Once upon a time, the Jets had a quarterback nicknamed Broadway Joe. Now, they have a quarterback who likes to go to Broadway shows.
As we pointed out Sunday night, Mark Sanchez made a cameo at the Tony Awards, as something other than a turkey jerky-eating seat filler.
On Monday, he spoke about the experience at a post-practice press conference. "[It was] so much fun,” Sanchez said in comments distributed by the team. “A professor of mine of USC, Dr. Susan Evans, was big into Broadway and we used to go plays and shows out there at the Pantages and the Ahmanson Theater. Then, when I came out here, she was on me about making sure I take advantage of being close to the city and going to the theater.
“I saw probably eight or nine shows, plays and musicals. I presented for Memphis last night, and they won the Tony for Best Musical, so I’m so excited for them. I saw it two or three times. I took [tight end Dustin] Keller to see it. He loved it. A bunch of guys on the team have seen it now so we’re really happy for them.”
In addition to Memphis, Sanchez recommends the following shows: In the Heights, Rock of Ages, Fences, Fela, Wicked, and Jersey Boys.
Sanchez also addressed matters more closely related to football. Here’s a summary:
He called his ability to participate in Monday’s minicamp practices “a big victory, a moral victory for me” in the process of rehabbing a knee that was surgically repaired in the offseason. He also said he’s not hesitating in any way regarding the knee when on the field.
As to the Darrelle Revis contract conundrum, Sanchez has no concerns. “We practice with whomever shows up, and that’s no knock on Revis,” Sanchez said. “He has to do what’s right for him and we all have to do what’s best for the team.”
Sanchez also addressed the “Super Bowl or bust” vibe that has overtaken the team. “I felt that way last year, so I think it should be that way,” Sanchez said. “That should be our expectation. That’s our goal and we’re going to try and meet it. We’ll be well-prepared, we’ll work really hard, and we’re smarter this season. That’s the most important thing, personally, because we came up just short last year. There were plenty of mistakes in the AFC Championship game, but there were mistakes midway through the season that lost us game -- my mistakes. [Then] we might have a playoff game at home, instead of being on the road, and it could change things. That’s where we have to be smarter [and] work smarter, so that when we’re in that championship game, we’re ready to go.”
And in addition to declaring receiver Braylon Edwards’ beard to be “nasty,” Sanchez again addressed another “nasty” situation -- the penalties recently imposed against USC. To his credit, Sanchez has amended his comments from last week, in which he said he wasn’t at the school when the violations occurred.
“It’s really hard for the guys that are there now. I just feel bad for them,” Sanchez said. “The allegations and the punishment was from when I just got there, so it’s hard to say.”
But since no one else seemed to notice the discrepancy in his remarks from Thursday, he must have been convincing. Which means that maybe he’ll eventually be able to star in a Broadway production.
Hey, we knew that if we kept typing stuff from the transcript we’d eventually find a way to tie it all together.