Eagles, Mark Sanchez seem to be getting along just fine

Are you sitting down for this one? The Philadelphia Eagles and butt-fumbler Mark Sanchez are in love, at least for now.

The former Jets quarterback praised the team and its fans, saying the fans in particular are "a lot nicer now," compared to Jets fans. That's totally believable, and no that's not sarcasm. More on that in a minute.

The Eagles reciprocated the love, via New York Post:

"He looks great," Eagles offensive coordinator Pat Shurmer said."I'm thrilled he's here. He's picked up our offense, he's making a lot of plays, he's athletic."

While things that happen in training camp don't always translate over to the regular season, Sanchez has put up pretty big numbers. During the first week of camp, Sanchez, leading the second-team offense, completed 53 of 64 passes in 11-on-11 drills, one of which was a touchdown. He threw no interceptions.

Sanchez figures to be the second-string quarterback in Philadelphia behind Nick Foles. So far, it's looking like a good fit. Sanchez has a pretty good arm, but just wasn't very accurate. One would think he could certainly improve under Eagles head coach Chip Kelly, who runs a dangerous, up-tempo offense in South Philly.
SI.com

Any time you go from an offense in which the head coach admits he doesn't really know what's going on, to an offense that was one of the league's best last year, you're bound to see at least one or two improvements.

As it pertains to the quarterback position in Philadelphia, Foles is the guy. But some media and fans have questioned whether or not he can do what he did in 13 games last season (playoffs included) again. If he falters, which I don't think he will, the Eagles presumably could turn to Sanchez, who has played in two AFC Championship games.

Sanchez has said that his surgically repaired shoulder, the main reason for his Jets exodus, is completely healed and has not been an issue for him at all. Good sign for the Eagles, as behind Sanchez are Matt Barkley, who didn't fare very well whenever he got a chance to play, and G.J. Kinne.

Going back on my statement about Eagles fans being nicer than Jets fans, there are some similarities, but there also are some big differences.

I live in Philadelphia, went to school here, and work near the Main Line. Yes, Philadelphia fans are nuts, but they really aren't as bad as the national media makes them out to be. They are also incredibly passionate...except about the 76ers...few really care. Aside from that, they know full well what they're watching and know the game, regardless of the sport.

I am in no way a Philadelphia sports fan, but I've been to many sporting events here wearing Red Sox, Bruins, Celtics and even Patriots gear, and I rarely catch any heat from anyone. At least 80% of the time, I end up having good, mostly intelligent conversations with their fans, and many of my friends are great, knowledgeable fans.

Jets fans, on the other hand, are nuts and most of the ones I know feel some sort of entitlement. When I was younger, I used to listen to WFAN a lot, and I would rarely ever hear any caller ever say anything remotely intelligent. It was almost to the point where they couldn't even pronounce Vinny Testaverde's name correctly.

I'm sure there are good Jets fans out there who know what they're talking about, but they really seem to be few and far between.

Okay, rant over. Back to Sanchez.

There really isn't anything to suggest this is a bad fit. The quarterback market was pretty bare this offseason. Also, considering the Eagles already have an established starter, these are the chances you can take when you have that luxury. Hopefully for the Eagles, however, they won't have to worry about Sanchez running into anybody or throwing an interception at a crucial moment.

What do you think of Sanchez being the Eagles backup for this season? Tweet me and let's talk - @JesseGaunce

For more of my articles, click here.