There’s never a dull moment with the Philadelphia Eagles, especially their Quarterbacks. From the Foles trade to the hunt for Mariota and beyond, there has been constant speculation surrounding the identity of this seasons starting Quarterback. With Bradford being traded for Nick Foles and joining an already competitive roster which now includes Tim Tebow, things are heating up..but what does all of this mean for Mark Sanchez?
Well, let’s first look at the big picture. It’s very difficult to imagine that the Eagles would ay $13m, trade Nick Foles and a second round pick for a Quarterback who is going to sit on the bench. At a very very wide examination, it’s Bradford’s seat to lose. BUT..this is where things get interesting.
Chip Kelly recently eluded to an “open competition” between their Quarterbacks during the OTA’s with Sanchez already telling various sources that he is carrying the mentality of a Starter. Whilst Bradford is still taking part in non competitive exercises, Sanchez is taking control of the one’s, Barkley the two’s and Tebow the threes. Now this is where the chances of Sanchez starting seem to increase rapidly.
Mark Sanchez has spent a season in this system now. He may not have been brilliant at the helm of the offence but he knows the receivers, he knows the physical demands, he knows the plays. Having spent plentiful amounts of time with Jordan Matthews and others, Sanchez came into the off-season on a high in that sense. All of that experience will be beyond beneficial in OTA’s and beyond.
Following on from that, with Bradford losing out in OTA’s due to recovering from injury, Sanchez is spending even more time with the starters and building bigger blocks on his road to the starter. All of the time that Sanchez is effectively taking over starter duty, he is proving to Chip Kelly that he’s ready to make the jump and has improved in the last few months. It’s also working in more ways than one because let’s be honest, the playbook and the way the calls are made are about as simple to understand as the concept of Inception if you were watching it backwards. Bradford HAS to get experience with the offence. If this truly is an Open Competition between the four protagonists, then the new signing will need to be taking as many reps as possible once healthy.If it gets to week one and Bradford is shaky, you don’t just have a hungry Mark Sanchez in the wing but a fan favourite waking to make his return to the football field.
According to sources, the butt fumble founder has made huge strides in his game since last season but unless Sanchez is setting the world on fire right now, it’s hard to imagine that the Eagles would give so much for one player to be benched come week one. It’s Bradford’s position…for now..
