New York Jets starting quarterback Mark Sanchez might be the second-most popular quarterback on his team, but his teammates expectations are high.
On Wednesday, defensive leaders Bart Scott and Darrelle Revis spoke highly of Sanchez, both saying they anticipate a big year.
They expect him "to take that next step, to be one of the top 10 quarterbacks in the league," Scott said. "It's Year 4, and Year 4 is when the game slows down for you ... Last year, you saw Joe Flacco take the next step in his fourth year and you could see Mark do the same."
Revis added to the sentiment.
"The quarterback needs to take us there, and we're counting on Mark to do that," he said. "Everybody has to do their job, but if we lose, it falls on Mark. If we win, it falls on Mark. The biggest thing is, we're very confident in Mark and we know he can lead us. He's done it in the past, and we're counting on him. We're counting on him."
Head coach Rex Ryan didn't endorse Scott's top-10 prediction, but he did call Sanchez a "proven winner. He has elevated his game and I think his teammates recognize that ... I think his confidence is higher than I've ever seen it."
Sanchez has a long way to go to become a top-10 quarterback, at least as far as quarterback ratings go. He posted a career-best 78.5 rating last year but that was 23rd overall among NFL quarterbacks. By QBR metrics he was even worse, as his 33.6 Total QBR was the 30th best out of 34 quarterbacks ranked by ESPN.
