Mark Sanchez's career rebound
— -- Mark Sanchez was the only one who removed his shoes.
On a crisp, sunny Monday, about 15 hours after a devastating home loss to Dallas significantly dimmed Philadelphia's playoff chances, Eagles quarterback Mark Sanchez, dressed in a green and gray ugly Christmas sweater, stood on a stoop in South Philadelphia for the dedication of Habitat for Humanity Philadelphia's 179th new home. After a few short speeches, a lovely gospel song and the presentation of a new flat-screen TV by the Eagles' Connor Barwin (Habitat is one of the team's many Eagles Care charity partners) the teary-eyed new homeowner cut the red ribbon on her front door and invited everyone in for a look at her dream home. Neighbors, kids, politicians, even rude media types like myself, we all traipsed right onto her new immaculate hardwood floors without a second thought.
But not Sanchez.
Before helping to decorate the Christmas tree inside (and answering to Philly fans about the loss to Dallas and the Eagles' playoff plans), he kicked off his gray Nike Air Force 1's, placed them just inside the front door and entered, respectfully, in his stocking feet.
Sanchez, you see, has a soft spot for reclamation projects.
Six months ago, this Habitat home was a wrecked, abandoned, trash-filled waste of space that the world had all but given up on. And today, it's a completely rebuilt, sturdy, impressive looking structure that's once again full of hope and promise -- much like Sanchez.
Taken No. 5 overall in the 2009 draft by the New York Jets, Sanchez promptly led the team to two straight AFC Championship Game appearances. And then, the bottom fell out. Even in a league that routinely chews up and spits out young, can't-miss, franchise quarterbacks, Sanchez suffered through one of the NFL's most precipitous and humiliating downfalls over the last half of the 2012 season. Once the toast of the town, Sanchez -- a victim, in part, of bad schemes, poor coaching, a lack of playmakers and impossible expectations -- lost 12 of his final 18 starts with the Jets, including the infamous Thanksgiving Day Butt Fumble game against the Patriots. A year later, after hurting his shoulder in the preseason, Sanchez was looking for a new team and a fresh start.
He found both in Philadelphia.
Or so it appeared.
After replacing an injured Nick Foles in Week 9, Sanchez went 3-1 as a starter, including a 33-10 win in Dallas on Thanksgiving Day, when he completed 69 percent of his passes and finished with a 102.2 passer rating. Since then, however, Sanchez has once again been plagued by turnovers and indecision, and back-to-back losses against Seattle and Dallas have put the 9-5 Eagles on the outside looking in at the playoff picture.
With Foles' collarbone slow to heal, the Eagles' playoff chances likely rest on the rehabilitated hands and psyche of Sanchez, who agreed to sit down with the Flem File on Monday (after putting his shoes back on).
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