quarterback in last season's AFC title game, but it worked for only a half as their 17-6 second-quarter lead turned into a 30-17 loss.

As the two teams prepare for a first-round playoff rematch Saturday night at Lucas Oil Stadium, tight end Dustin Keller expressed confidence the Jets are in a far better position this season to match Manning in a shootout should it come to that.

"Very much so," Keller said Tuesday. "We're a similar offense to last year in the playoffs, but you add L.T. , you add Santonio Holmes, and it gives you a couple more dimensions of explosiveness. We have more ways we can attack."

One of the most reliable ways to move the ball the past two seasons has been for Sanchez to find Keller with passes for first downs. The two hooked up six times in the AFC title game for 63 yards and a touchdown, but there were times this season when Keller seemed to fade into the background. Sanchez spread the ball around almost equally among his top four receivers, including Keller (55 catches), Braylon Edwards (53), Holmes (52) and Tomlinson (52), but he seemed to rediscover Keller two weeks ago in Chicago.

"Mark and I are playing better together now than ever before, and what better time than the playoffs?" Keller said. "Last year in the playoffs was when we were playing our best football together, and hopefully, we can replicate that this year."

Sanchez gave his sore throwing shoulder a rest for all but one series of eight handoffs against Buffalo, but Keller said Sanchez had no problem throwing Tuesday in practice.

"He took most of the reps, and he looked good," Keller said. "He was really accurate."

Asked if the offense is more sophisticated than the one they used in the AFC title game now that Sanchez is entrusted with more playmaking, Keller said: "Much more so just because Mark has another year under his belt and he's much more comfortable with the offense. It's so different. Every time we had a new game plan last year, his head was spinning. But this year, he's very comfortable with it."