It's fair to criticize Mark Sanchez's progress as a football player, but the New York Jets quarterback deserves credit for how he handles the media.
Despite an unending collection of small fires that seem to pop up around him, Sanchez is always on point in his public comments, doing little to feed the inferno.
He's an honor student in what we like to call the Derek Jeter School Of Professional Jock Speak. Case in point: His comments on NFL Network's "NFL Training Camp Live" on Monday in regard to Santonio Holmes' belief that a two-quarterback system won't work.
"We're having a great training camp, but I think what Tone is really alluding to is that you don't want to interchange quarterbacks when somebody has a rhythm," Sanchez said. "It's not a two plays this guy, or one quarter, then second quarter the next guy, that kind of rotation or something like that.
"I don't think he was talking about what we have here and the possibilities we have that which can be very positive for our team with Tim running the 'Wildcat' stuff and me running the regular offense," he went on. "I think he was talking to a different point and it kind of went a little haywire when it hit the media."
Our friends at NFL Network would've loved if Sanchez told Holmes to shut up, or to to borrow a point from Rex Ryan, remind Holmes the Jets pay him to be wide receiver, not offensive coordinator.
Instead, Sanchez said plenty without really saying anything at all. It doesn't make for good controversy, but it will keep Sanchez sane in what promises to be a wild season.
