Mark Sanchez's arrival into the Philadelphia Eagles' lineup may have flown under the radar of some teammates, but Chip Kelly has been studying him for years.
Kelly saw Sanchez play in high school while the coach was recruiting another player for the University of New Hampshire. Kelly later faced off against Sanchez at USC while coaching Oregon.
"He obviously has a big-time arm, he's got an NFL arm, he's got NFL feet, he's really, really smart, he's sharp, great work ethic, very athletic. He had all the things we're looking for in a quarterback," Kelly said. "He's a hell of a quarterback and we're excited that we got him."
Jets fans are probably scoffing at the quote, but Sanchez did show off his arm strength on his first throw from scrimmage Sunday. He used touch at other times and was mostly accurate. NFL Media's Daniel Jeremiah made the point during his excellent weekly Scout's Eye piece for NFL NOW that Sanchez's mobility should also add a big element to the offense. Foles does not do well on the move.
This is Sanchez's chance to change the path of his NFL career. He could earn himself a starting job in 2015 with a big stretch run, possibly even in Philadelphia. We still see this team as the favorite to win the NFC East.
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