BY NICK ST. DENIS
It's early January, and Mark Sanchez isn't playing football. That's something new.
The third-year Jets quarterback, who helped his team earn consecutive AFC Championship berths in his first two NFL seasons, saw his team finish 8-8 and out of the playoffs this year.
"Obviously, I expect to be in the playoffs. That’s all I’ve known here," Sanchez told reporters Monday.
"It was funny, I was talking to [center Nick] Mangold last night. He said, 'Man, this is your first time not even being in the playoffs,' and I said, ‘I know. I haven’t finished a season on January 1st since college.’ I know it’s just a couple of years ago, but to me, it seems like a lifetime ago. It’s a weird feeling. I have a lot of expectations this next year."
While Sanchez says he's not a "stats guy," numbers-wise, Sanchez has gotten better each year:
2009: 12 pass TDs, 20 INTs, 162.9 pass YPG, 3 rush TDs.
2010: 17 pass TDs, 13 INTs, 205.7 pass YPG, 3 rush TDs.
2011: 26 pass TDs, 18 INTs, 217.1 pass YPG, 6 rush TDs.
PLAYOFFS (4-2 record, all on road): 9 TDs, 3 INTs, three games over 100 QB rating.
"... to have the wins that we’ve had together as an organization, 30-whatever in our first couple of years together, that’s a great accomplishment, but it’s also something as a competitor I just don’t hang my hat on that," Sanchez said. "I think I’ve steadily improved numbers-wise, but I still feel like I have a long way to go. I have plenty of things to work on, plenty of areas where I can be better and that’s what the offseason is about."
