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Chip Kelly Hedges Bets on Philadelphia Eagles Quarterback Position
Published07 Oct 2013
While it would take an 'unbelievable performance' for Nick Foles to unseat Michael Vick as the Philadelphia Eagles starting quarterback, Chip Kelly did rule out eventually making a change. Photo: Philaphans.com
Philadelphia Eagles head coach Chip Kelly was quick to squelch a quarterback competition before it began following Sunday's 36-21 win over the New York Giants Sunday.
By Monday, though, Kelly had softened his stance.
“If someone comes in and puts on an unbelievable performance, you have to take it all into account,” Kelly said Monday. “There’s always open competition. If Nick Foles goes out there and goes 100-for-100 and throws 27 touchdown passes, then yeah.”
Michael Vick reportedly will miss Sunday's game against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers according to multiple reports, including ESPN's Adam Schefter. However after pointing out that Vick is day-to-day following an MRI on his left hamstring, Kelly asserted that reports of him being out for week six are "inaccurate."
Before suffering the injury late in the second quarter Vick completed 6-of-14 passes for 105 yards for a passer rating of 69.0 and ran seven times for 79 yards, he also finished the first quarter without a completion.
After Foles came on in relief of Vick in Sunday's 36-21 win over the New York Giants, Kelly flatly answered a question regarding the job being once again up for grabs by responding "no."
Assuming Vick is unable to go against the Buccaneers as were the early indications, Foles would be making his seventh career start and return to the site of his first NFL victory as a rookie in 2012 in which he finished 32-of-51 for 381 along with a game winning touchdown to Jeremy Maclin as time expired.
Regardless of whether or not Kelly is poised to make a switch at quarterback and by extension adapt his offense from a run oriented scheme with Vick to a pass-first philosophy with Foles, both quarterbacks being prepared is a luxury.
“We’ve talked to Nick since we made a decision at quarterback as we’ve said before, you’re a chinstrap away from going in the game,” said Kelly. “Nick has prepared himself like he was the starter every single week, and when his opportunity came I think he took advantage of it.”
Unlike was the norm under former head coach Andy Reid, Kelly said Monday that Foles takes roughly 15-20 percent of the snaps in practice both getting work with the first team as well as while simulating the opposition's offensive schemes.
Matt Lombardo is the Editor-In-Chief of Eagledelphia and also an on-air personality on 97.5 FM The Fanatic in Philadelphia. Join the conversation and follow Matt on Twitter.
