Former New York Jets quarterback Mark Sanchez is no stranger to expectations. His were sky-high from the moment the Jets traded up to No. 5 overall to draft him in 2009. That’s why he understands the stakes for No. 1 overall pick Caleb Williams.
On The Colin Cowherd Show, Sanchez talked about his own experience as a top draft pick while going up against the Jets’ defense in practice.
“Practice was horrible. Going, like, 1-for-6 in team passes, I was like, ‘Yes, we completed one!’ It was so difficult,” he said. “I’d never seen blitzes like this. I’d never seen simulated pressure where everybody looks like they’re coming from one side, half of them drop out and here comes somebody literally running under my arm as I’m trying to throw, and they’re screaming in your ear, ‘Sack!’ Bart Scott screaming in my face at the line of scrimmage.”
Sanchez explained, “Rex [Ryan] was a first-time coach, as well, so he wanted his defense to be right. Well, at the same time, you’re trying to develop a rookie quarterback, and it’s really hard to do both.”
The former No. 5 pick added that in those practices, the Jets hadn’t yet acquired Braylon Edwards to force the defense into specific coverage looks, which would have made things easier for him. He listed Jerricho Cotchery, Chansi Stuckey, Dustin Keller, Thomas Jones, and Tony Richardson as his surrounding weapons at the time.
Meanwhile, Sanchez said, “Rex’s team was loaded. This team was nasty. Darrelle Revis was running routes for the receivers, basically. He might have been my top target in preseason. It was ridiculous. The guy was unbelievable.”
The following season, though, things got much easier for Sanchez. The Jets had already acquired Edwards in 2009 and added Santonio Holmes in the 2010 offseason along with a returning Cotchery. LaDainian Tomlinson joined Shonn Greene in the backfield, and Keller was in his third year.
“We didn’t run a lot of empty in my rookie year. [In my second year], we come out of training camp and start running empty against our defense, it made them look pretty plain, vanilla,” Sanchez described. “We started playing the 4-5-6 (number of pass rushers) game with those guys and torched them in training camp… because we had players they needed to respect.”
As an example, Sanchez pointed at how the Jets would line up Tomlinson out wide and force David Harris or Bart Scott to cover him one-on-one. That allowed him to have a much more competitive training camp in Year 2.
On the 2024 Jets
Sanchez and Braylon Edwards recently appeared on the official Jets podcast.
Edwards compared the 2024 Jets to the unit he saw a year ago. He remarked that while in 2023, the Jets’ defense dominated in training camp, it’s a lot more competitive this season. Sanchez said he sees a “controlled urgent animosity” from the Jets, especially the offense. He called Aaron Rodgers’ ability to be dialed in but still relatable to his teammates “like tight roping across Niagara Falls.”
Sanchez also described a play from practice where Rodgers manipulated the Jets’ defense pre-snap. “They brought a four-weak pressure, they tried to disguise it, and he hits Garrett [Wilson] on the sideline. It was a classic Aaron Rodgers, fake the snap, fake the Mike point… he just sells it enough because he’s part-actor, and then right at the last second he goes, ‘Mike’s 44,’ then he tells the back, ‘you’ve got the safety,’ … and now it’s Garrett Wilson on a safety, good luck.”
He added that Rodgers has something to prove this season: “That’s not a guy you mess with. You don’t go picking fights with Jedis.” Edwards asserted that Rodgers thrives when you tell him he can’t do something. “I wouldn’t bet against him.”
The pair discussed their loss to Rodgers in the 2010 regular season, 9-3. Sanchez said their roster was easily as good if not better than the Packers’, especially on defense, but their offense couldn’t get anything going. He commented that Rex Ryan always wanted another shot at the Packers because he was angry about that loss. Alas, they fell just short of a rematch with Rodgers in the Super Bowl, falling to the Steelers 24-19.
Sanchez threw in a funny story about Antonio Cromartie, now a Jets coaching intern. He said Cromartie got in trouble in training camp for eating McDonald’s during warmups, ticking off Ryan.
While Sanchez was diplomatic about the Jets’ chances in the division, Edwards bluntly stated that the division is the Jets’ for the taking. Edwards also believes the Jets got the 49ers at a good time before they build chemistry.
Sanchez is currently a color commentator for FOX Sports. When he called the Jets’ game against the Eagles in 2023, he gave one of the best metaphors you’ll ever hear. He will always be fondly remembered by Jets fans for the back-to-back AFC Championship Game appearances in 2009-10.
