Jets’ Sanchez is best on big stage

Associated Press

FLORHAM PARK, N.J.

Mark Sanchez strolled out of a restaurant and pulled a fast one on his future coach.

It was a moment, back in 2009, when Rex Ryan knew he needed the goofball kid with the golden arm from Southern California to lead the New York Jets.

Sanchez had just finished a pre-draft workout with the team and had dinner with Ryan, owner Woody Johnson and general manager Mike Tannenbaum, among others. Afterward, they walked to the parking lot together.

“My car’s on the far side of the restaurant and they’re walking to their car,” Sanchez recalled Wednesday. “Right next to their car is a motorcycle, so I said, ‘All right, I’ll see you guys later.’”

Sanchez snatched the helmet off the bike and was about to hop on when he realized — by the stunned look on their faces — that he had them.

“I was just messing around,” Sanchez said with a huge grin. “I felt that comfortable with them.”

Ryan lives and leads by not taking himself too seriously. What better match than to pin his Super Bowl hopes on a quarterback who’s just like him?

For the second straight season, Ryan and Sanchez are a win away from their ultimate goal — the Super Bowl.

“A lot of times, a guy can think he’s a good competitor, but when you get on the biggest stage, not so much,” Ryan said. “He’s such a huge competitor, but the bigger the stage, the more he wants to play.”

And, it’s where Sanchez has excelled. He doesn’t have the impressive career numbers of Tom Brady, Peyton Manning, Philip Rivers or Carson Palmer, but he has sent all four home in the playoffs the past two seasons.

What’s more, he’s already got one thing on Broadway Joe: Sanchez ranks first in Jets history with four career playoff victories, and will have more than any other quarterback in NFL history if he can lead New York (13-5) to a win over Ben Roethlisberger and Pittsburgh (13-4) in the AFC championship game Sunday night.

“This is his time to shine,” Ryan said. “That’s just the way Mark is.”

Sure, he makes fans hold their breath at times, but he has already established himself as a winner with a confidence that belies his age — 24 — and limited time in the NFL. More than just the playoff victories, Sanchez has shown he can win games late in regulation, in overtime or with the odds stacked against him.

“He’s a good quarterback in my eyes,” Steelers linebacker James Farrior said. “He does a great job of managing their football team and doesn’t do anything to lose the game. We definitely give him a lot of respect.”