Mark Sanchez was wearing a black shirt with the word “Wonderboy” in gold lettering underneath a gray sweatshirt yesterday.
Tomorrow, Wonderboy tries to become Superman.
As the games get bigger, Sanchez, the Jets’ rookie quarterback, gets better. All the talk has been about whether Rex Ryan’s team can rattle Peyton Manning in the AFC Championship game. The bigger issue is whether the Colts can rattle Wonderboy.
Here’s the word from the Jets:
They can’t. They won’t.
Go ahead and try. You’ll be wasting your time.
“He’s seen it all now,” Jerricho Cotchery said. “He’s been seeing a lot of different looks in these first couple of games in the playoffs, and I think he’s prepared for everything right now.”
“Everybody can have their bad play here and there, but . . . if he does have a bad play, it’s not gonna be because he’s rattled,” Dustin Keller said. “He has short-term memory and forgets stuff real fast if something happens and then he’s on the next play.”
“He’s done a good job of staying unrattled so far,” Nick Mangold said.
“He’s one of those guys who likes the big stage,” Jim Leonhard said. “He definitely has the charisma and the personality to go in and have a big game this week.”
“He hasn’t seemed to get rattled at all this season as much as I can think of,” Brandon Moore said. “He may have a little bit in the beginning of the year just being a rookie, but he’s never had a rattled look so far since he’s been playing well and more confident.”
And here’s the word from Wonderboy, less than two days from the biggest game of his 23-year-old life:
“I’m ready.”
Ready to be the first rookie to start in a Super Bowl.
Ready to be Superman.
In the locker room yesterday, Leonhard got a chuckle out of Wonderboy when he opined that The Kid might have to appear on “The Bachelor” next season.
” ‘Temptation Island,’ ” a mischievous Sanchez countered.
For now, South Beach is Temptation Island for Sanchez and the Jets.
Wonderboy has looked sharp in practice.
“He’s looked great . . . put the ball right where it needs to be, all the passing game checks, everything, he’s been right on with that,” Keller said.
Better than usual?
“Yes, definitely better than he’s ever been before,” Keller said.
“He’s looked good,” Kellen Clemens said. “And I think one of the main things that you look for in a quarterback who’s playing in his first AFC Championship game, especially a rookie, is how loose is he? And he’s been very relaxed. He’s soaking up the material. We’ve got some new wrinkles, not only from the last time we played ’em, but from just last week, that take a little bit to process and work through it, now that we’ve had three days of good practices, he looks very comfortable out there in the things that we’re asking him to do.”
Sixty minutes from the Super Bowl. What, Wonderboy worry?
“I’m excited,” Sanchez said. “Thrilled at the opportunity, thankful for the guys around me and just ready, focused and ready.”
The Jets believe so much in Wonderboy that they think he is prepared to bring them back should they fall behind early to Peyton Manning’s daggers.
“I think if we do get in that situation, [Sanchez will be] very comfortable and very ready,” Keller said.
“The kid is talented,” Clemens said. “The kid is talented throwing the football. He gets a lot of work against probably the toughest two-minute team in the league. If it comes down to it, and we have to start throwing a little bit more, yeah, I think he’s ready.”
“I feel confident that we can block ’em up and he can air it out and somebody can make a play,” Moore said.
No jitters for Wonderboy. Same Old Jets quarterback he has been all through these playoffs.
“He’s a competitive guy, I’m sure he likes the limelight, the pressure, all those things that go into that,” Moore said. “That’s what you need out of your quarterback, and he’s able to handle himself too I think — not getting too antsy. I think he’s playing under control.”
Wonderboy today. Superman tomorrow.