Chris Mortensen is reporting that the Eagles will bring in QB Mark Sanchez for a physical in the next couple of days and that if things go well, he will be signed by the team. This is going to lead to a ton of jokes, most bad, but I like the move.

Sanchez has talent and experience. Things fell apart for him in New York, but the notion that he’s an awful player with no future is a bad over-exaggeration. Sanchez is a complicated subject to discuss. For me, you have to go back to USC and start there.

Sanchez came after elite college QBs like Carson Palmer and Matt Leinart. Sanchez was supposed to be the next great one. But he left early and only had 16 college starts. I didn’t think he was ready for the NFL because of that. Here’s what I wrote back then:

Only a Junior. Talented player who showed a lot of potential, but didn’t play at an elite level. The extra year could have helped him. He does have the talent to be a good starting QB in the NFL. Solid athlete. Has an above average arm. Accurate. Puts good touch on his throws. Can put good velocity on the ball when he plants his feet and steps into the throws. Very good on rollouts. Throws well on the move.

The case against Mark is that he fails to stand out in any area. He started 16 games in his career. Recent studies have shown that the more starts a QB has the more likely he is to succeed in the NFL. Experience is nothing special. Arm? Above average, but nothing great. Athleticism? Above average, but not special. You don’t see him make “wow” plays. He didn’t lead USC to a National Title despite being surrounded by elite talent. He’s not compelling as a winner the way that some guys are. Sanchez didn’t carry the team on his back or anything like that.

I think Mark is a good player, but I believe he screwed up in coming out early. Another year at USC could have been really important to him. He will end up being the 2nd QB taken, but that doesn’t ensure a good career.

The Jets over-drafted him and then didn’t give Sanchez the best surrounding cast. But the team won because of defense and running the ball. Sanchez did his part. He led some key drives in key games. That gave you hope that he would finally take the next step and emerge as a really good QB.

Never happened.

I think the Jets immediate success with Sanchez hurt both sides. Hubris can undo a player and a team. I think Sanchez going to NYC was terrible for him. Instead of living football, he mixed in a regular social life. Part of the trade-off with being a successful young QB is that you don’t get the normal life.

One of the other problems was Rex Ryan. He is a defensive genius and pretty good head coach, but Ryan did Sanchez no favors, just as Buddy Ryan did Randall Cunningham no favors. Young QBs need structure and discipline. The Ryans coach with attitude and gut feelings more than detailed plans.

Can Sanchez be saved? That’s the key question.

If Sanchez signs with the Eagles, he’ll immediately have the best OL of his career. He’ll have the best skill players of his career. And he will have the first great offensive coach of his NFL career. Those can be huge factors in turning around the career of a young player. Sanchez still has talent. His confidence is shot. He needs a new setting and some new coaching. That can make all the difference in the world.

There are no guarantees, though. Sanchez might be too far gone. I do think he’s worth the risk. If you can clean up his game, you’ve got an excellent backup player. He has a 33-29 record as a starter. Sanchez can win games. If you can get him to go back to his USC days, you could see him actually play well.

I do think Sanchez can play in Chip Kelly’s system. He has a strong enough arm to throw downfield. Sanchez can throw on the move. He’s not the mobile QB so many think Kelly wants, but we’re starting to figure out that isn’t overly important to Kelly.

The Eagles needed competition for Matt Barkley. Sanchez is a low-risk/high-ward player. He could be a good backup or #3. If he falls on his face and totally struggles, you cut him and find someone else to throw in the mix.

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