Troy Losey Jr.
Sports Writer

As I sat down and watched the Eagles play against the Panthers I pondered, “What would make the Eagles look as if they were real and were a contender in the NFC?” I realize that they just lost their big quarterback in Nick Foles. I thought that they should figure out what they are doing and try to see where they can go from there.

As I watched the game I put on my USC hat and cheered for my distant cousin from Los Angeles, Mark Sanchez. I’ve loved watching Sanchez since his day with the Trojans and even in his first two years of success in New York when he led the Jets to two AFC Championship Title Games. After watching most of the game, I realized that these Eagles are for real, whether or not anyone cares to listen. There have been many times over the past several years that many people have banked on the Eagles to be successful.

The fans have stood behind the Eagles even the year they lost to the Patriots when T.O. played on a broken leg, and the days when Chad Lewis scored the go-ahead touchdown while tearing his leg, rendering him unable to play in the Super Bowl. The main focus is that these Eagles are for real and that they may have a shot this year. Their defense has stepped up so much in the past 9 games, and you can see the strengthening leadership of their defense, even with Demeco Ryans out for the year with a torn Achilles. The way that their defense has been playing is reminiscent of any experienced defense; they’ve been simply going after the ball and making gang tackles to get the ball back to their talented offense, comprised of Jordan Matthews, Shady McCoy, Darren Sproles, and Mark Sanchez (also known as the Sanchize).

It is great to see Mark get another shot at being successful in the NFL. If the Eagles can hold up and get their line healthy they have a great shot to succeed and lead into January as one of the best teams in the NFC and the whole NFL. There are so many great teams that are in the NFL this year and with so much talent we have no idea who will be successful and who will fail.

Sanchez led the Eagles to a blowout 45-21 win over the Panthers in his first start.
Sanchez led the Eagles to a blowout 45-21 win over the Panthers in his first start.

It would have been great to see the Eagles, led by a quarterback most famous for his “Butt fumble,” against the Patriots on live television a few years ago. I would have loved to see them along the way. Of course if this happens, you know the famous quarterback controversy will start. Of course it’s only one game and Sanchez could go south and not play well down the stretch. The future is bright and very unpredictable; down the stretch these Eagles could open many eyes, especially being led by Mark Sanchez.