Mark Sanchez Redemption: Eats at Pat's

Quarterback Mark Sanchez has a special place in the hearts of Patriots fans. He was a top draft pick by the rival New York Jets and he never lived up to expectations. He quarterbacked possibly the best divisional rivalry of the Bill Belichick era and did so as a game manager who could make big plays at opportune times.

I don't think any Patriots fans dislike Sanchez. I think it's more of an "Aw, shucks, man" sort of relationship where we were all secretly hoping for him to leave the division so we could root for him. He's a quarterback who eats hot dogs and chicken fingers on the sidelines, just gets flustered in most situations, and just seemed like a fun guy to hang around- except for when he was getting scraped off both the ground and the New York newspapers.

So Sanchez finally got his start for the Philadelphia Eagles, a team that Patriots fans can generally support due to head coach Chip Kelly's relationship with Belichick (check one). He's been a good teammate (check two) and got an opportunity due to an injury to the starting quarterback.

The scene was Monday Night Football against the Carolina Panthers. Sanchez completed 20/37 passes for 332 yards, 2 touchdowns, and no interceptions. It was a great game and it was a story for redemption. The story gets better:

After the game, Sanchez went and bought a local favorite Philly Cheesesteak (check three) from two separate restaurants:

1) Geno's, similar to the "Geno Smith" who replaced him at quarterback for the Jets (check four).

2) Pat's, similar to the "Patriots" who he was facing during the buttfumble (check five).

Not sure how anyone can be upset with that. Bravo, Mark. Bravo.