September 13th, 2009 
Matt Loede 
Posted in 
So much for rookie jitters.
Mark Sanchez stepped under center for the first time in a regular season game on Sunday, and looked as cool as a beach vacation, as the rookie and the Jets defense stole the show in a somewhat surprising 24-7 one-sided win over the Houston Texans.
Sanchez’s numbers were strong – 18-for-31 for 272 yards with one TD and one pick. He made smart decisions most of if not the whole afternoon, and combined with a stuffing D that stopped Matt Schaub and Steve Slaton all day, Rex Ryan had to have a big smile on his face after this effort.
Many said don’t allow yourselfs to think that Sanchez would have early success like Joe Flacco and Matt Ryan did a year ago in their rookie years, but to be honest – Sanchez was even better. Don’t get overly excited, Sanchez will still have his struggles in 2009, but this was one heck of a way to start a career as a starting QB in the biggest market in the country.
