Transcript of Jets quarterback Mark Sanchez's interview in the locker room following Wednesday's midday practice:
On playing in New Orleans…
It's going to be a tough place to play. It will be an adverse environment. We have to be at our best, communicate really well and play smart. They're a tough defense and they lead the league in takeaways. They haven't given up 100 yards in a game yet rushing and they lead the league in picks. So we need to be careful with the football and play smart.
On if he is doing anything to make sure he protects the football…
Absolutely. We've been doing some good stuff, holding the ball with two hands since it was all over the place on the film. I've been getting a lot of heat for that so I need to be smarter with the football. I can't afford to put the ball on the carpet like that.
On if the game has the potential to be a shootout…
I'm not worrying about the other side of the ball. Our defense has been great all year. They'll take care of business and they have a big challenge ahead of them. But we're worried about our side. On offense, we know that we are facing one of the toughest defenses in the league and a team that really gets after the football and causes problems on offense by taking the ball away. We need to be smart and just take care of our business and the defense will handle theirs.
On what the game against New Orleans means…
It just feels like every week is the same kind of a game. It's always a chance for us to go up big in our division and lead the AFC East if we win. It's a chance to play against our first opponent in the NFC and play very well. We need to be smart and play our game. A big point of emphasis is ball security and communication this week.
On some calling him the new "Broadway Joe" and "Sanchize"…
The Sanchize thing is just funny. Guys in here call me that and Rex [Ryan] calls me that all the time. That's just the way it is around here. You play quarterback in New York and you get a lot of attention. We've deferred a lot of interviews and extra things that I could have been doing and just focused on football. So it's funny how you still get all of the attention going the route we have, being ultra-conservative.
That's just the kind of stage I'm playing on. I'm fortunate to be part of an organization that helps me out with that everyday. The pressure really isn't all on me. I have guys that I can throw the ball to, guys that can block and guys that can run. They take all the pressure off and I just play ball.
On what he finds impressive about Saints QB Drew Brees' play…
Pocket movement, the way he gets the ball down the field in a hurry. Especially for a smaller guy, the vision he has. The way he can feel the rush and move, I admire that. He takes care of the football and still throws for 300 yards a game, it seems like. He's one of the all-time best and really fun to watch. I'll try not to get too star-struck.
On any distractions playing in the vicinity of New York City…
Maybe in the city. I'm out here in New Jersey. I'm at this facility longer than 9 to 5, so I'm not worried about that right now. I'm practicing, I'm playing ball and having fun with what I'm doing. All that other stuff will take care of itself. That's kind of the approach we're taking as an organization and with [EVP, Business Operations] Matt Higgins, [EVP, General Manager] Mike Tannenbaum, they've all been great and really helped me focus on just football.
On OC Brian Schottenheimer coaching Drew Brees and Philip Rivers…
Brees and Rivers are both guys that he helped in early stages of their career. A lot of fundamentals and footwork drills, he talked about how those guys have done it before us. He really admires the way they play. It will be fun to watch him and he has had a heck of a run the last couple of years. It will be a challenge for our defense.
On being underdogs…
That's neither here nor there for us. We don't make the lines, we don't bet on them. That's just the way somebody else views it. We go out and play the game. We're going to study. Our preparation is going to be very important. We are going to go play those games like we've played the first three and we should be ok. Just take care of the football and play football.
On what he would call the game…
I don't know. It's a bigtime matchup for us. I don't know what you would call it. It's an important game and we need to perform our very best. I don't have a good title for it.
On ball security…
It's been a huge emphasis for us, a couple of drills during practice, dropping back keeping two hands on the ball, especially when I scramble. If I drop the ball in one hand, I am running laps. It's something that I need to keep on reinforcing and the coaches are helping me do that. Coach Schottenheimer and Coach [Matt] Cavanaugh are really helpful with that.
On if he has always kept the ball low…
It has started to get a lot worse now because a lot of those fundamental things, you just are so busy trying to learn the offense. You start playing and you start to get comfortable and then before you know it, you see it on film and you know you have to correct that. It happens in the game and you lose possession of the ball — that can't happen. We just need to nip that in the bud and move on.
On if the coaches want him rushing for touchdowns again…
They just said be careful. Coach Ryan knows that is the way I am, the way I play. I think it was important for the guys to see that. To let them know what kind of player I am and how important it is to me and how much I care. At the same time, you need to care enough to take care of your body and be a starter for a long period of time. This is a marathon, not a sprint. I have to be smart.
On if he heard from his friends about the rushing touchdown…
They let me know. They thought it was pretty cool. All of the guys at USC said it was sweet.
On if he relishes a shootout with the Saints…
That's not what these things are about. We've had the same mindset all year. This offense can do it all. If we need to run it, we'll run it. We'll throw it [too]. It will be a balance. It's one of those things that will happen whether it is in a year, or this week or years from now, whatever. When it happens I will make the most of it.
On if the offense will carry a game for the team one week…
Those kind of games can happen. You never want to envision them that way. I am happy with our formula right now. Take the opportunities when we can. Try to score when we get a big time change of possession. We have to capitalize like we did last week. We had two huge plays on special teams and we scored both times. That was 14 points. We won that game by a touchdown so those are huge possessions. If that ever happens, one of these sides of the ball is going to be ready to step up. We'll be ready to do that.
On if Schottenheimer ever talked about his mentoring of Brees…
He talked about how mature he was, how much of a team player he is, a great leader when he was a young player, how hard he works. He's an undersized guy and how hard he works to move in the pocket and feel the rush without having to look at it and still get the ball down the field. A lot of the drills that we did in the offseason over the summer and OTAs were drills he did with Drew Brees and Philip Rivers to get the footwork down. It's really helped. You watch the guy on film, he's pretty good.
On if he watched film of Brees…
I did in college. John Morton, the [Saints] pass game coordinator, was our wide receivers coach at USC. For an entire year he was with the Saints and Drew Brees and he had all the film. We'd watch Brees all the time. Seeing him in the pocket is something special. He's a great player.
On what he has to do to make up for his height…
I feel good being able to see. I'm almost 6'3" so I feel good enough. Sometimes I have to move out of the way. You just have to anticipate and find throwing lanes when you need to. I have a pretty high release, so I feel fine throwing the ball.
On if his dad taught him to keep the ball low…
Keep it in your hands, keep it up by your ear. Same stuff and stuff that I need to listen to. I'm hearing it from everyone. It's important. It's something I need to clean up. It's like anybody. You make mistakes, you clean them up and help your team.
On playing in a dome…
Communication is going to be difficult. It will be loud. We'll hopefully be playing well, so that is not too much to cheer about. Those guys are going to be loud no matter what.
On pretending to get on a motorcycle when he met Coach Ryan…
We went out to dinner with Mike Tannenbaum, Woody Johnson, Coach Schottenheimer, Coach Cavanaugh and a couple of other people. When we walked out, they started walking to their car and mine was across the way. Right next to their car was this motorcycle with a helmet. So I took the helmet off the motorcycle and started to put it on and said, "All right, I'll see you later." They started laughing and I put the helmet back and walked to my car [laughter]. I was just messing around. That is how comfortable I felt with them. It was pretty fun.
