Sanchez trying to rewrite history for the Eagles

By now, everyone agrees that the story the Eagles and their fans hope is evolving - the rag-arm-to-riches resurrection of Mark Sanchez - is going to be a great one, if only it would actually happen. If Sanchez continues to win in relief of the injured Nick Foles, and keeps the Eagles on course for a postseason run, then, yes, it will be one heck of a story.

Not only would it be a feel-good turning point for Sanchez, who exited New York after four active seasons with the Jets as an object of ridicule, but it would certainly add to the growing legend of Charles Kelly, Miracle Man.

The only problem with such a comeback and such a story is that the NFL doesn't appear to offer a precedent of anything quite like it ever happening before.

Of course, time and place are important in every player's career - getting to perform in the right environment, for the right coach, and in the right system. All of that does matter, and no one disagrees that playing quarterback for the New York Jets under Rex Ryan is almost a textbook definition of bad environment. Nevertheless, the four seasons turned in by Sanchez test the theory that there is a time and a place for everyone.

Sanchez wasn't just bad in New York. He was historically bad, and that is why finding a comparable comeback - from slag heap to solid performer - is so difficult. Depending on how you analyze the stats and how much blame you assign to the environment, it is possible that Sanchez is without apt comparison.

Among quarterbacks who started four straight years for the same team, Sanchez's quarterback rating during that span was the lowest in NFL history. The. Lowest. In. NFL. History. At the top of the list are guys like Joe Montana; Steve Young; and Aaron Rodgers, the latter of whom the Eagles will see Sunday in Green Bay; and at the bottom of the list are guys like Jake Plummer, Vinny Testaverde, and Joey Harrington. But anchored to the very bottom, the No. 5 pick in the 2009 draft out of Southern Cal, is Mark Sanchez and his 71.7 rating in 62 starts, his 69 interceptions to go with 68 touchdowns, and his 55.2 completion percentage. (He would still be under 60 percent for his Jets career if you counted the interceptions as completions, which, in a sense, they were.)

By any measure, that's just awful, and overshadows the fact that Sanchez and the Jets somehow made it to the AFC title game in his first two seasons. Those successes were forgotten by the time Sanchez was released, and Eagles fans might have reacted more vehemently when he was signed to a one-year deal on March 28 if: (a) He hadn't been signed merely as a backup; and if, (b) THE EAGLES HADN'T RELEASED DeSEAN JACKSON THAT VERY SAME DAY! OMG!

Sanchez was able to slip into town quietly, and that's how he went about his business once on the practice field. He learned the system and had a great August in training camp and the exhibition season. But, then again, August has never been Sanchez's problem.

Time heals, and his seven quarters of work in finishing off Houston and beating Carolina helped the healing as well, even if Sanchez was merely competent and not spectacular. It will take a lot more than that to fully discard the baggage he brought, however, and to make it seem possible that someone can actually turn around a career that had gone so wrong for so long.

So, what quarterback does represent the best example of a similar comeback, the best tangible evidence that Sanchez can go from a scatter-armed nightmare to an efficient dream? Well, it's a short list, and none of the stories is really parallel.

Chad Pennington, after eight mostly forgettable seasons with the Jets, went to Miami in 2008 and put together an 11-5 season and a quarterback rating of 97.4 that was his highest in six years. He completed 67.4 percent of his passes, breaking a franchise record held by someone named Dan Marino. That was quite a turnaround, but it wasn't unprecedented or the lone light in a dim career. He had achieved a 104.2 rating in his first season as a starter for the Jets.

Then there is Kerry Collins, the former No. 1 pick out of Penn State, who was in his sixth NFL season and working on his third team when he got the starting job with the Giants and led them to a 12-4 record and all the way to the Super Bowl. (Where Collins threw four interceptions in a 34-7 loss to Baltimore.) That was a good comeback, too, but Collins had moderate success before that season and the Giants' wins were due more to a great running attack and a superb defense. Collins threw 22 touchdowns and 13 interceptions in the regular season.

OK, one more. Alex Smith, in his first five seasons with the 49ers, started 50 games and never had a seasonal rating higher than 81.5. He threw 51 touchdowns and 53 interceptions. Then Jim Harbaugh showed up, the 49ers got good, and Smith had two very credible seasons that allowed him to land the starting job in Kansas City once San Francisco cast its lot with Colin Kaepernick. He was 19-31 as a starter in the first five seasons of his career and has gone 36-12 in the four seasons since. Time and place.

Those stories are moderately encouraging for believers in Sanchez, and there are a few other minor examples to cite, but nothing quite conveys the vast distance that stood between Sanchez and respectability when he signed with the Eagles.

Now, here he is, seven games from the playoffs and three postseason games - for those who really dare to dream - from the ultimate of comebacks. As the season continues Sunday afternoon at Lambeau Field, it is all there again for Mark Sanchez to grasp. It didn't quite work out the first time, but in the best stories, the most uplifting stories, it never does.

@bobfordsports