Where do you even begin when talking about Mark Sanchez? Do you start with the Buttfumble, because it’s his most famous highlight, or do you first bring up times when he was at his best: at USC and the first couple years as the Jets starting quarterback?

This is a tough question for me to answer because I don’t know which of these identities is closer to the truth. I like to believe that Sanchez is a very talented quarterback whose bad reputation was due in equal parts to his own mistakes and poor management – mainly on Rex Ryan’s end.

Without a doubt, Rex Ryan’s coaching and culture that he brought to the locker room was the biggest reason New York found themselves in two consecutive AFC Championship games, but his inability to develop a quarterback – or any type of sustainable offense for that matter – will ultimately be why he loses his job.

I’m not blaming all of Sanchez’s struggles on Rex, but now that a little time has passed, the Buttfumble has been retired off the “Not Top 10” for a few months, we’ve seen little to no improvement with Geno Smith or Michael Vick at the helm, we start to think “Hey, maybe Mark isn’t as bad as he was for those last few years in New York?”

That’s certainly where I’m at now. I know Sanchez is a very talented quarterback (even more so than Nick Foles, in my opinion) and I also know that he’s better than anyone at turning the ball over. I just think this is the perfect opportunity for him to succeed. My optimism mostly stems from Chip Kelly and his offensive genius, but I also like the idea of Sanchez being at rock bottom right now and having nowhere to go but up.

It’s quite possible that the Sanchez era doesn’t last in Philly, but I think it’s just as possible that Nick Foles gets Wally Pip-ed here and finds himself without a starting job once that collarbone heals. I trust that Chip Kelly will put Sanchez in places he can succeed – and that’s more than I could ever say about Rex Ryan.

Down & Distance Contributor Jim Bearor