Sanchez, Jets' offense wakes up in must-have win

BY NICK ST. DENIS

The New York Jets' winning formula Sunday against the St. Louis Rams Sunday was throwback 2009:  stout defensive play, a steady rushing attack and mistake-free quarterbacking from Mark Sanchez.

Running back Bilal Powell rushed for two scores, and Sanchez connected on 15 of 20 passes for 178 yards and a touchdown in the Jets' 27-13 victory. And get this -- Sanchez didn't turn the ball over.

“An emphasis coming into the game is taking care of the football and being in control of those situations down in the red zone," Sanchez said after the game, via NewYorkJets.com. "Some plays that have got us earlier in the season, we just wanted to be real smart in those situations, make the right reads and the right throws."

Blitz was difference-maker for Dolphins' D vs. Jets

BY NICK ST. DENIS

Two weeks ago against the New England Patriots, New York Jets quarterback Mark Sanchez connected on 68.3 percent of his passes and amassed 328 yards in a tight overtime loss. He was dropping in perfectly-placed footballs to receivers and was almost always on time.

Last week, Sanchez completed just 51.9 percent of his attempts and threw for 283 yards, most of which came when the game was out of reach due to stagnant offensive play early in the game.

If you didn't see either game, Chaz Schilens pretty much summed it up and essentially gave the formula to completely dismantling the Jets' already struggling passing game.

"The team (Patriots) we played last week barely blitzed at all," Schilens said, according to NewYorkJets.com. "New England plays what they're going to play and they stay back in zone coverage. Miami had about 20 or 30 different blitzes coming from everywhere. That's a lot to pick up.

Cro: No QB competition, this is Sanchez's team

Photo: Nathan Rupert, Flickr 

BY NICK ST. DENIS

One thing that got lost in Jets cornerback Antonio Cromartie's interview with ESPN's First Take Tuesday, because of his comments on being the team's second-best receiver, was his take on Gang Green's quarterback situation.

Cromartie said the relationship between starter Mark Sanchez and backup/Wildcat signal-caller Tim Tebow is good, adding that Sanchez is not only the offense's, but the whole team's, clear-cut leader.

"The media blows it up more than what it is," Cromartie said of the media-created quarterback controversy. "They wanna make a competition out of it. ... It's not a competition at all. This is Mark Sanchez's offense, this is his football team. He's going to lead us... He's led us to two AFC Championship games.

"We had a bad year last year collectively, offensively and defensively. We didn't do the things on the defensive side of the ball to give the offense opportunities on the other side of the ball."

Jets finally have Sanchez's true backup in Stanton

BY NICK ST. DENIS

Less than a week after the Jets handed quarterback Mark Sanchez a $40 million contract extension, Gang Green signed up for his insurance policy.

The Jets signed Drew Stanton, formerly of the Lions, Friday to a one-year deal worth $1.25 million.

Stanton will take on the task of Sanchez's backup, a position held the last two years by Mark Brunell. Stanton most recently was the Lions' third-stringer, sitting behind Matthew Stafford and backup quarterback Shaun Hill.

"The nice thing is, we're all going to be learning Tony Sparano's offense together," Stanton said, according to ESPNNewYork.com. "My goal is to help Mark produce on the field and to help this organization win football games."