Transcript of QB Mark Sanchez's news conference New York Jets QB Mark Sanchez, 8.8
On his initial impression of Derrick Mason…
Still has a ton of speed,.a sharp guy, great hands. He can really help our young guys come along and provides us a good third weapon for our three wide receiver sets with Tone [Santonio Holmes], Plax [Plaxico Burress] and now Mace. It's great. Throw Dustin [Keller] and LT [LaDainian Tomlinson] in, too, and it's a good aerial attack.
On if he is worried that he will be out of sync with his new receivers…
I don't think so. That's what I'm stressing every day. In individual period, that's what we'll work on when the team is doing special teams and it's just me and Tone and Plax and Mace, that's what we'll be working on, getting familiar with each other. These guys have played a lot of ball and they picked up our system very quickly so I think the most important thing for me is to get comfortable with their route running, understand what they're thinking, talking things out and then go play it out in the preseason and see how we do.
On what it's been like not to have two of his top three receivers able to practice yet…
I think that's one of the things, and Rex and I talked about it just a little bit, he names me captain and I'm so excited. There's been a lockout and I just can't wait to get back to camp. I come out here and the offense is in a bit of a transition. We're playing against what seems like the '85 Bears. This defense, it looks like they've practiced every day of this lockout. So I'm fighting that every day with younger guys, newer guys, bringing along Logan Payne, Scotty McKnight and Patrick Turner, guys that are just learning the system and not quite sure about everything.
And we're playing against an all-star team. It's [Darrelle] Revis, [Antonio] Cromartie, Jim Leonhard, all these guys who know exactly where to go. They know our route combinations so it's really put the pressure on me to find a receiver quick. If not, get it to your back, throw it away, and it's really given me all those contingency planning scenarios that really help. As frustrating as it is, I think it's beneficial for our offense.
On if the Jets brought in veteran wide receivers because Sanchez is a young quarterback…
I think that obviously helps bring along a younger quarterback. I also think it's going to help our young talent at receiver. At the same time, they are shorter term deals, so we want veteran guys who can pick up the system quickly, not trade for a draft pick or something like that and have to break somebody in totally new and not know how long they're going to be here. You look at a guy like Jeremy Kerley, he's here for the long haul, and that's a good thing. We'll see how long we can play with Mason, Plex and Tone. Tone looks like he's here for a while too, so it's a good thing for us and it's a really good balance.
On what a veteran wide receiver can teach a young quarterback…
A ton. I'm just starting to understand the reason why Derrick Mason can play so long, why Plaxico can play so long. One, they've seen every formation, play, defense in the book. Maybe not our defense, but they've seen a lot. Now they're coming out, working on their techniques every day and showing the young guys what to do. I'm listening to that, the same way that the young guys are, the same way that Jeremy Kerley should just be exhausting Derrick Mason as a resource, I'm listening to everything he says.
On having a different cast of receivers each year he's been in the league…
I think the most important thing for me to remember is one, it's my third year. Two, Tone is going to be my guy for five years. Dustin Keller is going to be my guy for the long haul. Jeremy Kerley, those are going to be my guys. And those other veteran players are here for the short term to help us win immediately, but that's the kind of relationship that I need to develop with Tone and we're already under way, so it's a good situation for all of us.
On Plaxico Burress learning the offense…
I'm trying to throw him off, trying to give him as many checks as I can, almost overload him because he gets everything right every time. He's smart, he's really smart. He can be in the middle of a joke and I'll ask him a question and he knows it. So he's doing a great job picking up the checks and we'll just get him full speed as soon as possible.
On the possibilities for success this season on offense…
The talent we have is unbelievable, and now it's time to realize our potential and talent and really get this thing going full speed and as soon as possible because this defense looks pretty good. We need to get this thing going.
On if this year's receiving trio can be better than last years…
No doubt, it definitely can. One, it's going to take me being better and that's one of the most important things.
On Mason as a third-down receiver and safety net…
He's great. It's hard to lose someone like Jerricho Cotchery, but in this kind of situation we couldn't get a better player. So we're very fortunate that way. A veteran, savvy guy, he knows how to use his body, he has really great hands and he'll teach us all quite a bit about playing. He's the ultimate pro. He's a respectful guy. He knows how to get his work in, knows when to take breaks, knows when to laugh, knows when to have fun and knows when to get to work. So it's good for us.
On Mason still playing at 37 years old…
That says a lot about his passion and love for this game and his desire to win a championship. We love that he chose us and I think that he loves that he chose us because of our facility and because we have an owner, a general manager and a head coach who will do everything they can to put us in a position to win.
On his childhood friend Scotty McKnight being on the team…
I was curious to see how much I'll even get to interact with Scotty, being my best friend growing up. He has his parents out here, and it's so fun. Every once in a while you get a chance to step back and I remember playing Pop Warner and we're taking pictures after games. And here we are playing in the National Football League taking pictures with his parents during camp. Honestly for the both of us, this is a dream come true playing in the NFL.
But at the same time, we're so busy, I barely get to see the guy. Unless we're working out or going over meetings stuff or napping, I don't even see the guy. He's in treatment, I'm in a meeting and then we flip flop and he's doing something else. So it's good, that's a good thing. He's busy and we don't see each other that much.
On how McKnight is doing so far…
He's doing well. I think the reps he's gotten with the ones, I hit him on a first down on a shallow cross. He's smart. He knows he's not the fastest guy. He knows he has really good hands and he has to be really smart. So he tried to pick up the system as soon as possible. He's had a good resource in me over the offseason, but he's done a good job. He's going to have to play really well on special teams and he's going to have to block his butt off. That's how he's going to try to make the team.
On if he knew Plaxico Burress would try to sneak into a rep in 11-on-11…
I did not know that. I wish I would have hit him. We got good pressure from Calvin Pace, one of our studs on defense. So he kind of broke up the timing there. That's one of the things we'll watch on film but it's good. It shows his competitive nature and that's the kind of guy we wanted.
