Mark Sanchez and confident New York Jets are ready for San Diego Chargers

New York

BY Kristie Ackert

DAILY NEWS SPORTS WRITER

Saturday, January 16th 2010, 4:00 AM

Ready to Bolt

What's the biggest key to a Jets victory on Sunday?

The trash-talking was toned down Friday, with just some loose banter in Gang Green's locker room. There were no bold guarantees, just Jets talking about their belief in themselves. After a week of beating their chests, the Jets left New Jersey quietly, turning their focus toward beating the Chargers while heading out to San Diego for tomorrow's AFC divisional playoff game.

Think of it as the confident calm before tomorrow's storm.

After a light practice Friday, during which the Jets blared the Chargers' fight song from speakers on the sidelines just once, Rex Ryan's gang left its training facility with a new sense of confidence.

"If you just look at it on paper, we match up well against these guys," tackle Damien Woody said before the Jets arrived in San Diego Friday night. "I've heard people say we don't even have a chance to go out there and win. I am looking at it and I don't understand why not."

That confidence is something that had been missing from recent Jets playoff teams, defensive end Shaun Ellis said.

"Last time we went to the playoffs with (former coach Eric) Mangini, we were a little antsy, we weren't settled and we couldn't get settled and it kept us off-balance," said Ellis, who in his 10th season is the longest-tenured Jet. "I remember telling myself, 'The next time we get to the playoffs, we have to be a calm and settled bunch, we just can't be out there rattling ourselves, we can't be fighting against ourselves.'

"This team is different," Ellis added, looking around a quiet locker room. "We are a confident bunch."

Some would say that is an understatement. Ryan, the brash first-year coach who weeks earlier mistakenly declared his team out of the playoffs, last week boldly printed up a postseason schedule that included a trip to the Super Bowl and a save-the-date for a parade up the Canyon of Heroes. To outsiders, that approach may seem overly confident, but inside the locker room, the Jets' players believe in their new identity.

"Coaches have said that we had an identity before, but we didn't have one. This is the first team I've been on that you know what you are going to get, you know who you are and you know what it takes for us to win as a team," said guard Brandon Moore. "I think that's where our comfort comes from. You know what it takes to win, you know who you are, and that brings that confidence that you see in us."

That boldness made a difference last week when the Jets were underdogs going into Cincinnati, wide receiver Jerricho Cotchery said. Unlike their last playoff game, a wild-card loss to the Patriots three years ago, the Jets were not intimidated by what was ahead of them.

"I didn't get the sense we knew where we were headed," Cotchery said of the 2006 Jets team that lost to the Patriots. "But this team is definitely a confident team. We feel like we have the talent in the room to make a run at it. I definitely feel that confidence from everyone in here. There is no doubt at all in this locker room."

We were completely taken aback by: New York Jets vs. San Diego Chargers Line

New York

The New York Jets vs. San Diego Chargers line opened Sunday afternoon at San Diego -9.  New York will play in San Diego following Baltimore's stunning defeat of New England on the road.  The Ravens will go on to play Indianapolis as a +6 ½ underdog at Bookmaker.com.

The Jets beat Cincinnati on Saturday during their wild card playoffs matchup.

Ironically, The Jets won their first playoff game since beating the Chargers in the 2004 Wild Card round.

Mark Sanchez became just the fourth rookie QB in NFL history to win his postseason debut, joining Shaun King ('99 Bucs), Ben Roethlisberger ('04 Steelers) and Joe Flacco ('08 Ravens). Sanchez and Flacco are the only ones to do it on the road.

"He had the eye of the tiger today and he was ready to get out there and throw it around," coach Rex Ryan said of his quarterback. "I see him getting better and better each day on the practice field. What a job he's done. I think he's tired of hearing he's the weak link on this football team."

Sanchez was an efficient 12 for 15 for 182 yards and 1 TD, good for a passer rating of 139.4.

Jets rookie Shonn Greene carried 21 times for 135 yards and a TD. Greene's total was tied for the third-highest by a rookie in his postseason debut since the merger. It was also tied for the second-highest single-game total in Jets posteason history.

New York will play the hottest team in the NFL right now, the San Diego Chargers.  The Chargers have won 11 straight matching their best single-season streak (1961).

San Diego finished 13-3, the second most wins in franchise history. The team won 14 in 2006.

"You work hard to get to this point," said Chargers coach Norv Turner, who was fired by the Redskins after 13 games in the 2000 season. "You work hard to position yourself. You work hard to get the bye and the home game. Now we want to take advantage of that."

The New York Jets vs. San Diego Chargers line was available at Bookmaker.com.  Claim your 20 percent CASH BONUS when opening an online betting account at Bookmaker.com.  Use bonus code:  GAMBLING911.

Christopher Costigan, Gambling911.com Publisher