Former NY Jets QB Mark Sanchez has revival with Eagles, leads Philadelphia to ...
PHILADELPHIA - Mark Sanchez's view from everywhere on the field was beautiful Monday night.
It was a sight to behold.
No matter where he looked or how hard he tried, he couldn't find Clyde Gates, Jordan White or Konrad Reuland.
He could have spent all night scanning Lincoln Financial Field without finding the 'weapons' that the Jets so generously gave him the last time he won a game as a starter nearly two years ago.
His supporting cast was infinitely better now with riches everywhere, a belated gift from the football Gods who owed him a solid. The first day of the rest of Sanchez's football life was free of folly and filled with fun.
He played with a confidence and ease that had escaped him for too long. He gave the Eagles hope that they're still in good hands even after starter Nick Foles suffered a shoulder injury that will sideline him for two months. The first chapter of Sanchez's second act was a rousing success in the Eagles' 45-21 laugher over the Panthers that kept Philly atop the NFC East.
Sanchez, who erupted for 332 yards, two touchdowns, no turnovers and a 102.5 QB rating, had plenty of help along the way from his defense (five turnovers) and special teams (65-yard punt return TD) to make it a memorable night.
Primetime was the right time for Sanchez, whose revival was free of big mistakes and inadvertent encounters with teammates' backsides.
He threw a pair of touchdowns to rookie Jordan Matthews to help Philly improve to 7-2. He sprayed it around to eight different receivers with a fearlessness that made him look like the player that he hoped to become with the Jets.
He started his first game since a nightmarish season finale in Buffalo in 2012. He won his first game as a starter since beating the Jaguars on December 9, 2012. Fifty-two quarterbacks had won a game since that day.
Sanchez prepared for his first start in nearly two years with a renewed energy in a system that suited his skill set. His comeback was fueled by good, bad and ugly moments with the Jets, a five-year rollercoaster that tested the man. He had been praised and lampooned, hyped and heckled, before finding his new home 90 miles down the road.
He was no longer The Sanchize or the savior. He insisted that his personal and professional growth had turned him into a 'better version' of himself with his new team. The game hadn't necessarily slowed down. He had just sped up and absorbed principles like never before from a progressive offensive-minded coach.
Sanchez & Co. scored 10 points after the Eagles forced a pair of turnovers on the Panthers' first three plays from scrimmage. He caught fire early in the second quarter, completing four passes to Matthews on a 10-play, 91-yard scoring march. Sanchez's rollout 13-yard touchdown pass to Matthews broke the game open at 24-7 less than four minutes into the second quarter.
Sanchez played at the same pace that Kelly's mind worked: Fast and furious. The tempo was just right. The simple and creative design made sense.
Kelly's system is tailored to the strengths of the guy under center. The quick reads and straight-forward pre-snap responsibilities appealed to Sanchez. He was surrounded by the kind of weapons that were foreign to him coming from the team that had drafted him in 2009.
Sanchez made pinpoint passes into tight coverages from start to finish. He capped an unforgettable night with an 18-yard TD strike to Matthews early in the fourth quarter.
He was a much different quarterback than the one who looked lost in the 2012 season finale in Buffalo. He soon disappeared from our consciousness, sidelined by injury and quarantined by a general manager who never wanted him. He seemed cursed by circumstance, while rehabbing a surgically repaired shoulder in anonymity.
He waited for a second chance.
The spotlight found Sanchez again on Monday night inside a stadium filled with curiosity. He delivered the kind of performance that he knew he had inside him. He filled the place with joy two years after boos became the soundtrack of his career.
For one night, at least, Sanchez was that improved version of himself. He was a winner again.
He looked better in this shade of green.
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