After Wednesday's practice, the Jets had a chance to reflect on head coach Rex Ryan's decision to name Mark Sanchez the starting quarterback.
The players made it clear that the gameplan will not change because of a rookie starter.
"Any situation we we're going to be in this year depending on who the quarterback would be, it was going to be a young quarterback regardless," said safety Kerry Rhodes. "So we're taking the same approach. We know we have one of the best O-Lines in the game and we're going to run the ball and make it easy for whoever is back there, so hopefully they can do a good job of that and the defense will play well and we'll be fine."
Sanchez was named quarterback a few days before the Jets' third preseason game — when coaches typically give their starters the most playing time.
He will be facing another tough defense in the New York Giants on Saturday night after his first career NFL start at Baltimore. He experienced some up and downs on the Monday night stage, throwing an interception with his first throw and a near interception with his second.
No. 6 fought through some shaky early play to lead the team on a second-quarter touchdown drive, earning the respect of his fellow teammates and giving a glimpse of the type of leader they can expect this season.
"He's always been relaxed in the huddle and he's always has a calmness about him," wide receiver Jerricho Cotchery said. "I know nothing's going to rattle him and I was definitely encouraged by the way he bounced back the other night, leading us on a touchdown drive. That was a good sign right there."
Here are some other Wednesday player reactions from One Jets Drive:
TE Dustin Keller:"It's going to be huge for us facing some of the top defenses in the league so when we get into the regular season it's going to be like we've seen everything, especially with the Ravens defense. He's definitely going to live up to it. He's going to be a great player and I see him progressing quickly."
LB Bryan Thomas:"It was really his first time out there, and he was going against a good defense in the Ravens. It was a good challenge for him. This week you can see how he does against another good defense in the Giants so you can evaluate him then."
C Nick Mangold:"He learned a lot from the game and it was good for us to see even after making the mistake. He was able to bounce back and not let that snowball into more mistakes. He was able to continue on and I think that's a good thing to see out of a quarterback.
"We have a good offensive line up front and we think that we can do the job that's necessary. We'll bring him along, but at the same time he's got to make some plays and we're pretty confident that he can do that."
CB Darrelle Revis:"He has impressed me a lot in the way he handles himself on and off of the field. Watching the game in Baltimore, they came at him with a lot of pressure. He threw the interception — you can't blame him for that. He's still learning. He bounced back and threw a touchdown pass and I think through the course of the game, if it was a regular-season game he would have progressed more and made more plays."
WR Chansi Stuckey:"He and Kellen [Clemens] have been rotating in and out so we have some familiarity with him, 1-on-1's and things like that. It won't take long for us to get on the same page."
RB Leon Washington:"It's critical for every quarterback, it's to his advantage for us to have the type of offensive line we have and the running game we have — it's going to be to his advantage. He's a young guy so we'll have to help him out. Kellen has done a tremendous job of helping him along the way, so the running game will be good for him."
Cotchery: "We're able to move forward now and gain some chemistry with one guy and just develop as an offense. I think the decision coming this early is definitely going to help the team. I didn't know the decision was going to be today, but I knew it had to be coming up pretty soon because of the way the rest of the league approaches the third game.
T Damien Woody:"It's not going to be all on his shoulders. The only way you win as a team is everybody has to play their part — everybody knows that. We're going to play good defense, solid special teams and we're going to run the football. He's going to have to make plays here and there and that's how we're going to win football games. Everybody know that. It's already been thrown out there. Now it's just about fine-tuning and getting ready to go.
"That's why you get paid the big bucks. He understands you're here in New York, there is going to be a lot of expectations. But with his personality, it's not like he's never been in this situation before. He's been in this situation where there has been expectations each year coming out of college. He understands that and he has a great personality, great work ethic, and he's fired up and ready to go, and so am I."
