There’s talk on the street, it sounds so familiar. Great expectations, everybody’s watching you.
The Eagles opened the hit, “New Kid in Town,” with those first two lines. And Monday night, those words will ring true in Philadelphia, as the football Eagles host the Panthers and Mark Sanchez takes his first snaps as starting QB.
With incumbent Nick Foles nursing a broken collarbone, his understudy will see prolonged time under center, including the stretch run of the season.
As we enter the second half of the 2014 season, a return to The Sanchize capabilities will secure the starting job for him moving forward. Here’s why:
He has the talent advantage
Usually, the school where a player attended is a reflection of his core talent from high school and how he projects into the NFL. Whenever Tony Romo or Jay Cutler struggle (we celebrate the former far more), I often ask, “Where did he go to school again?”
Both Sanchez and Foles matriculated at major colleges in the Pac-10 (now 12) Conference. However, Sanchez assumed one of the premier starting jobs as signal caller at Southern Cal while Foles originally chose Michigan State before transferring to Arizona.
Sanchez was a top-ranked prep prospect out of California, when USC won the Sanchez Sweepstakes. Foles grew up in Austin and came out of football-deep Texas, so he has a strong background, but Sanchez appears to have a stronger overall upside.
Foles played more games as a starter, but went one round after Sanchez in the draft three years later.
He has the experience advantage
[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2ROwRFzf_As]
Quick, name all the NFL QBs who have four or more playoff wins and never started a postseason game at home. Yep, it’s Mark Sanchez and no one else.
In his first two years in the NFL, Sanchez led the Jets to the AFC Championship twice and defeated four division champions. He also defeated Peyton Manning and Tom Brady in consecutive weeks in the 2010 playoffs.
Sanchez has three more years in the NFL than Foles, 62 games started versus 24 for Foles. While the returning starter struggled in the preseason, Sanchez appeared at ease and threw well. Sanchez looked sharp against the Texans last week and earned the victory in relief.
A big difference was in the red zone, where the Eagles converted all three possessions into touchdowns. Sanchez threw two, with some zip to specific locations, and Jeremy Maclin threw one, up high, to the taller Jordan Matthews.
And, don’t look for McNabb-style worm killers from Sanchize; he’s throwing with more authority and confidence than ever.
Eagles fans have seen QB changes more than others since making the Super Bowl in 2005. And, every time, it seems to be a certain playing style that shifts with the new signal caller.
Jeff Garcia played with more tempo than McNabb, and Mike Vick brought his speed game that Kevin Kolb lacked while Foles’ size and quicker throws made him an improvement over Vick. Sanchez has stepped into the pocket on throws while Foles will roll out and throw from the run.
That ability to step into throws and put more force on the ball will mean more when the cold December winds blow through the NFC East and into the playoffs.
Who does Chip really love?
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Eagles head coach Chip Kelly saw both Sanchez and Foles in college, while he coached Oregon in the burgeoning Pac-10. Kelly’s predecessor, Andy Reid, drafted Foles in 2012.
Sanchez is the second USC QB the Eagles acquired since hiring Kelly in the 2013 offseason, as they drafted Matt Barkley that same year. And, if anyone can assess the two quarterbacks, it’s their current head coach.
Kelly first encountered Sanchez in 2004, when Sanchez was the number one prep QB prospect at Mission Viejo High in California, and Kelly was the offensive coordinator of University of New Hampshire.
Kelly wound up recruiting Sanchez’s backup to the FCS school, while USC won the Sanchez Sweepstakes.
Ten years later, that memory of Sanchez’s promise and the way he executed that afternoon must have left some impression that lingers with Kelly, whether he’ll admit it or not.
Even as Kelly scouted, recruited and scrutinized scores of quarterbacks, the hype and awe of the moment was like seeing the first pretty girl at college: You simply never forget it.
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The Eagles will try to establish the run against the weaker Panthers and acclimate Evan Mathis back to the offensive line, but Sanchez won’t be hamstrung by his unfamiliarity with the players.
Sanchez has to use both his talent and experience to get the job. The biggest concern will be the ball control Vick lacked and Foles has shown. Foles’ 10 interceptions this year have stifled drives and cost the team chances to win.
If Sanchez can avoid the dreaded “butt fumble” and win games against Green Bay and Dallas, he can win the starting job. As the Eagles noted in the song, “Everybody loves you, so don’t let them down…”
Read more: http://elitedaily.com/sports/mark-sanchez-quarterback-philadelphia/840914/
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