So far, all is well in the Mark Sanchez Era.
New York's rookie quarterback took the field on Friday night in the Jets' first preseason game of 2009 and left many impressed — and relieved. He entered the game with 28 seconds remaining in the first quarter and immediately began a promising scoring drive, starting with a 48-yard pass to David Clowney on his first snap.
New York lost 23-20, but it didn't matter. Sanchez finished 3-for-4 with 88 yards, which was good enough for coach Rex Ryan.
"When Mark came in, he looked like he's been looking in practice," Ryan told ESPN.com. "He stepped in and it wasn't too big for him."
It wasn't too big for Kellen Clemens, either, who got the start and engineered the game's first two series, completing all four of his passes.
It's still too early to tell who will get the starting nod on August 24 when the Jets take on Baltimore, but right now, having too many options is perfectly fine with Ryan. And if the competition is what's driving Sanchez and Clemens to compete to the best of their abilities, then the indecision is fine with them, too.
"We'll just continue to compete and improve until [Ryan] is ready," Clemens told ESPN.com. "And hopefully after that, we'll have a clear No.1 and 2."
