Faneca Warms Toward Idea Of A Rookie Starter

New York Jets veteran offensive guard Alan Faneca has softened his stance about the prospects of playing with a rookie starting quarterback. Years removed from venting when Ben Roethlisberger was thrust into the Pittsburgh Steelers’ starting lineup as a rookie due to Tommy Maddox getting hurt, Faneca is expected to react more favorably this time if Mark Sanchez is named the starter over Kellen Clemens, according to Bob Glauber of Newsday. In 2004 when Roethlisberger joined the first-team offense, Faneca said, “No, it’s not exciting. Do you want to go to work with some little young kid who’s just out of college?” Five years later, Faneca has reportedly mellowed and explained his past remarks during a recent interview. “The starting quarterback goes down, everybody’s upset, and we’re just trying to make that jump and one of the reporters asks me if I was excited to have the young guy,” Faneca said. “As a veteran, I’m excited about winning the Super Bowl, not the young guys getting a chance. So, I went off a little bit.” Now, Faneca is apparently open toward the idea of a rookie starter and will likely be choosing his words carefully when it comes to Sanchez, per the report. Of course, there’s still the matter of ribbing Sanchez about his GQ Magazine pictorial. “Oh yeah,” Faneca said. “We’ve been giving him a hard time.” One of the photos is being used as a screen saver in the offensive team meeting room.