Column: Philadelphia’s Mark Sanchez is ready to take over fast-paced offense

Philadelphia quarterback Mark Sanchez had no problems adjusting to the fast-forward style of Coach Chip Kelly’s Eagles.

What caught Sanchez by surprise was a different kind of quick snap — the team picture.

“One of Coach Kelly’s things is to be able to communicate as fast and efficiently as possible,” Sanchez said by phone. “With the team picture, he gave us five minutes to get ready. He’s like, ‘We’re not drawing this thing out. This is going to be the most efficient team picture in the history of the NFL.’ He’s like, ‘Line up in numbered order! Get there! Now!’

“I was like, ‘Whoa! I’ve never seen guys run to a team picture.’”

The picture has changed dramatically for the Eagles in a matter of days. Sanchez, a former USC standout, has replaced Nick Foles, who suffered a broken collarbone in the first quarter of last Sunday’s game against Houston and is expected to sit out six to eight weeks.

Sanchez, 27, who spent his first four seasons as the starter for the New York Jets, takes over a 6-2 team that’s clinging to a half-game lead over 6-3 Dallas in the NFC East. The Eagles play host to Carolina on Monday night.

“You never want to see it happen like this, but I’ve been preparing like a starter all season,” said Sanchez, who sat out the entire 2013 season with the Jets because of a torn labrum in his throwing shoulder. “I’ve been through it. I know what it’s like to be the starter and watch somebody else go in. I just wanted to be ready.”

He was plenty ready last Sunday, when he stepped in for the injured Foles and on his first play threw a 52-yard pass to Jeremy Maclin. Five plays later, he found rookie Jordan Matthews with an 11-yard touchdown strike.

That’s the kind of instant impact that Kelly can appreciate. It wasn’t a pristine performance for Sanchez, who had two interceptions to go with his two touchdowns, but it was a solid start.

“It’s not one of those things like, ‘Oh my God, I’ve got to go into the game,’” Kelly said. “The one thing about him is he’s already ready, he’s always focused and always prepared to make plays and that’s part of his makeup. That’s what we really liked about him.”

Sanchez told reporters this week that one of the reasons he signed with Philadelphia was he felt Kelly’s offense was a good fit for him.

“I’ve always enjoyed no-huddle tempo,” Sanchez said. “Some of my best play in New York was in that format… Get the next play and go. It feels like a fastbreak in basketball — you’re the point guard, just dish it to the open guy. Don’t hang on to it too long, try not to get hit. That’s pretty much the name of the game.”

Even before Foles was injured, Eagles fans were clamoring for Sanchez. Yes, the Eagles were winning games. And yes, Foles had an astounding 27 touchdown passes and just two interceptions last season. But his turnovers were piling up this year, and so was frustration outside the walls of the team.

Sanchez has lived through that before, of course. His career with the Jets was marked by dramatic peaks and valleys, from the four road playoff victories and the heady days when he was dubbed the “Sanchize,” to a couple of uninspired, turnover-plagued seasons.

Then there was the infamous “butt fumble” during a 2012 Thanksgiving game against New England, when he lost the ball after running into the backside of a teammate, and the fumble was run back for a Patriots touchdown.

“I think in the past I might have tried to make a play, tried to do too much, tried to push a little too hard,” Sanchez said. “That’s where you turn over the ball on the fastbreak… I’d like to think I’ve grown, and I know I have, just watching film. Things come faster, and it’s easier.”

Sanchez was a fitting backup to the third-year Foles, because he could provide perspectives on success in the NFL and how quickly it can evaporate. Sanchez said he’s learned to tune out the talk, good or bad.

“The backup quarterback’s always the most popular guy in town,” Sanchez said. “I’ve heard fans boo [Patriots quarterback Tom] Brady in Foxborough. Come on. The guy’s won Super Bowls and MVPs and all that. If you’re playing in this league at that position, that’s going to happen.”

Back to that Eagles team picture. Sanchez said with other teams he’s been on, those can consume much of an afternoon.

“They take forever,” he said. “Everybody putting on wristbands, one guy will wear a headband and then they’ll say no headbands… It’s a fashion show.”

But Kelly values organization, efficiency and speed. And in that sense, Sanchez is ready for his close-up.