While most football fans are starting to tune out Brett Favre for saying the wrong things about his “retirement,” perhaps those same fans should tune in to the quarterback who may possibly take his place.

No, I am not talking about Aaron Rodgers or the Green Bay Packers. Instead, I am referring to the last place Favre donned a green jersey with a number four stitched on: New York.

Well, New Jersey to be exact – specifically the Meadowlands, where the last quarterback to throw a pass in a Jets uniform was Favre, and where former USC quarterback Mark Sanchez could very well be the next player on track to do the same. The fifth overall pick in this year’s NFL Draft, Sanchez appears to be quite ready to do to the New York media the same way opposing linebackers will soon hope to do to him – tackle them hard, then walk away with a smile.

If there was any question whether Sanchez could hold his own with the New York media, he started his attempt to lay those doubts to rest earlier this week, after he completed his first practice with the Jets.

“It was great,” Sanchez said about his first practice during a Web cast on nfl.com. “It was up-tempo (and) perfect; just what we needed.”

Of course, Sanchez has yet to play in a game yet. Heck, there is no guarantee he will even be the starting quarterback – even though the position appears his to lose. Naturally, the New York media has held back on going into attack mode, despite firing relatively solid questions shortly after his first full practice. But that did not stop Sanchez from recognizing the situation he is in – not only with the New York media, but with his team.

“This market’s pretty intrusive, but you can’t ask for anything better,” the rookie quarterback said about coming to New York. “This is the place to be, and now is the time to grind.”

Sanchez appears to be saying the right things in his first mass interview as a Jet. When he was pressed about his thoughts about competing with Kellen Clemens for the starting quarterback position, the former Trojan handled the question with an element of grace and fire.

“It’s competition time. It’s ball time,” he told New York reporters who huddled in front of his locker. “That’s important for me, as I am sure it is for Kellen. We’ll battle, and I’m sure it’s going to be fun. It’ll make us better, and make the team better, in turn. I’ll work hard and compete.”

And USC Head Coach Pete Carroll thought Sanchez’s departure from the school’s football team was premature.