Mark Sanchez stresses offense has to improve
FLORHAM PARK, N.J. -- Mark Sanchez hasn't exactly been skipping around these last few days, thrilled he threw a career-high four touchdowns against the Bills Sunday and engineered that winning drive in the closing minutes.
Those four TDs temporarily masked an anemic performance for the better part of three quarters. Unless the offense improves, the third-year quarterback believes the Jets (6-5) won't be making the postseason party.
"No question. Absolutely," Sanchez said Wednesday. "We have to play better. That's not a winning formula. We lost the turnover battle. There's no excuse for that. We lost the rushing attempts plus completions battle. We lost the field position battle. We lost the time of possession battle.
"You can't expect to do that and win, not in this league, not against the teams we are playing coming up. It was just a good reminder of the will of our team to win, but another good reminder of how much better we need to play."
Sanchez completed 17 of 35 passes (48.5 percent) for only 180 yards. He needed a hot second half to post even those modest numbers after going 8- of-20 for 66 yards with two TDs and an interception in the first half.
He nearly was picked off twice more, throwing into double coverage. He also benefited from an acrobatic, one-handed 18-yard grab by Plaxico Burress on third down to keep the winning 82-yard drive going.
"Me personally, us as an offense, the first- and second-down pass game was awful," Sanchez said. "It was the worst I've ever been. When you put yourself in third-and-long, then it makes it harder to convert.''
Burress suggested some problems could stem from a lack of accurate route running by him, Santonio Holmes and Dustin Keller.
"It's what people see, it's the most evident from the quarterback position and him throwing the football," Burress said. "But it all works together and it starts with myself, Tone, Dustin, for us to get to the proper landmarks, being disciplined in our routes and getting to the depth that we are supposed to be at, not cutting our routes two or three yards short.
"When our passing game is not as consistent and crisp as it's supposed to be, those are some of the underlying factors. When we are not where we are supposed to be and are not disciplined, it's kind of a helter- skelter passing game."
Rex Ryan highlighted that inconsistency. The coach also pointed to other reasons why the Jets are ranked 21st in passing and averaging only 214.5 yards per game.
"If you are expecting a route a certain way, you can deliver a ball," Ryan said. "[Sanchez] takes a brunt of the criticism. But sometimes it's not him. Sometimes it could be a route. It could be a protection. It could be anything. But a lot of times, it's not him, but the young man always takes it.
"Is he perfect? No. We're working on things. But I'm confident. He works as hard as anybody I've been around."
Sanchez doesn't want to blow a shot at a third straight playoff berth.
"I know what's at stake," he said, "and I know how good we can be, and I just don't want to miss that opportunity."
