“Well, they’re trying to establish themselves,’’ said Patriots linebacker Tully Banta-Cain. “Whenever you’re a first-round rookie quarterback or a second-year quarterback, they know that all eyes are on them, and there’s a lot of pressure at that position.’’
And, to a certain extent, the Young Guns - or is it Young’uns? - have managed to handle the responsibilities and pressures with the aplomb of seasoned veterans.
“The league is changing, and a lot of the young guys who have been drafted really high are coming out really prepared,’’ said Patriots veteran cornerback Shawn Springs. “Flacco, after the year he had last year when he was a rookie, he was fine last year. Sanchez and Ryan, they’re coming into the league now and they’re coming in prepared and they’re not sitting around three or four years developing under a veteran quarterback.
“They’ve been thrown into the fire and they’ve been doing well.’’
Sanchez, the fifth overall pick this year, helped hand the Patriots their first loss, 16-9. The former Southern Cal star completed 63.6 percent of his passes (14 of 22) for 163 yards and a touchdown against New England. Nicknamed “The Sanchise’’ by his teammates, Sanchez has the Jets off to a 3-0 start.
Ryan, the former Boston College standout selected third overall in 2008, completed 17 of 28 passes for 199 yards in a 26-10 setback to the Patriots.
Today, the 2-1 Patriots will encounter a 3-0 Ravens squad that has finally forged a top-ranked offense (averaging a whopping 430.3 yards per game, best in the AFC) to go along with its top-notch defense (282.7 yards per game, seventh in the NFL).
“It’s a great thing,’’ safety Ed Reed said of Baltimore’s offensive production, which has generated 103 points and 1,291 yards. “Being around here for the last couple of years, and those guys fighting and battling to get where they’re at, it’s been a growing process. It’s still a growing process because they have some young guys over there making plays.’’
