In a deft use of the “Hey everybody, look over there” strategy, the Eagles had a press conference today.
And boy, was Mark Sanchez glad to be there.
In what quickly became the day’s other news in Philadelphia, Sanchez said the opportunity to work with coach Chip Kelly was all he needed to hear to make his decision on a new home.
While there were arguably places with a clear (or clearer) path to another starting job, Sanchez gushed about the chance to play for a guy he remembers from his Pac-10 days at Southern Cal.
“I feel like this team, this coach, the kind of firepower they have, there’s just an exciting element to being here in Philadelphia,” Sanchez said, via Les Bowen of the Philadelphia Daily News. “Coach Kelly really is on the cutting edge of the NFL. He’s one of those guys who has a really exciting vision for the future. I think he is on a constant pursuit of a competitive edge. He’s an excitable person. I think as an offensive mind, I’m going to do nothing but learn here.”
And recover, on a one-year deal. Sanchez said Eagles doctors were “pleasantly surprised” by the condition of his surgically repaired shoulder, and said he planned on being 100 percent by the start of the season, and he clearly can’t wait to get to work.
Sanchez said Kelly was: “So focused, he’s like a surgical knife, he’s that exact, but he’s so excited. He’s so energetic. That stuff is contagious. It gets you excited, to be in a place like this. The way he talked about getting the right players for this system — he feels like he’s just about got that here. The kind of vision, moving forward, of what it’s supposed to look like kind of came together for them toward the end of the season, so it’s definitely a team on the rise.”
Sanchez avoided any talk of his role or a competition, saying he just wanted to help the team. But he’s clearly positioning himself for the future with a guy who can make quarterbacks look good.
And did they mention he wasn’t DeSean Jackson?