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Jets' Sanchez: No more playful demeanor during playoff run

New York Jets quarterback Mark Sanchez is adopting a new attitude for his team's playoff push.

The third-year signal-caller pledged to shelf his smiles and pranks on teammates and be more serious for the home stretch of the regular season.

"All we know is (we are) playing more than 16 games," Sanchez told the New York Daily News. "So I don't want to be the reason for that not to happen. That's why my demeanor's changed a little bit. If I'm giving off any vibe, it's that we need to play well, more focused and there's no time to mess around. We'll have fun winning games."

Sanchez recently put his serious side on display when he froze out Jets coach Rex Ryan for giving Mark Brunell first-team reps in practice.

Sanchez said he did not internalize the boos he heard from his home crowd in the Jets' 28-24 win against the Buffalo Bills, but he noted that the team's struggles this season caused him to re-evaluate his approach.

No more locker room hijinks. No more of Sanchez's trademark easy-going Southern California persona.

"I want him to be himself," Ryan said. "But I understand where he's coming from. He wants to win in the worst way. He's willing to sacrifice everything for this football team."

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