NFL Philadelphia Eagles

Mark Sanchez Will Resurrect NFL Career As Philadelphia Eagles’ Starting QB

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By @NickCWilder

Mark Sanchez Philadelphia Eagles

Kevin Jairaj-USA TODAY Sports

After Philadelphia Eagles starting quarterback Nick Foles exited Sunday’s game against the Houston Texans due to a left shoulder injury, former New York Jets signal-caller Mark Sanchez led the Eagles to a solid road victory. He surprised many by playing well in the game, and with Foles being out for at least the next month due to a crack in his clavicle, Sanchez will continue to prove his doubters wrong and revive his career.

Sanchez’s six-year career up until now has been a roller coaster ride. His highlights include being the fifth overall pick in the 2009 NFL draft and taking the Jets to two straight AFC Championship games in his first two seasons. He showed great promise early on and figured to be New York’s starting quarterback for the foreseeable future.

However, his career took a drastic turn following the 2010 season, where his quarterback play became extremely inconsistent. After suffering a serious shoulder injury in the 2013 preseason, he was placed on injured reserve and never played for the Jets again. Sanchez then signed a one-year deal with Philadelphia to be the second-string quarterback this past offseason.

Now, he finds himself as a starting quarterback again, but this time in Chip Kelly’s high-powered and revolutionary offense. After filling in for Foles last week, Sanchez went 15-for-22 with 202 yards passing, two touchdowns and two interceptions. One of the interceptions was clearly not his fault and he looked comfortable throughout the game.

The former USC quarterback was sharp with his decision making, often making quick reads and throwing screen passes to the outside. Kelly made very smart play calls once Sanchez entered the game, recognizing that it was critical for him to just get the ball in his playmakers’ hands. The Eagles also ran the ball with LeSean McCoy and Darren Sproles more consistently with great effectiveness.

The combination of solid offensive weapons and the astute play calling from Kelly in future weeks will make Sanchez’s job significantly easier. This isn’t the Jets’ offense that he’s playing with anymore, which featured Shonn Greene, Santonio Holmes and Dustin Keller. He’s going to have the chance to utilize the Eagles’ young talent, such as Jeremy Maclin, Jordan Matthews and Zach Ertz, along with the team’s dynamic running backs.

Due to his very poor play in recent seasons and committing the infamous “butt fumble” as the Jets quarterback in 2012, Sanchez has a lot of work to do to gain back respect around the NFL. He likely won’t get a better opportunity the rest of his career than starting for this Eagles team for at least the next four games.

I believe he will play well as the new starting quarterback for the Eagles and it will primarily be due to the offense around him and Kelly’s tutelage. If he plays turnover-free football and leads Philadelphia to some victories, Sanchez will come to realize that other teams around the NFL will be interested in him after the 2014 season.

The next step in Sanchez’s attempt to resurrect his NFL career will come next week when the Eagles host the Carolina Panthers in a nationally televised game on Monday Night Football.

Nick Wilder is a writer for www.RantSports.com. Follow him on Twitter @NickCWilder and add him to your network on Google. 

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