ESPN NFL

Posted by ESPN.com's Tim Graham

Just as the New York Jets have decided to do with Mark Sanchez, the Indianapolis Colts handed Peyton Manning the keys to their offense from Day 1.

The Jets on Wednesday announced Sanchez, the fifth overall draft pick in April, had beaten out veteran Kellen Clemens for the job.

Manning started opening day of his rookie season in 1998.

On Tuesday, Manning spoke about the tough choice a team must make when choosing whether to send a rookie straight onto the field or let him spend time as an understudy before taking over as a more polished prospect, as his little brother did with the New York Giants.

"I can just speak for what I prefer," Manning said, "and Eli can give a different perspective. He sat for 10 games and started for the last six, and he said what he learned in the six that he played far outweighed what he learned in the 10 on the sideline. He said you just can't quite tell just how fast these defensive players are and just how confusing the blitzes are.

"That sort of reinforced what I thought: The best way to learn is to play. I remember how uncomfortable it was my third preseason game against the Chargers. I don't recall the stats, but I remember they weren't very pretty. I threw two to the Chargers.

"I think if you don't play, you're going to have that uncomfortable game, whenever it is you do. I think the sooner you do it, the better off you're going to be in the long run.

"Different coaches have different plans. Both [Detroit Lions quarterback Matthew] Stafford and Sanchez are similar to myself and Eli in that they are coming in with new coaches and new systems, which I think is an advantage because you can know the system as well as all the veterans. That's kind of a benefit for a rookie quarterback."