Sam Bradford Or Mark Sanchez: Who Starts?

(Matt Rourke/AP Images)

The first week of the NFL preseason has just ended .There are a lot of teams everyone has their eye on. One team that has a lot of spotlight is the Philadelphia Eagles. The starting quarterback battle between Sam Bradford and Mark Sanchez is an intense one. The team still has Tim Tebow and Matt Barkley but those two are fighting for the third string quarterback job. Here is my opinion on who is going to start week one for the Eagles between Sanchez and Bradford.

In 9 games filling for Nick Foles, when he went down with a fractured collarbone for the rest of the season, Sanchez passed for 2,418 yards, 14 touchdowns, 11 interceptions, with a passer rating of 88.4. Despite starting the season as a backup quarterback, Sanchez came in at short notice producing average numbers for the Eagles, but nothing special. The team was in the middle of the playoff hunt when Foles got injured and Sanchez came in. Sanchez played solid the first half of games, but when the team needed him the most at the end of the season, he could not get the job done and the team missed the playoffs.

Even though Sanchez is an average quarterback, he still has an upside. He was picked in the first round to become the franchise quarterback of the New York Jets, but we all know how that went down. He is a good passer in the pocket, he has good short passing accuracy, when he is pressured he knows how to scramble for a good few yards. One thing that Sanchez has a problem with, is throwing the ball down the field. He is known for short passing plays and he is good at making quick decisions on the fly. The problem with that is most of the time he makes quick decision it leads to turnovers.

In seven games before going down for the season with a torn ACL. Bradford threw for 1,687 yards, 14 touchdowns and four interceptions, with a completion rating of 60.7. Before going down with an injury, Bradford was on pace to have a great season, already throwing for over 1000 yards and double digit touchdown passes. It looked like the team was going to take the next step last season then another dreadful injury happened.

Even though Bradford has an injury history, he is still a great quarterback. He has a strong arm, he can throw the ball down the field, and he has great deep ball accuracy. When he is in the pocket he gives himself time to find the receiver. The main problem with Bradford is he is injury prone, ever since getting drafted in 2010 two of his seasons has ended due to injuries. So the offensive line has to protect him at all times, making sure he does not get injured again. So there is a big risk with Bradford.

On the first day of free agency Philadelphia Eagles traded Nick Foles to the St Louis Rams for Sam Bradford. There were some draft picks involved but these were the two main parts of the trade. Eagles brought in Bradford to shake up the offense at the quarterback spot. The team will likely slot him as starting quarterback, but he still has to win the job in training camp and preseason. Philadelphia is taking a big risk acquiring Bradford. If Chip Kelly can bring out the best out of Bradford and the offensive line can protect him it will be well worth it.

Bradford did not play in the first preseason game vs Indianapolis Colts, but did take part of pregame warmups. Having him not play in the first game of the preseason was a smart move. The team does not want to risk another injury to him. The team is taking baby steps with Bradford. If it all goes well, expect him to play at least one game before the preseason is over.

Sanchez on the other hand did play in the first preseason game going 2 for 7, for 52 yards, and a touchdown pass. Not a good start to the preseason for the former first round pick, he did throw for a touchdown. But for the most part he had some problems throwing the ball, only completing two out of seven passes. If Sanchez wants to start week one, he will have to play better than he did in the first preseason game.

Right now the advantage will have to go to Sam Bradford, even though he is coming off an injury. He has a lot of potential to become a franchise quarterback. He could fit well in Chip Kelly offense. This writer would doubt that the team would trade the starting quarterback from last year for him just have him sit on the bench.

At the end of the day the team will have to make a decision. Will Bradford prove that his injury prone seasons are behind him and he is ready to lead his team to a Super Bowl? If that is the case then start Bradford. The other option is if Bradford is still feeling the effects from his injuries and not playing like he was in St Louis when he was not injured, start Sanchez. All signs point to Sam Bradford being the leading favorite to start Week one against the Atlanta Falcons on Monday Night Football.