Jets football blog

Sanchez surgery a success

Mark Sanchez's knee surgery was a success.

That news came from Sanchez, who had surgery on his left knee yesterday at Morristown Memorial Hospital and later delivered this message on his Twitter account:

"Out of surgery. Doc says it went exceptionally well. Thx to Dr Montgomery. Thx to family, friends & tweeps for the love and well wishes."

Responding to Sanchez' Twitter message was one from Jets kicker Jay Feely, saying, "Great news."

Sanchez had the surgery to stabilize the area around the patella in his left knee, which he dislocated in college. It was conducted by Jets orthopedists Dr. Ken Montgomery and Dr. Elliott Hershman. Continue

Sanchez ready for surgery

Mark Sanchez compared himself to a car that needs an alignment. The bad wheel is his left knee, an old college injury he aggravated late in the season.

Discussing his upcoming surgery for the first time, the Jets' franchise quarterback revealed Wednesday that he suffered a subluxation (a partial dislocation) Nov. 29 against the Panthers, hinting that it affected him for the remainder of the season.

Sanchez, who will have a "minimally invasive" procedure in two weeks, downplayed the surgery and vowed to be ready for training camp in July. Continue

Sanchez will be ready for Sunday

Jack Lambert once advocated putting quarterbacks in dresses. The Jets are coming close this week with Mark Sanchez.

The team officially named Sanchez the starting quarterback for tomorrow’s game with the Falcons, and revealed that, in addition to the pair of braces he will wear on his ailing knees, they have added wool lining normally used in winter boots to his helmet to keep the rookie warm.

“We put some of the Ugg boot stuff in his helmet so he’s going to be warmer,” Jets coach Rex Ryan said. “I’m not kidding. Look at his helmet. He’s got some of that in there. We try to make sure our guys are comfortable and healthy and protected.” Continue

Sanchez not starting and not happy

Mark Sanchez came to work yesterday fired up and ready to go. He left ticked off.

Sanchez arrived to work flush with hope and expectation, ready to rebound from the sprained right knee he suffered in the Jets' 19-13 win over the Bills last Thursday and prepare to start Sunday's game against the Buccaneers in Tampa.

He left work enraged by coach Rex Ryan's decision not only to keep him out of the Buccaneers game but keep him from making the trip at all.

Ryan told Sanchez yesterday that he was starting Kellen Clemens against the Buccaneers, because he wanted Sanchez's right knee to heal completely for the last three games of the season. Continue

Ryan wants hands on approach with Sanchez

Another loss, another shakeup by Rex Ryan.

In a move designed ostensibly to rein in his turnover-prone rookie quarterback, Ryan said Monday he will take a hands-on role in the development of Mark Sanchez. At the same time, the Jets' coach declared he will be more active with the offense, fueling immediate speculation he's unhappy with coordinator Brian Schottenheimer.

Ryan said he will be "standing shoulder to shoulder" with Schottenheimer, but he emphasized his new approach "isn't a threatening deal" and is "by no means a slap in somebody's face." Ryan said he was encouraged by Schottenheimer and line coach Bill Callahan to get more involved. Continue

Sanchez regrets statement

The Jets rookie quarterback was criticized by some members of the media after opening his postgame news conference Sunday by reading from a statement he prepared after losing to the Jaguars.

“I just changed things up a little bit,” Sanchez said Wednesday. “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.”

Sanchez said he sat at his locker after the 24-22 loss and wrote out his thoughts in anticipation of what he might be asked. He then went to the podium and quickly read from the sheet, rattling off specific key plays and offering a summary of what happened in the loss before taking questions. Continue

Jets will simplify offense for Sanchez

In the aftermath of Mark Sanchez's five-interception meltdown against the Bills in Sunday's inexcusable 16-13 overtime loss, the Jets have formulated a plan: Simplify.

"We've got to do a great job of looking at what we're asking this young man to do," coach Rex Ryan said yesterday.

"Do we need to cut things back? Are there things we need to do to put on somebody else's plate to take some things off [Sanchez's] plate?"

Ryan's formula since he arrived here and the Jets drafted Sanchez essentially has been: Play tough defense, run the ball and take pressure off the rookie QB.

It worked last season with Joe Flacco in Baltimore when Ryan was defensive coordinator. Ryan hoped it would work with Sanchez and the Jets. Continue

Sanchez looking to show improvement in prime time

Minutes after Mark Sanchez had put the finishing touches on the worst performance of his young NFL career last Sunday in New Orleans, he said the tape from that game would be more valuable than any he has watched since becoming a Jet.

Tomorrow night, when the Jets play the Dolphins at Land Shark Stadium, we'll see how much Sanchez learned from those three interceptions he threw and one fumble he lost against the Saints.

"It's gone. It's behind me," Sanchez said. "I took some valuable lessons from that game and hopefully the next time I'm on the field. I'll play a lot better." Continue

Jets rally behind Sanchez, not that they have a choice

Mark Sanchez bounced into the Jets locker room and slapped hands with a smiling David Clowney as he headed for his locker. Perhaps if Sanchez wins a Super Bowl one day, the Jets will make their quarterback available to the media on a Monday. For now, you approach him, ask him how he's doing -- on the day after his Nightmare on Overwhelm Street -- and when he says, "I'm good," that's all you need to know.

The Rallying 'Round Mark Sanchez began in earnest on the team plane home from the kid quarterback's three-interception, one-fumble, here's-14-points-for-you-Saints, Welcome-to-the-NFL moment inside the Superdome Sunday. Continue

Sanchez needs to hold on to the ball

When he was a kid, Mark Sanchez adorned his bedroom walls with posters of John Elway, Dan Marino and Troy Aikman. He tried to emulate their passing mechanics even though the posters weren't exactly ideal learning tools.

Sanchez's idols weren't protecting the ball properly, at least not by Quarterback 101 standards, and his father always reminded him of that. Don't try to copy legends, his father warned, just listen to your coaches.

All these years later, Sanchez still is getting lectured on the subject.

After losing the ball on a strip sack in last week's victory over the Titans, bringing his fumble total to four in three games, the Jets' rookie quarterback is placing a "huge emphasis" on ball security as he prepares for Sunday's showdown against the undefeated Saints. Continue