http://articles.philly.com/2014-08-11/sports/52692451_1_mark-sanchez-new-york-jets-torn-labrum In July, as he does every July, Mark Sanchez went home. He flew back to the West Coast to spend a few days at Camp Quarterback, a passing clinic run by Bob Johnson, Sanchez's old coach at Mission Viejo High School in Southern California, and Bob's son Bret. The two Johnsons have tutored Sanchez for 15 years, molding him from a prep superstar to the Rose Bowl's offensive MVP at Southern Cal, through his six years in the NFL, and they know his skills and tendencies so well that they can pick up on even the slightest change, the subtlest fresh nuance, in his timing, his footwork, his release of the football. At the time, Sanchez was nine months' removed from surgery to repair a torn labrum (cartilage) in his right shoulder - an injury that had caused him to miss the 2013 season and that had effectively ended his career with the New York Jets. He had completed his rehabilitation, and after the Jets released him in October and he signed with the Eagles in March to back up Nick Foles, he had participated in the team's organized team activities and minicamps. But it wasn't until he was back at Camp Quarterback, in that setting that felt like home, that he knew he'd recovered fully from the surgery - and then some. "I really let one go, and I was feeling good, and the next day, I felt even better," Sanchez said Sunday, after the Eagles finished practicing at Franklin Field. "I just looked up at Coach, 'I feel good, man. I'm back.' He said, 'Whoa.' " Sanchez erased whatever doubts might have remained about his health and his recovery Friday night in the Eagles' preseason-opening game, a 34-28 loss to the Bears in Chicago. He completed seven of his 10 passes (for 79 yards) and made throws even he admitted he probably couldn't have made over his final three seasons with the Jets. Those throws included a gorgeous, seam-route pass that rookie wide receiver Jordan Matthews dropped 30 yards downfield and a Hail Mary that traveled close to 70 yards in the air. "That was awesome," he said. "It [stinks] that we lost. That was no fun. But it was just good to be back. There's no more pitch count anymore. I can just let it rip." After Sanchez led the Jets to back-to-back AFC championship games in his first two NFL seasons, his career in New York had come to be defined by his most spectacular failures - his NFL-high 52 turnovers over the 2011 and 2012 seasons, his "butt fumble" on Thanksgiving 2012 against the Patriots, the Jets' 6-12 record over his final 18 starts. But he revealed Sunday that there may have been a mitigating factor in his regression. On Dec. 19, 2010, late in his second season with the Jets, Sanchez tore his right labrum during a victory over the Pittsburgh Steelers. After that season, Sanchez told reporters the "swelling and bruising" that had developed in his shoulder didn't require surgery. They would heal with time, through exercise and rehabilitation, and he would return to full strength. Except he never did. "It was just constant, something you don't want to have to deal with," he said. "But you don't want to get surgery unless you need it." It wasn't until Sanchez exacerbated the original injury and tore the labrum further - after Jets coach Rex Ryan inserted him into the fourth quarter of a preseason game last year against the Giants - that doctors could, in Sanchez's words, "fix all of it." In a June 2011 phone interview, Bret Johnson described Sanchez as being "in the top 3-4 in the league in terms of his throwing motion and mechanics. His footwork in the pocket is unbelievable." But Sanchez said Sunday that over the two years he played after the initial tear, he unconsciously changed his throwing motion to compensate, or perhaps overcompensate, for the discomfort in his shoulder. "It's natural," he said. "You get turf toe, you're going to run a little different. You sprain your ankle, you're going to run a little different. It's just the way it goes. It didn't help - that's for sure." Foles is ensconced as the Eagles' starter, but to anyone who watched Sanchez for any significant length of time while he was with the Jets, his adjustment to and acceptance of Eagles coach Chip Kelly's offense is sure to be a matter of curiosity during practices and the rest of the preseason. In New York, Sanchez often appeared hesitant in the pocket, as if he were deciding which one of the Jets' skill-position players he should satisfy on a particular play. And there were plenty he had to keep happy: Santonio Holmes, Braylon Edwards, LaDainian Tomlinson, Dustin Keller. The Eagles' system is more democratic, relying on a quarterback's using his instincts within a structure that Kelly has created. "You get the ball out as fast as you can," Sanchez said. "You don't even look at the numbers on guys. You're not trying to get somebody the ball. The offense takes care of itself." It did Friday. Mark Sanchez led the Eagles on two touchdown drives, and he threw the football as if he hadn't thrown it in a long time. He felt like he was back, and he felt like he was home. If you want to see Sanchez take on Revis and the Patriots, the game will be live on NFL Network this Friday.
Always nice to hear about former jets, thanks for posting. Say what you will about Mark, but he tried, and I wish him well.
Mods--any chance we can make this the Official Mark Sanchez thread? He's gone, he was a good Jet and a good teammate and he seems to be in a good spot. Might make sense to make this the official thread and cut off the silly Rex stuff, let that drift to the second page. Another good article. With some good gifs. http://www.philly.com/philly/blogs/...e-big-boy-throws-Friday-night-in-Chicago.html Mark Sanchez made some big boy throws Friday night in Chicago 33 COMMENTS Jimmy Kempski POSTED: SUNDAY, AUGUST 10, 2014, 3:29 PM If there ever was a battle for the backup quarterback job between Mark Sanchez and Matt Barkley, it's probably over by now. In the first preseason game against the Chicago Bears, Sanchez was very impressive, as he's been through most of training camp. In his pre-practice press conference at Franklin Field on Sunday, Chip Kelly spoke about what he sees in Sanchez. "He's a real quick thinker," said Kelly. "He makes decisive decisions, and he's very athletic. When you watch him drop, he's got some pop in his feet when he gets to the top of his drop, he can go through his progressions, and he gets the ball out quickly. He's got a real quick release. "I think the one thing you're starting to see is that he's healthy, and as I told him right after he did it, if anyone had questions about his arm rehab, (they won't) after that throw he made right at the end of the first half. I think it was 68 yards in the air. So he's back, he's excited about playing football, and we're really glad got we got him." Here's the throw Kelly is referring to: Sixty-eight yards indeed. But that was hardly Sanchez's most impressive throw of the game. On the throw right before that Hail Mary attempt, Sanchez delivered an outstanding pass. It was a seam route to Jordan Matthews that a Bears defensive back was able to disrupt. But watch what Sanchez does here. It's subtle, but very effective. He keeps his eyes to the left to freeze the safety, then comes back to right and quickly fires off a 35-yard rip down the field that is on the money. This is a big league throw: Sanchez also looked very good on a pair of throws to Zach Ertz on consecutive plays. On the first one, Sanchez exectutes the play fake, sets, and hits Ertz on the money down the seam. On the very next play, watch the subtle pump fake to flat to draw the safety (No. 45) up, before hitting Ertz for an easy pitch and catch. That wasn't the only play in which Sanchez utilized a pump fake. Watch as he goes through his progressions here before eventually finding Matthew Tucker. You can also see the aforementioned quick release here: There were times during OTAs and minicamp where Sanchez was throwing to empty open spaces of the field, where you would wonder what he was looking at. Those were likely miscommunications between a new quarterback learning an offense and his receivers. In a few short months, it appears as though Sanchez has drastically improved his command of the offense, and it also looks like he still has some physical ability. The Eagles might not be so bad off after all if Nick Foles should have to miss a game or two because of an injury. Follow Jimmy on Twitter: @JimmyKempski Read more at http://www.philly.com/philly/blogs/...day-night-in-Chicago.html#au3mlARBZBmRxSfj.99 _
Interesting that Sanchez said he tore his labrum at the END of 2010. So all of 2011 and 2012 he was was injured/not 100%. http://cinesport.philly.com/philadelphia-sports/sanchez-a-new-man-with-eagles/ _
What in the world? "and made throws even he admitted he probably couldn't have made over his final three seasons with the Jets." Why in the world couldn't we figure out he was hurt for 3 years?
Ok this is gonna royally piss me off if he ends up fully recovered from his shoulder and turns into a solid starting quarterback. Jesus
I second that. Please send all Sanchez related talk to Tebow-like Siberia where Stokes and Soxxx can dance around his eagled body happily singing kumbaya.
Note: If you hate Sanchez and don't want to read about Sanchez or talk about Sanchez, the thread is clearly marked Mark Sanchez so there is no need to be a douchebag and make douchebag comments in this thread, unless of course you are compelled to be a douchebag. Otherwise, just don't click on the thread. Thankee. _
Or you know, you guys could take this shit to an Eagles message board.. Plenty of love to go around there, I'm sure. Maybe I'm a douchebag sure, but we don't have any other threads dedicated tobackup QBs for other teams. Especially ones where you get called a douchebag if you criticize. We dont have threads breaking down virtually every pass from preseason of our own fucking team's QB. And we arent called douchebags if we criticize our own team's QB. He plays for the Eagles now- fuck him.
By the same logic, shouldn't you stop posting to any thread that has "Rex", "Idzik" or any topic or player you don't like? It would also sound brilliant in a court room: "Your honor! The prosecutor is obviously not a fan of the defendant. Considering this, it would be prudent for the state to recuse themselves from any involvement in this trial."
I just thought it was a nice article on #3. Thanks J Stokes for the other article too. I really don't see why anyone should complain about this thread. Nothing wrong with wishing him well as an Eagle. It is in the NFL Forum for a reason.
Don't get the point of this thread. Let's just make a thread for every player that was released by the Jets. The infatuation with this guy is incredible. Let it go lol
I would like a GIF of the reaction of the Sanchez haters when he carved up the New England defense after the defense let the Patriots back in the game.
