Transcripts of the conference calls by general manager Mike Tannenbaum and quarterback Mark Sanchez with Jets reporters on Friday night:
GM MIKE TANNENBAUM
Thanks for joining. I want to apologize for everyone waiting so late. We had this done about three hours ago, but I had a preexisting personal commitment I just simply couldn't break, and I'm very sensitive to everyone's time and the commitment you make for the organization and covering us so thoroughly, so I apologize.
With that said, I'm really excited to announce that we have reached an agreement in principle on a contract extension with Mark Sanchez. We're really excited about that. Just to give you some background, we've been in negotiations with Mark and his representatives now for several weeks. Once the season had ended, we talked about it internally, and feel really good about Mark as our starter. He's done a lot of good things for us, 31-22 as a starter. Like all players, there are definitely areas to be improved upon, but with that said, with a three-year body of work, we felt good about the direction of Mark and Rex as the head coach-quarterback combination.
Going back several weeks, back to Indy, Ari Nissim and Jackie Davidson led the negotiations and we were excited we're able to come to a conclusion and reach an agreement in principle. As everyone knows, when Peyton Manning, a first ballot Hall of Famer, became available, just like I do every day, and I'm committed to it, we looked into that possibility as someone to add to our team. We looked at it, we had discussion internally. We've monitored the situation.
But as events continued to unfold, we kept pushing the extension with Mark in terms of the negotiations with him and his representatives, and we're really excited where it ended, which is Mark is going to be our starting quarterback and has signed an extension for years to come. With that, I'd be happy to answer any questions.
On the length of Sanchez's extension and if it was odd trying to extend Sanchez while looking at Manning…
We signed him to a five-year deal. It was just one of those things where when we ended the season, Mark as a young player whose arrow was up, just like with Darrelle Revis, Nick Mangold, D'Brickashaw Ferguson, David Harris, guys that are our own guys, guys that we've drafted, guys that have the work ethic and the commitment, those are the types of guys that we want to keep in our program. Mark was a guy we had identified that we'd like to sign to an extension.
Like I said, we started several weeks ago. But part of my responsibility is when other opportunities come along, we have to investigate it, and that's what we did. We looked into Peyton Manning, who obviously is a first-ballot Hall of Famer, tremendous person, tremendous player that we all know, and we looked into it.
But again, like I said, as events continued to unfold, we continued the negotiations with Mark, and what's important for us is where we are tonight, which is Mark is our starter, and we're excited about 2012. From my standpoint, it's Mark and Rex, and they're going into Year Four, and in talking to Woody about it, we just feel really comfortable and excited that we have stability at those two positions and look forward to them working together and leading us.
On what he saw from Sanchez to give him an extension…
It's based on the whole body of work. It's based on the person, the work ethic, and again, when you look at what we believe in as a team and the success of our team, we really feel that he fits in line with the David Harrises and the rest of our guys, that he's a young player, and like any other young player, there's some inconsistencies that have to get better. To Mark's credit, he'd be the first one to tell you that, and he's a perfectionist.
But with that said, we've won a lot of football games with Mark as a starting quarterback of the New York Jets, and that's really what convinced us, Rex, Woody and I. It's not a projection, it's not a hope, it's not an incremental leap of faith, it's here's - a three year body of work. And again, with that said, we don't have blinders on. It has to get better, and we think it will get better, and we think it'll become more consistent going into Mark's fourth year. But taking a long view of things, we're excited and encouraged by the trajectory of Mark's career.
On if they agreed to the extension with Sanchez in principle conditionally on not bringing in Manning…
Well, I think Mark can certainly speak for himself. As I said, we've been working on this now for several weeks, and in working with the complexities of a new CBA and all those rules and regulations, cast budgets, cap budgets, it's a complicated contract like most of them are nowadays. It took a long time. It took several weeks.
But I want to just tip my hat to David Dunn and Andrew Kessler and Nick Sanchez. They were professional and thorough throughout the process, and we were able to get an agreement about three hours ago. And again, knowing that these things don't hold, we were going to wait until tomorrow to announce it, but we figured let's get the news out when it happened. So Mark can speak to things on his end, but from our end I want to tip my hat to Ari and Jackie and Dave, Andrew and Nick on their end because it was a real team effort, and like any deal we do, we want it to be good for both sides.
On if this extension makes it harder to find a backup for Sanchez…
I think for us, two thoughts: One is, Mark doesn't need anybody to motivate him to be great. Mark wants to be great. That's who he is and that's the guy we drafted. Mark and every other player is held accountable by how well they play and ultimately play time is dictated by Coach Ryan. All our players are held accountable and it's all about who gives us [the best] chance to win.
In terms of attracting other potential backup quarterbacks, every situation is different or speaks for itself as it relates to how that player may or may not have other opportunities. But with that said, and we've said this publicly now for a number of weeks, we feel really good about Mark as our starting quarterback, and that's because the player and the person is really what we drafted: A highly competitive, highly talented person that winning football games is really important to. And I don't think it matters who the backup quarterback is. That's Mark's DNA. That's his constitution, and that's why we're excited about him, and that's why we were able to get this extension done.
On if the extension is three new years for a total of five remaining years…
Yes.
On how much of the deal had to do with clearing salary cap room…
No, that really didn't have much to do with it. There's countless ways to reduce people's caps in the league. We probably saw a dozen of those league-wide today, so that really had nothing to do with this. This was more a substantive extension that will take five years, the two he had and an additional three. The cap number really did not drive this decision. If we were looking just for cap room, as we've done in the past and other teams have done, there's very simple mechanics that would not make you stay up until 10:40 on a Friday night.
On to what extent they looked into adding Manning…
I'm not going to get into specifics, but let's just say it was something we looked into. We had discussions internally. Again, that's my charge. We're always going to look into opportunities to improve this team. It's a responsibility I take seriously, and when a first ballot Hall of Fame quarterback becomes available, you look into it. I'm not getting into the specifics of how many calls or what we did or didn't do except to say we did look into it and discussed it internally. As we did that, we kept the negotiation with Mark and his people ongoing, and they were great throughout this whole process. A little over three hours ago, we found a landing spot.
On if this extension sends a message to other players that Sanchez will be here for a while…
We feel good about Mark. He's won a lot of games here, and Mark and Santonio have played well together as New York Jets and done a lot of great things together. Obviously, there were some things last year that had to get cleaned up, and I'm confident that they will, and I'm confident that process has started. But Mark has been around here for a while. We've won a lot of games with him as a quarterback. This was about getting a good young player like D'Brickashaw, Nick Mangold, and Darrelle Revis and David Harris under contract. That's the core of our team, and our goal is to draft them and keep them. A lot of good things have happened with Mark and Rex and to solidify that partnership for years to come, Woody Johnson and Rex and myself, we're excited about that.
On how understanding Sanchez's representatives were about the team looking at Manning…
They're seasoned professionals. They were professional throughout the whole situation, and obviously, I'll let Mark speak for himself here momentarily, but David Dunn has been around the block a long time, Andrew Kessler, Nick Sanchez. This is our second negotiation with them and Ari and Jackie. Trust me, there were a lot of disagreements, but it was all in the spirit of try to find a landing spot for both sides. And let's face it: Peyton Manning doesn't become available every day, so I think people saw, too, that was a unique set of circumstances.
On if the franchise waivered in its support of Sanchez by looking at Manning…
No. I think because we're talking about a first-ballot Hall of Famer, we have an obligation to look into it, like I do when other unexpected opportunities come along. It's not every day a guy like Peyton with his accomplishments becomes available. So that's what that was. As I said, when other opportunities come along, we will look into it. I have that obligation. That's my charge. And sometimes things come up that are unexpected, and when they do, you take a look at it. But again, as events unfolded, we continued on the path of the extension that we had started several weeks ago, and we're excited where we are.
On if he thought Sanchez would have remained on the roster if Manning had been brought in…
I just don't want to get into hypotheticals. You never know how those things play out. So I don't know.
QB MARK SANCHEZ
Well, thanks, guys. Again, echoing what Mr. Tannenbaum said about waiting up all night, I appreciate that. Number one, I want to thank Mr. Johnson, Mike Tannenbaum, Coach Ryan. I know Mike mentioned Jackie and Ari, who did a great job; Dave Dunn at Athletes First, my brother Nick and Andrew Kessler for getting this deal done. It meant the world to me to be drafted by New York and play and have the opportunity to play these past three years, in one of the greatest cities in the country, and have the success we had, especially in those first two years was so much fun to be a part of, so to find out I can come back for three more years means the world to me.
I'm absolutely pleased to be a Jet. My family is ecstatic, and now it's time to get to work and get back at it, and that's what I've been doing these past few weeks, and I apologize for not being available like I usually am, but there were negotiations going on and things going on that I couldn't really talk about yet. So I hope you guys understand that, and I know it's part of my job to be available to you guys, so I'll obviously do my best with that in the future. But I'm not hiding from you guys. We have a great time talking, I know that, and it's not always easy but you guys do a great job and I appreciate that.
On how he dealt with the Jets looking into Peyton Manning…
You know, honestly, I completely understand, especially being there for three years now in the NFL that this is a business, and the team has its obligation to consider all of its options. I'm excited that the Jets believe in me and that I was the guy they want to move forward with in the future. You know, I really didn't think too much into it. I know there's 15 to 20 plus other teams that have thought the same thing, and they have starting quarterbacks from last year who might get upset about that. But honestly, I was thrilled that our negotiations were going on and I knew if things played out the right way that I'd be their guy just like I was in the beginning, and that means the world to me.
On what this offseason has been like for him with the criticism…
Well, I think it doesn't really bother me at all. I just know that that's a part of this position, especially in New York City. I mean, it wasn't too long ago after my first seasons with the Jets, how well we did, we make it to the AFC Championship and everybody is praising us after the season that we're on the right track, and the next step is the Super Bowl, and then obviously we have a setback last year, but it's understandable that the positive praise and positive criticism, that's gone and forgotten, and everybody remembers the 8-8 season where we don't make the playoffs, and I get that.
That's a part of this league. If anything, that fuels me. It gets me excited about this next year, and I think if anything this past year I learned more than my first two years combined about how to handle adversity and things I could have done better, whether it's on or off the field. I just know that there's so much more for us to accomplish together, and I'm excited to be able to do that with Rex and Mr. Tannenbaum and Mr. Johnson. That's a part of the job, and I totally understand that.
On if he felt insulted the Jets were looking at Manning…
Not at all. I knew that's a part of Mr. Tannenbaum's job, to look into every viable option, whether it's at offensive line or running back, receiver, any defensive position. It's something they have to do. But the best part about it is they chose to stick with me. I'm going to be the starting quarterback for the next few years here, and that's exciting. It gives the team just a reminder that I'm the leader of this team, and I'm excited to get back, and I'm going to be working my tail off these next few months to become the best possible starting quarterback that this franchise can have.
On if he would have remained on the team if Manning had been signed…
You know, same thing that you guys asked Mike T, I'm not going to speculate on things like that. All I know is I'm the starting quarterback and I'm thrilled about it, and I'm excited to get back with Rex and Coach Sparano and get this thing going.
On if he met with Santonio Holmes this offseason…
Sure, sure. We've been in contact really this whole offseason, and I think a bigger deal was made out of that than needed to be. But that's OK. With neither of us commenting on it, I think it got bigger. We've kind of laughed that off at this point now, weeks ago, but I've been down to see him, and I'll get into more of that stuff on Thursday.
Right now, I just want to talk about how excited I am about this contract. But we've been in constant contact, and I know he's in Africa doing some charity work now. But he's excited about the next year. I can tell you that. And when he comes back, I know he's going to be speaking with you guys, I believe. I'll talk more about it on Thursday.
On when the Jets approached him about a contract extension…
Probably a couple weeks after the season. I know they talked about it with Dave Dunn and my brother before they even brought it to me, and they wanted to make sure I got my time to get away from things and just relax, clear your head, just like you do after every season, and take out your yellow pad and notes and write down the things you wish you could have done better and how you're going to get better and improve. They talked about it I think really close to the end of the season.
On if he was surprised by the contract extension offer given the way the season ended…
Well, I wasn't honestly because the team I know has great perspective on things, and our first two years together, along with all the great teammates I've been fortunate enough to play with and this great organization, those are some of the best years that the Jets have had in a long time. So they understand that, and they wouldn't let one season change their view on me, because they know how hard I'm going to work to come back next year and be the player that we all know I am and that we can be the team that we all know we are. So I wasn't surprised.
On meeting with Chad Pennington and what he wanted to improve on this offseason…
I think some of the things are personal, and I'll keep those to myself and the guys on the team. But as far as Chad goes, he was open to having me come down and meet with him, and after quite a few meetings, I don't know if there's anybody [better]. The same guy who has talked to you guys as beatwriters has played in New York in one of the toughest positions in football. He knew everything and understood when we talked about the difficulties of the season and really underachieving last year, he knew every situation I was in and more.
It was great perspective to hear. And really get a chance to talk with him about different situations in a ballgame and then we got into more specific stuff. Like I said, I'll talk about more of that stuff on Thursday but Chad was open to the thought of me coming down and talking to him, so I owe him a lot of gratitude because he was great.
On keeping his thoughts about last season private…
Those are more thoughts about the season. That's more of an emotional time where you just kind of empty your brain and your heart on a piece of paper and think about it for a while and you remember that feeling. The plane back from Miami after losing and not making the playoffs, not even giving ourselves a chance to make the playoffs, those are the kind of things that you think about and you remember and you make sure you write them down, and hopefully we never have to feel that way again.
On the last game of the season and critics who say he can't read defenses…
Well, I think there's going to be critics no matter what, especially a few more on that bandwagon of critics when you go 8-8 and don't have your best game at the end of the year. I'm totally taking that in stride. I understand that. That game obviously wasn't our best effort, and we totally moved on from that, and we're excited to get back to work this next season with Coach Sparano and really improve.
On his reactions to anonymous sources being critical of him…
I think number one, if you're an unnamed source, you don't speak for yourself and therefore you don't really speak for the team, so I really didn't pay it any mind. There are plenty of guys like Nick Mangold and Dustin Keller that didn't need to [speak up] that went on the radio and stuff and defended my position and they defended me because they know how hard I work and how much I care about this team and my fellow teammates. But that was something that they're really non issues, and I don't really worry about it.
On critics saying he is coddled…
When people say I'm coddled, I wish they could just sit in a meeting after I haven't played my best or I threw a few interceptions because Coach Cavanaugh and Coach Schottenheimer and even Rex at times, there's nothing close to coddling going on in there. At times, it's pretty rough. I think they would see that. But the team is going to do its best for [the quarterback] position, and obviously number one that was to sign me to an extension, I'm very thankful for that. And then when it comes to other guys competing for the job, then they're going to have a tough time doing that.
On being challenged for his starting job or being taken out of the game…
I don't really think about that when I'm playing. I don't think about getting taken out or who's going to challenge me because I'm challenging myself so hard. Your play obviously dictates your play time, and that's obviously dictated by Rex. Whatever he says goes, and that's how I play.
