Projecting the Eagles Starting Quarterback Competition

By Ben Haley on Tuesday, August 6th 2013
Projecting the Eagles Starting Quarterback Competition

With the preseason schedule in their sights, Philadelphia’s trifecta of quarterbacks continue to battle amongst each other to earn their spot as the apple of Chip Kelly’s eye. Veteran Michael Vick takes on second year man Nick Foles and rookie fourth-round pick Matt Barkley in a triple threat match for the starting job. Three may be company, but only two will survive the quarterback battle in the city of brotherly love.

While the completion is still a three man race, Vick and Foles remain the front runners due to Barkley’s tremendous lack of experience. Kelly likes Vick because of his veteran leadership, mobility, and familiarity with a rushing centered offense. In 2004, Vick and the Atlanta Falcons led the league in rushing, and won a playoff berth because of it. While Foles doesn’t have such an impressive resume, the numbers may support him as the lead candidate.

History repeats itself, so the best way to project a winner in this competition is to analyze the past. While the sample sizes` do range from zero NFL games played to 121, the numbers do not lie, and show a clear winner. With only seven games played at the NFL level, Foles does not have much of a sample size. The Eagles’ sophomore threw for almost 1,700 yards in seven games played, with six touchdowns and five interceptions totaling in a quarterback rating of 79.1. While those statistics are not impressive on their own, Foles averaged 243 yards per game, which would have registered as the 11th best in the league if extended over a full season. Compare this to Vick’s would-be season average of 236, and there is a sizeable gap. Vick also recorded a quarterback rating of 78.1 on 2,362 passing yards with 12 touchdowns and 10 interceptions. While using Vick’s 2012 numbers may skew the grading curve, his lifetime average of 168 yards per game doesn’t hold a candle to Foles’ 2012 numbers.

Matt Barkley is the dark horse in this race, but could still push for the starting position with a strong showing in the seasons’ first preseason game, August 9th against the Patriots. The Eagles’ fourth round selection impressed many during his college career throwing for well over the 3,000 yard mark in both his junior and senior seasons. Alongside fellow former Trojan and NFL starters Carson Palmer and Mark Sanchez , Barkley stands out as his numbers dwarf those of his predecessors. While Barkley is very likely to start off the 2013 season as a backup, he could take over later in the year if one of the starters struggle.

At training camp, Vick has excelled beating Foles in the majority of drills. Vick has been accurate, and shown good reads against the defense. Foles has been forcing the issue, and looks frazzled like he knows that he is playing for his job, resulting in multiple interceptions. Vick looks calm and collected, and should win the starting job. Coach Kelly will go with Vick because he appears the most able to do the job, and flourish within a rushing offense. Nick Foles may want to update his resume, because Michael Vick is here to stay Philadelphia.

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