HOUSTON — After getting a pregame pep talk from Broadway Joe himself, Mark Sanchez couldn’t help but sparkle in his NFL debut.
Sanchez, the fifth overall pick in this year’s draft, threw for 272 yards and a touchdown, Thomas Jones scored twice and the Jets shut down Houston’s high-powered offense in a 24-7 win Sunday.
Joe Namath took Sanchez aside just minutes before pregame warm-ups. The rookie asked him about his first start, and Namath said he didn’t remember it and that Sunday was about Sanchez, not him.
“What a pep talk,” a beaming Sanchez said. “That was Joe Namath, just taking all the credit from himself and throwing it back to me and just saying, ‘Good luck.’ To hear that from a legend like that, it just kind of gives you the chills. It was something special to be a part of, an emotional start, an emotional little pep talk.”
Namath said Sanchez’s performance didn’t surprise him.
“No, I was hopeful and I’m satisfied more than I thought I’d be,” Namath said, adding that Sanchez’s offensive line was good, “but he did a great job of finding time with his feet, just to move subtly. . . . I don’t doubt even a little bit that he doesn’t have poise at this stage.”
It was easy to see Rex Ryan’s stamp on this defense in his first game as Jets head coach after leading the Ravens’ stingy unit for the past several years. Houston’s offense got past midfield just once in the first three quarters. The Texans were outgained 462-183, Steve Slaton was held to 17 yards rushing and Andre Johnson had 35 yards receiving.
“It’s just insane,” Slaton said. “You work for six months leading up to this first game. You have all offseason to prepare for this game and then to come out and play like that is upsetting.”
Matt Schaub struggled too, completing 18-of-33 passes for 166 yards with no touchdowns and an interception. Coach Gary Kubiak said Schaub hadn’t completely recovered from an ankle sprain he suffered almost two weeks ago, and the coach took the blame for Houston’s poor performance.
“The offensive football team gave us no chance and that starts with me,” Kubiak said. “There’s nobody that can feel anything good coming out of this football game.”
Sanchez’s first NFL touchdown came in the second quarter when he found Chansi Stuckey wide open on a 30-yard reception to put the Jets up 10-3. After the score, television cameras flashed to a smiling Namath, who watched the game from a luxury suite at Reliant Stadium.
