Aug. 18, 2013; East Rutherford, NJ, USA; New York Jets quarterback Mark Sanchez (6) throws a pass against the Jacksonville Jaguars during the second half at MetLife Stadium. Jets win 37-13. Mandatory Credit: Debby Wong-USA TODAY Sports

Former New York Jets wide receiver Braylon Edwards said the team “babied” quarterback Mark Sanchez.

The Philadelphia Eagles will be without quarterback Nick Foles for a while after he suffered an injury. That means the Eagles’ offense is in the hands of back up Mark Sanchez, who fizzled out with his former team the New York Jets.

Sanchez came into the league and led the Jets to two AFC Championship games, a pretty successful run. Former teammate and wide receiver Braylon Edwards says that early success came from a run heavy offense and the Jets’ shielding a young Sanchez.

“You have to remember Mark was 20 years old when he was drafted. He was a kid.” Edwards said Friday on WPEN-FM, via NJ.com. “They babied him and never really allowed him to man-up in the NFL, which is a league full of men.”

Edwards added: “We had a good team that allowed him to not grow up, if you will. When they took away the pieces, that’s when you saw the decline of Mark Sanchez. Flash forward, I think those circumstances of his last three years with the Jets really allowed him to take hardship, take scares, and learn from them.”

The question now becomes whether or not Sanchez has matured and is ready to lead. Eagles teammates said they see more maturity from Sanchez

“The Mark Sanchez I knew when he got here was the quarterback that led (the Jets) to two straight AFC Championship Games,” wide receiver Jeremy Maclin said Wednesday, via the New York Post. “He was a quarterback who won at this level as a very high draft pick and did very well with what he was given in New York.”

Maclin added: “Mark can play, man. There’s no question about it. He’s also surrounded by a lot more talent than what he had in New York, so the sky’s the limit.”

Of course, Sanchez has more and better weapons with this Eagles team than he ever did in New York.