Jets QB Mark Sanchez Makes Tony Awards Predictions

NEW YORK (CBSNewYork) -- Perhaps if the questionable 2011-12 NFL season doesn't come to fruition, star quarterback Mark Sanchez can find an alternative career as a theater critic.

In a recent interview with the New York Times, the Jets player shared his appreciation of theater, favorite shows and predictions for Sunday night's Tony Awards.

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"I thought 'Catch Me If You Can' was awesome," Sanchez told the paper. "The music was catchy. The dance routines were great. Everything was simple but so funny."

The New York quarterback even got to go backstage at the show, a treat he said he doesn't indulge in too often for fear of bugging the actors. And while he's not sure the show will win big Sunday night, he's not ruling it out.

Photo Slideshow: Stars Go From Big Screen To Broadway

"I know it didn't get the best reviews from the critics," he said. "But Wicked didn't get the best reviews, and it won Tonys." I was surprised it didn't get better reviews."

Sanchez even drew comparisons between the Great White Way and the football field.

"Being onstage takes so much preparation. That's very similar to football," he said. "The way you study and critique yourself, and how you think about an opponent and what they're trying to do. Lots of times things don't go the way they're supposed to. If something happens on the field that wasn't supposed to, you have to switch plays."

The 24-year-old football player admitted that he had never watched the Tony Awards until he came to New York – when his father began taking him to see shows like The Lion King – and that he gets a bit of flack from his teammates for having songs from shows like Jersey Boys and Wicked on his iPod.

"They're cool, even though they've given me a hard time," Sanchez said of his teammates. "Our tight end, Dustin Keller, loved 'Memphis.'"

Not that Sanchez ever questions his career choice.

"It's one thing to complete a pass," he said. "But if I was trying to sing at the same time, I couldn't do it."