Ex-Eagles QB Mark Sanchez Returning to ‘Nicer’ Philadelphia

Mark Sanchez

Getty Mark Sanchez spent two seasons in Philadelphia and backed up Nick Foles.

There will be a familiar face in the broadcast booth at Lincoln Financial Field. Former Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Mark Sanchez gets the TV call for FOX Sports alongside Kevin Kugler and Laura Okmin. The Eagles play the Washington Football Team at 1 p.m. on Sunday, December 19.

Sanchez went 4-6 as an emergency starter in Philly during two years of the Chip Kelly experiment. He threw for 3,034 yards and 18 touchdowns with 15 interceptions while completing 64.3% of his passes. His biggest claim to fame came when he suggested future Super Bowl MVP Nick Foles should “try the chicken tenders” on the sideline.

The amateur food critic retired in 2019 and traded his shoulder pads for a microphone. He began his broadcasting career by covering college football for ESPN before becoming an NFL analyst for FOX Sports. Sanchez has a great tone and tenor in the booth while providing great insight into the mind of the quarterback.

Sanchez endeared himself to Philly fans in 2014 when he called them “nicer” than New York fans. Well, kind of. Turns out, Sanchez’s comments were taken out of context but his intentions were good. And stand true.

“My comments today about Philly fans being ‘nicer’ was in reference to their reaction to me now vs. the last time I played here as a Jet in 2011,” Sanchez wrote on social media, via New York Daily News. “It had absolutely nothing to do with NY fans.

“I have nothing but good things to say about my time in NY and I’ve always said the fans are tremendous. It’s unfortunate that 1 reporter out of the 10 I spoke with today chose to take these comments out of context. Everyone else knew what I was talking about.”

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Sanchez Not Sold on Jalen Hurts

Sanchez gave a pretty candid assessment of Jalen Hurts back in Week 6 during an appearance on FOX Sports’ “Speak for Yourself.” He evaluated the Eagles quarterback in the context of those demanding Philly fans and whether he was a franchise starter. His conclusion? It’s still too early to tell, although Sanchez did criticize Hurts’ ability to be a pocket passer.

“The market that he’s in [Philadelphia], it’s pretty unfair,” Sanchez said. “It’s week to week, drive to drive, and sometimes quarter to quarter. This is so early and so premature to make a decision on someone like him. He’s shown you enough – all I’m saying is, if you say yes he’s our franchise guy you will always have to gadget, scheme, format or game-plan to death because he is limited in his drop-back passing ability.”


Washington Places More Players on COVID-19 List

The novel coronavirus continues to hit the Washington Football Team hard after two more players hit the Reserve/COVID-19 list. Starting cornerback Kendall Fuller and backup defensive tackle Tim Settle are now questionable for Week 15. Washington has seen 10 total players test positive, including sack leader Jonathan Allen and star pass rusher Montez Sweat.

The NFL has been getting rocked by COVID-19 in recent days. The league has watched 75 players test positive over the past 48 hours, per ESPN’s Adam Schefter. The Eagles placed wide receiver Quez Watkins and running back Jason Huntley on the list.

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