Mark Sanchez has identified the one way to sideline the incessant drama surrounding the New York Jets: win.
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After an offseason full of criticism and questioning, Sanchez said the team can revamp its image by returning to the playoffs and finding postseason success.
“If I try to come out and try to defend myself or not, it doesn’t matter unless you go win games,” Sanchez said, according to the New York Daily News. “It’s the ultimate defense. Go wins games next year and play well and this is all a distant memory and a great lesson. That’s the plan.”
Sanchez also criticized former offensive coordinator Brian Schottenheimer's offensive approach last season, which he said wandered from the Jets' previous formula.
“We didn’t have an identity like we wanted last year, like we had (in 2009 and 2010), where we were a great downhill running team,” Sanchez said. “We lost some of our identity (because) we were so enamored with a bunch of new players ... That can happen. And it happened to us.”
Sanchez said the rift between him and wide receiver Santonio Holmes was a thing of the past.
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“People are going to take that the way they want to,” Sanchez said of Holmes missing a meeting scheduled by Sanchez before the final game of the season. “We’ve had a good talk. That’s all in the past. I’m really not thinking about it too much. It seems like ancient history after we’ve talked so much.”
Holmes had also criticized Sanchez, who said the two have met and he knows "it can work between us. It's not a question of `if.'"
The Jetssigned Sanchez to a three-year contract extension last week, despite many fans calling for them to pursue Peyton Manning. Sanchez said criticism "comes with the territory," and the adversity last season "honestly was a good experience for our team."
The Associated Press contributed to this report