Sanchez already in rare territory

FLORHAM PARK, N.J. (AP) — Mark Sanchez had the play called and was prepared for what Cincinnati’s defense was showing.

Then came the whistle.

New York Jets coach Rex Ryan had called a timeout, and the frustrated rookie quarterback trudged over to the sideline.

“I was like, ’Man, why the heck did you do that?’ ” Sanchez recalled Tuesday.

Ryan, it turns out, wanted to change the personnel and the play in the 24-14 victory over the Bengals last Saturday.

“We converted anyway, so it didn’t matter,” Sanchez said. “But, it was just one of those situations where I felt so good and so comfortable. Then, we stopped everything.”

More than anything, that moment might have displayed how far Sanchez has come this season. Suddenly cool and more confident than ever, Sanchez is no longer playing or acting like a rookie.

“That’s maybe a sign of growing up a little, I hope,” Sanchez said. “Being able to fire back real quick, knowing what’s going on, and six weeks ago would I have done that? I don’t know. Maybe not.

“Maybe it would’ve been like, ’Oh, maybe I messed something up. Maybe I didn’t get the formation right.’ Now, I just feel more comfortable. It’s easier, I guess, to start yelling.”

Heading into the playoffs, Sanchez was often referred to by some as the Jets’ weakest link. Too many mistakes and not enough experience, critics said.

“Sometimes I made it hard on myself being a hardheaded rookie,” Sanchez said, “but we’re coming along. We’re in great position, and we just want to keep playing and keep winning.”

With an efficient performance against Cincinnati, Sanchez joined Baltimore’s Joe Flacco (2008), Pittsburgh’s Ben Roethlisberger (2004) and Tampa Bay’s Shaun King (1999) as the only rookie quarterbacks to win postseason starts since 1970.

With another win at San Diego on Sunday, Sanchez also would join the three as the only rookie starting quarterbacks since the merger to reach the conference championship game.

“In the past, all my quarterbacks were veterans, like Trent Green, Rich Gannon,” fullback Tony Richardson said. “Mark has played like a vet and performed very well in big games.”

In the biggest game of his career to this point, Sanchez had his best performance last weekend. The numbers weren’t eye-popping, but they didn’t need to be. He was 12 for 15 for 182 yards and a touchdown, and posted a 139.4 quarterback rating that was the second-best in franchise postseason history. His 80 percent completion rate was also a Jets postseason record.