Biggest thing

What is the biggest thing that I learned from championship Sunday? It was not about the toughness of Jay Cutler. It was not about Big Ben and his comeback from his 4 game suspension. And it's not that my favorite quarterback, Aaron Rodgers, is going to the Superbowl. The biggest thing I learned from championship Sunday came from quarterback of the loser in the AFC championship game, Mark Sanchez.

Sanchez is the real deal. Say what you will about his private life (and what do we really know about that), but as a football player this guy is for real. He is in his 2nd season as the quarterback for the New York Jets with the ever-so-talkative Rex Ryan as his coach. He's gotta live up to the hype, and he has. He only took his team into the postseason as a 24-year old and beat the 34-year old Peyton Manning and the consistent Colts and the 33-year old Tom Brady and the dominating Patriots to get to the championship game.

And what does he do in that game? He only brings his team back from 24 points down and gives them a chance to win and go to the Superbowl. They came up short, but what he did after the game is what impresses me most about Sanchez. He came out to his press conference, dressed in a suit and acted like a professional. He spoke cleanly and didn't make excuses.

For any of us who have played sports, we know it hurts to lose. And I'm sure it hurts even more at that level. But Sanchez (and the Jets) did not place blame and admitted their loss.
It's hurts, hurts bad, but they handled it with class (and yes, I'm saying that about the JETS!)

This is not the last we will see of Mark Sanchez in the playoffs, it is only the beginning. And I'm sure the Jets are feeling the same way, right Rex?