Transcript of Jets quarterback Mark Sanchez's news conference following Wednesday's midday practice:
On why he chose to have an opening statement during the postgame press conference…
I just changed things up a little bit. I thought I had everything figured out, of course, as a 23-year-old rookie would, but probably not the best way to go about it. It didn't go over very well, so trial and error and hopefully a one-time mistake.
On if he was uncomfortable with past postgame press conferences…
No. Everything was fine with the press conferences. Really, when I just sat down in my locker after the game, there were these things that started coming to my head about the game, the throws. I just kind of started to anticipate what I thought would be asked of me and what I really thought of the game. That was exactly how it played out in my mind right away, one, to remember the plays, the guys that were making all the plays. That was the main thing. Once I got up there I kind of got rolling with it and kept going. I won't do that again.
On the criticism he has received this year…
I'll look back at it probably at the end of the year, but you learn a lot of this stuff on the fly. The best thing about being in an organization like this, Mr. [Mike] Tannenbaum, Coach Ryan all have said, "You're instincts are going to tell you that you're right about 95 percent of the time. When you haven't been right, if those are the things you're going to do wrong, I think you'll be just fine." So just some little things to clean up and correct.
On if he's surprised that everything he does is scrutinized…
No. It's OK. It's alright.
On if his mom inquired about his postgame press conference…
No. My brother asked about it. He said, "What happened?"
On if the New England environment will be the biggest challenge to date…
This is an important game for us to keep our playoff hopes alive. We all know that. It's no secret and New England knows that. Their fans know that. They want to make it as tough as we did on them, I'm sure, when they were here. We understand that aspect of this game. We need to be sharp with our calls at the line of scrimmage, with my cadence and our shifts and motions. All those things need to be crisp and we can't afford any self-inflicted wounds.
On if he is expecting something different on defense from Bill Belichick…
It can be anything. I definitely respect Coach Belichick and what he did the first game. It could be something similar with a couple of tweaks here and there. It might be a whole new approach. They have the talent in their defensive positions to change things up or stay the same with just a little tweak here or there. They obviously have the coaching to change things up and be sharp, so we need to expect another great effort as always from a Bill Belichick defense and anticipate as much as we can. We'll probably have to adjust on the fly.
On what he did right in the first game against New England…
The biggest thing was no turnovers and just how successful they are when they win the turnover battle at New England. It's like 55-1 when they win the turnover battle. It's unbelievable, so we need to do our best to take care of the football and whether it's just the physical mistakes, under-throwing the ball, throwing the ball too high, getting it tipped up in the air, we can't afford mistakes like that. We need to be sharp because all of their players have very good ball skills. They get into throwing lanes and they hassle the quarterback, so we need to be ready for that.
On the Reggie Nelson hit…
I felt OK. The hit came pretty quick. He made a big-time hit. That's what playing in this game is about, standing in, making a throw and Jerricho [Cotchery] making an awesome catch, not too fuzzy afterwards. Was that the screen pass that drive? On the goal line. That was just a footwork thing. That was terrible and then we ended up getting [the touchdown] it on the third down to Jerricho. It didn't take me off my game. I think just the incompletion to Dustin [Keller] was a footwork thing and I got off-balance when I was trying to throw and it looked bad, but no, the hit didn't affect my play I don't think.
On what happened on the incomplete screen pass to Thomas Jones…
[Reggie] Nelson coming in and applying the pressure off the edge. We had the screen and we faked another screen and I started to roll and he's diving at my legs. I didn't get a chance to finish the throw, but the most important thing, especially when you can see right in front of TJ like that, he's wide open. You just have to give him a chance at the ball. Whatever kind of pressure you're getting, you have to at least give him a chance to make a play on the ball. Tip it to himself or something or stretch out and catch it. there is no excuse for that, I have to make that throw.
On if he is learning the differences between college and the NFL…
You learn that every week and you adjust as you move on through the season and things progress. I think the biggest thing that you learn is you have to throw guys open, even when they are slightly open. There's no more hitting a guy wide open on his back shoulder. A back shoulder throw a little behind someone and a guy with a cast makes an unbelievable play at the last second and picks you off. Was it the worst ball in the world? No. It wasn't like a pop fly and he was just standing there, but there is no excuse for throwing a ball short like that. You can't afford to do it in this league. Guys are too athletic and too sharp with their ball skills.
On if he is making progress on making the second reads…
I felt great in this past game about pointing out pressures and feeling where the blitz was coming from. The hit from Nelson should have been picked up. That's why I got the ball out early. As soon as I realized it wasn't picked up, that's when I put my foot in the ground and made the throw. And then there were a couple of throws later in the game just throwing hots and sights and knowing where the pressure was coming from and my run checks were really good. I was really pleased with that. My eyes are getting a lot better and that has a lot to do with our scout team. They are really giving us a good look and trying to disguise as good as possible.
On if the game is slowing down for him…
I felt like these last three or four games I am really starting to get in the groove at some point in the game. I'd like to do it a little bit earlier and not start quite as slow. Even if it is a slow start, the most important thing is not to make those mistakes early. You can have a slow start, go three-and-out a couple of times and punt or get a field goal or something, but when you throw the first play of the game to the other team, they go down and score in five plays it might as well have been a pick-six. You can't afford to do that. I did feel in the last couple of games I've really gotten into the groove towards the end of the game when it really counted. Those are got-to-have-it situations on third down, or fourth down in the Miami game. We really stepped up as a team and then individually I felt solid.
On how the challenges have changed as the season has gone on…
I think this past month has been a test of our mental toughness as a team. I feel like nobody has lost faith. We've lost four games on the last play of the game. I said it after the game, we are finding ways to lose when we need to find ways to win. Whether that means early in the game not throwing a pick on the first play of the game, converting on third down, holding them to a field goal. Whatever it is, those early plays come back to hurt us in the end. When we kick a field goal instead of throwing a screen pass for a walk-in touchdown. At the beginning of the game we could have had a touchdown, but OK, we'll take three points, then you lose by one. You just can't do it. That is the way these last few games have gone. It is impossible to not be getting better. I am having so much more experience, more throws, more checks, more reads. I'm definitely progressing, but the wins, this is a great week to start to get another win for us.
On if the coaches are asking for more out of him than earlier in the season…
I don't think so. I don't think anything has changed that way, my role. Run-checks are still pretty much the same, the reads are similar. I don't see anything that is impeding my progress or making things tougher for me. I don't know what to tell you on that one. I feel like we just lost some very tough games on the last play. The biggest thing that you've learned over the past month is how those early mistakes can hurt you at the end of the game and you don't realize it. It's like missing a layup early in a basketball game and you lose by a free throw. It's like, "Man, if I would have just thrown a touchdown on the screen pass. If I could have just not thrown one of the picks against Buffalo, who knows. Maybe we go down and score and it's not a problem." You can't get those plays back and you just have to keep fighting. Those are things we have to correct and start fast and then finish like we have, just finish stronger.
On if he expects the Patriots to come after him more this week…
It could be anything. We just have to be prepared for them. We don't know exactly what it will be. We had a pretty good idea the first game. We were pretty close, we learned a lot, adjusted at halftime and played pretty well in the second half, well enough to win. Whether they blitz a lot or cover a lot, we just have to be ready to get the ball out or hang on to it and go through my reads.
On playing Jerod Mayo…
He's definitely someone you need to keep an eye on. He helps the other guys get in position. He helps their entire group play more efficiently together. They're a well-oiled machine. They're tough on defense. They know where to play. They know how to get pressure on the quarterback up front, so you just need to be ready and solid with our protections and our hots.
On if critiques from the coaches affect his confidence…
I listen to the coaches, to be honest. That's what they do. I want them to coach me. Coach Cav [Matt Cavanaugh], Coach Cal [Bill Callahan], Schotty [Brian Schottenheimer], that's their job. To get me playing at the highest level. It takes a lot of coaching, especially for a rookie. I need it. Every quarterback needs it, so that doesn't affect my instincts or my confidence. I know they're only trying to help. That's good. I welcome their coaching. It's hard coaching. It's tough coaching, but it's for the betterment of the team and for me personally.
On if he relishes having the ball in his hands at the end of the game…
Absolutely. That's what it felt like this past week where we just scored too fast. We gave them the ball back with four minutes. That's tough on the defense. The other thing is that two-point conversion. You nail that, it puts the offensive coordinator in a different position. They have to score. Maybe they make another call where they're really pressing and biting off a little more than he can chew. Who knows? [David] Garrard goes back thinking, "Oh my God, we've got to score and I think I can fit this ball in there," and then we get a pick. That's the kind of thing that happens when you put that kind of pressure on an offense. I've felt in the last quarter of every game, we're winning. There's no doubt. Whether we're on the field or our defense is on the field, I'd love to be on the field throwing the last pass, just like in Miami. On any day of the week, I love doing that. We'll come up with some wins here.
On his completion percentage…
Late in the game, I hit my groove. I was 8-for-8 or 8-for-10 at some point, really feeling good and converting some big-time third downs and getting easy completions on first and second down. In the first half, I dirted a couple of balls to Dustin, the screen pass, little throws that really affect your completion percentage. You want to start out 8-for-10. It's just like a pitcher and the pitch count. You don't want to start off with three balls. Then you really have to hone in on throwing strikes. If you get a batter down 0-2, you can do whatever you want. You just feel more comfortable. That's the situation I need to find myself in, especially in a week like this, just to get some early completions and get my confidence going.
On why he thought it was wrong to have a prepared statement…
I answer the questions and you guys ask the questions. That's the rule. I'm not here to do your job just like you're not here to do mine. That wasn't the most respectful thing to you guys and ladies. As much as I anticipate the questions and want to have an idea of what's coming my way, it's not my job to say, 'Alright. The press conference is over.' It's your job to ask as many questions as we have time for.
On not getting the ball to Braylon Edwards in the first half…
That was something at halftime that just kind of hit us. It hit me in the locker room. I went up and talked to him right away and just said, 'Hey man, we've got to get you the ball.' Whatever it means, whether it's throwing you a screen pass or handing it to you, he's a playmaker just like Thomas, Jerricho, Dustin and Shonn Greene. You've got to get them touches. Feed the studs. That was kind of weird. We didn't expect that. We obviously didn't plan that. He sure came alive in the second half.
On why they are not able to get players more touches…
Not converting on third downs. Less plays. The less plays you have, the less guys are going to touch the ball. When you throw the ball in the dirt on second-and-10 instead of getting the completion then on third-and-10 they cover everybody, they double Braylon, now he's really not going to get the ball. A lot of that has to do with the quarterback. Get the early completions, spread the ball around, make things easier on Schotty and Braylon to get the ball.
