Broncos' Anderson: Sanchez's track record, leadership are underrated

Ever since running into the rear end of Brandon Moore in November 2012 and fumbling the ball, Mark Sanchez has had a tough time restoring his image.

The "butt fumble" may be the greatest blooper in NFL history, but Sanchez has accomplished a lot more than one bad play, and his Denver Broncos teammate C.J. Anderson doesn't think he's getting the respect he deserves.

"People forget about Sanchez, you know, he has two AFC championship belts," Anderson told SiriusXM NFL Radio on Wednesday. "Even though he lost them (with the New York Jets), he has two under his belt, that he's been to. And it shows, the leadership that he had when he was with the Jets."

Anderson thinks that Sanchez is in a better situation with the Broncos than he was with the Jets or the Philadelphia Eagles, considering he has Demaryius Thomas and Emmanuel Sanders as his weapons. The running back also mentioned he's been impressed with Sanchez's presence in the huddle.

"He'll have some better targets to throw to, I believe that," said Anderson. "But he's just very calm in the huddle. He's a leader, he works hard at it."

Sanchez isn't guaranteed to be the Broncos starter, but he will head into camp as the favorite to beat out rookie Paxton Lynch and unknown veteran Trevor Siemian. Considering Denver's quarterback play last season, reaching another AFC Championship Game with Sanchez certainly isn't out of the question.