Mark Sanchez still has a big fan in Rex Ryan

Rex Ryan tuned into the Monday night game just like every other football fan.

And the Jets coach couldn't have been happier to see his former quarterback perform well in prime time.

"Oh man, I was proud of him," Ryan said Wednesday of Mark Sanchez, who completed 20 of 37 passes for 332 yards, two touchdowns and a QB rating of 102.5 for the Eagles in his first regular-season start since December 2012.

"It wasn't just his performance I was blown away with, I think the Eagles in general, that was a great team performance," he said of Philadelphia's 45-21 win over Carolina. "Certainly, Mark did his part. He played extremely well."

Sanchez delivered a win for the Eagles for the second straight game after starter Nick Foles broke his collarbone against the Texans. Now, the former Jet will have to again prove he's a starting-caliber quarterback when the Eagles (7-2) travel to Lambeau Field Sunday to face the Aaron Rodgers and the Packers (6-3).

During a conference call Wednesday with Packers beat writers, Sanchez talked about once being the Jets franchise quarterback and how his shoulder injury during the 2013 preseason paved the way for his exit from Florham Park.

"By no means do I have some sort of vendetta or anything like that," Sanchez said. "I had a great experience in New York, the good, the bad and the ugly, it was all fun. I learned a ton from it. Then I came here to Philly and took that experience, improved on some of the things I needed to clean up and built on some of the things that went well."

Sanchez, who was drafted fifth overall by the Jets in 2009, also spoke about the highs and lows of playing in the New York market.

"You're either the best or you're the worst," he said. "There's no in between, whether you go 8-8 or not. If you don't win the Super Bowl, then you're a bum. That's just the way it is in that market.

"But you've got to understand, you've got to take everything in perspective," added Sanchez, whose Jets tenure includes back-to-back appearances in the AFC title game in his first two games and the infamous "Buttfumble" in 2012. "You've just got to keep a broad scope on things, and don't have too much perspective where you lose your competitive edge, but don't be so narrow-minded thinking that this is the end of the world if something doesn't work out."

Meanwhile, the Jets are still searching for an answer at quarterback.

Sanchez's replacement was Geno Smith, whom the organization (and first-year general manager John Idzik) drafted in the second round in 2013. The Jets managed to finish 8-8 last year, despite an erratic rookie season by Smith. But the young QB was benched in favor of veteran Michael Vick during the Jets' Week 8 loss to the Bills and Vick has started the next two games.

But despite the Jets' 2-8 record and the ongoing questions about their quarterback position, Ryan said he was happy to see Sanchez shine on Monday night.

"It was great. I know it was on his birthday and stuff like that," the coach said. "The thing about this business is it is tough. I'm happy for all my ex-players who do well, as long as they're not playing me or my brother [Rob, the Saints' defensive coordinator]."