Transcript of Jets quarterback Mark Sanchez's news conference following Wednesday's midday practice:
On if anything in college compares to the current situation…
I don't know. The next few games, this one, if we win, all the games after that are like the Rose Bowl times 10, at least if not times 100. They are huge. To come as far as we have as a team and then to make the decisions last week, I think it's just about building on it and not being worried about the magnitude of the game. Just play it. The field is going to be the same size, the ball is the same size and it's up to me to make great decisions and put the team first.
On if has and more butterflies this week…
I'm just excited. I'm excited to get out and play and try and build on last week. I'm excited to see [former Southern Cal teammates] Keith [Rivers], Frostee [Rucker], Rey [Maualuga] — I don't know if he is going to make the trip, being hurt. I left a message with him. All of those guys. Carson [Palmer] and Jordan [Palmer]. It will be a great atmosphere for football and I'm thrilled to be a part of it. the most important thing is once you get past the highs and the lows and meet-and-greet type thing, it's down to business and playing smart.
On adjustments he's made…
Maybe it came too late, but it was time to really make a jump as a rookie and start to not play as a rookie anymore. Have I arrived? Absolutely not. Do I feel totally comfortable and do I know absolutely every single thing that is going on? Am I trying? Absolutely. It's time to take a step and when they kind of just dangle the carrot in front of you, and say if you win this game, you're going to the playoffs. I have to do everything I possibly can. That's what last week felt like. I think this week is only going to be better if we prepare like we know how and perform like we know how.
On why he took the step…
You just kind of felt the sense of urgency. You look at guys just on offense alone, [Alan] Faneca, Brandon Moore, Brick [D'Brickashaw Ferguson], Nick [Mangold]. All of these guys have been to the playoffs. Just talking to TJ [Thomas Jones] about the playoffs on Monday and he said there is nothing like it. Just absolutely nothing like it. Bowl games in college, rivalry games. You thought that Patriots game earlier in the year was big? Not even close. So he said other regions in the country are shut down. There is no more football and everybody watches you. Everybody wants to see you. And we're in New York. What else do you want? Win and you're in. It was a great perspective to hear from.
Then today, Rex lined us up on the sideline and said, "OK, everybody who's made the playoffs step walk in to the numbers." Fifteen, 20 guys made the playoffs. He said, "Guys who have made multiple appearances, not games, but multiple years." Half those guys came back. "Who's been there three times?" Even half those guys came back. It was like whoa, if you don't understand how special this is, look at those guys. Look how long they've been playing. Some of the guys have made it twice in seven year careers. Calvin Pace has never been to the playoffs. He's been playing for seven years. This isn't the week to be celebrating New Years. This isn't that time. It's time to focus and play and win-and-in.
On the atmosphere of the stadium…
I know our fans will show up. They have been very supportive. There have been some tough ones at home. I think they understand the importance of this game and what it means to close out in the Meadowlands and have the last game there. That's pretty special and we want to go out on the right note. We expect them to be loud when we're on defense and be nice and quiet when we're on offense.
On at what points he feels like a rookie…
I guess a couple of weeks ago, not understanding what needed to happen for us to get in. Guys like Faneca and Woody: "We need so-and-so to lose. This game's at noon, this one's at one." I had no idea. They said don't even worry about it. We have to win. I'm learning so much on the fly. I feel like I've come a long way. Last week really helped with just my confidence and knowing what they are teaching me, what I'm practicing, what I'm studying is really working. Just trying to build on it this week. You're not really a veteran until next year.
On the perception that the team backed into the playoffs…
We just want to be in. We just want a shot. I think we're one of those teams that if we do get a chance to make it to the postseason, we could be a dangerous team. Especially when I'm playing smart with the football. If we don't turn the ball over, we have a pretty good record. Our running game, being able to run the ball in the playoffs I know is huge. Having an experienced offensive line, a defense that's really starting to peak at the right time and capitalize on turnovers. This could be just right. If we backed in, that's somebody's opinion and that's fine. We just want to be playing next week.
On how good the team is when he plays mistake-free…
We have a chance to be very good and do some special things. We didn't try and do too much. As frustrating as it is to not convert on third down, it's OK to punt and we really saw the value in that last week. We were neck-and-neck with those guys, 15-10, kicking field goals, playing the field position game.
It seemed like when we take care of the football, me in particular, then we start getting the breaks. Then we get the kickoff return to the house, the we get a big run, then we get a catch-and-run for 20 yards. Stuff like that happens when you don't turn the ball over. Instead of turning the ball over they score 14 points off of two interceptions and now we get a kickoff return, we're still playing catch-up. It's a whole different mindset. It felt like we got a lot more breaks when we were taking care of the football. It's a big time advantage and we need to keep playing like that.
On if he looks at this game as an opportunity to define his first year in the NFL…
It's not just me. The turnovers have a lot to do with me. I touch the ball on every snap, but this isn't what my career is about, this isn't about what my first season is. I'll be remembered if we make the playoffs. If not, it's another rookie who couldn't make the playoffs and couldn't do it. It has nothing to do with me. I want to make it for the guys up front. For TJ, who's been in my corner the whole year after a tough Buffalo game, after another tough Patriots game. He said, "Hey man, you're going to get it. It's going to slow down, you're going to be fine. Trust me, just keep playing. It's a long year." When I'm thinking, after the Atlanta game, we don't even have a shot now. What are we going to do? Now look where we are. That's the motivation. I'm not worried about what happens to me. I just want to win this game.
On if he's talked to Carson Palmer…
A little bit. He actually had a birthday on Saturday. I just told him, "Hey man, sit this one out on me. Take if off for your birthday, just relax a little and we'll see you next week at your place [laughter]." He said, "Heck, no." I know he's competitive and he'll be fighting on the field. We'll be ready to play.
On if there should be respect for the team…
I think there should be. At times we showed we could be great. That's for other teams to decide and I think this week will have a lot to do with that.
On if there is a lack of respect for the team…
I guess because of the up-and-down year we had, a lot of people are saying that we backed our way in and things like that. That could be what people might think, but when we show up we've shown we can play really well. Maybe if the teams don't respect us then we play well. If they do respect us then hopefully we play well too. Either way, that's for them to decide.
On the possibility of Cincinnati playing their starters for the entire game…
That's exactly right. There's nothing stopping them from playing everybody. It doesn't matter. We just need to be ready to play. We need to know what we're doing on every snap. We need to know their looks and be prepared for the blitzes. It's the same thing. We've got to win the game. Whoever is playing, we've got to win the game. It's going to take our preparation and our focus. We just need to be ready. They're a solid football team.
On passing to Braylon Edwards…
We hit the big one against Atlanta. Last week I just don't think the Colts defense was a defense where you could really take shots on those guys. They played such a bend, don't break type of mentality that they try to frustrate quarterbacks especially a rookie like me getting frustrated with getting completions underneath one to get big play down the field and forcing something into double coverage. I think that's just kind of the way it played out the last couple of weeks, but Braylon is always going to have that ability. When those shots are called, we do want to take our chances.
On passing to a player when he's not open…
You're always going to want to give Braylon a chance to make his plays. When those situations happens, sure you want to take those chances, but at this point if eliminate plays like that and just get our underneath completions and don't turn the ball over, I think it's more important than worried about if he's going to get his big play and go up in traffic and catch a ball.
On the perspective of the season…
It's just a testament to how long these seasons are. 4-4 at the break, I didn't know what to think. We're coming back and fighting through this thing. The only thing I did know is that we have a great team. There is some great support around me, but I just remember Coach [Rob] Johnson telling me back when I decided to leave, "This is going to be the longest year of your life." He was dead on. It's the funnest year by far, but it is long.
I think it's just a testament to how long these years are and how many opportunities you can have. At 9-7, we might make this thing. We just need to take advantage of now and forget what happened in the past except just learn from it. Take advantage of this week and it really does come down to this week. That's huge. These are the kind of games that you want to play in. When you're in your backyard playing growing up, that's all you want is a chance. This is big for us and our entire organization.
On if he envisioned being here when he was drafted…
I think after the first three weeks, we were going to win every game. It's seemed so far away and now it seems just a few days ago that all that happened. It's so fun. I want to be able to look back at this season as a real success. I think this game has a lot to do with it, not that it's a failure if things don't work out. I learned a lot. It's going to be great, but we really want to get in this postseason, so we've just got to make the most of it.
On being sacked by Dwight Freeney twice…
The first one, I was signaling to a receiver, but I should have signaled to the other side. The second one, I called the wrong play and so I was thinking the right play, called the wrong play. They ran different routes than what I was expecting so I looked to routes that I was expecting, but didn't call if you're still following. That's when I realized.
On being sacked by Dwight Freeney twice…
It was an all-out blitz. You've got to beat it with the throw. The best way to see it is [Tom] Brady does it all the time. [Peyton] Manning, we did the same thing to him and he got the ball off. We have five wide receivers out and you can't block everybody.
On if D'Brickashaw Ferguson was supposed to be blocking down field when Sanchez was sacked by Freeney…
He's supposed to on both of them. We only have five guys to block and they're bringing more than five. They all had to push down. Trust me, I messed it up. I promise [laughter]. It wasn't Brick. You just get the snap and throw and it would have been perfect if I had called the right play. I'm thinking, "OK, here goes our guy on a little flat route. Oh, I called the wrong play."
On in-game communication with Brian Schottenheimer…
Just these last few weeks, we really started getting into situational awareness. We're making our final push. We're trying to do everything and anything that can possibly work. Whether it's a color-coded wristband, we're trying to keep the same routine. Certain guys have to turn off the lights in the quarterback room and certain guys shut the door. It's serious and whether they work or not, who knows. These weren't just superstitious things. These were "OK, how did you guys talk about situations at SC? What do you remember about when you get off your game? What did you like to do to get back? Is there some kind of trigger word or code word I can say to you through the headset just to remind you that this is what kind of situation we're in right now? We just can't convert on third down. What do I need to say?"
He was great about really opening up to me and trying to do everything he possible can. Coach [Matt] Cavanaugh, Coach [Bill] Callahan and even guys on the team like T-Rich [Tony Richardson]. We just have little code words, things that probably wouldn't sense to anybody else, just say stuff like "focus" and "lock in" just little stuff like that that would remind you how important these situations are and to just relax and play like I always have. It was very helpful.
On how comfortable he is with the cold…
I felt the first Buffalo game, that would have happened whether it was snowing or 100 degrees. It was just a bad game. The Atlanta game was just two poor decisions and then late in the game I am forcing the ball in the two-minute drill. The Atlanta game, I made some of my best throws. Going back to that game, I really did, I felt very comfortable. That is something that needs to be to our advantage. Especially with teams coming in. Cincy, it gets very cold, but when we get teams like Jacksonville, we need to take advantage of these cold games and really use them to our advantage. I felt very comfortable.
