With Michael Vick and Nick Foles' availability uncertain, Chip Kelly face another week of not knowing going into the week who will start Sunday's game. Photo Courtesy: SI.com
Those observers of the Philadelphia Eagles hoping to hear from head coach Chip Kelly who will start at quarterback Sunday against the Oakland Raiders are once again out of luck.
As it stands, Matt Barkley is the only completely healthy quarterback on the 53-man roster and the odds are in his favor that he will be the bullet fired from the chamber in this week's edition of Eagles Quarterback Roulette, and make his first career NFL start.
Michael Vick was lifted in favor of Barkley in the second quarter of Sunday's 15-7 loss to the New York Giants after aggravating his pulled right hamstring he suffered three weeks earlier at MetLife Stadium and is set to undergo an MRI today.
"I'm going to wait for the determination but Mike didn't sound like he was going to be ready this week," Kelly pointed out at the Novacare Complex during his day after news conference. "When I talked to Mike the first time he sounded like he was going to be ready to be back after the Giants game [after first injuring his hamstring on October 6th] but this is the first time I've talked to him where he thought he may be out."
Pending the results of Vick's MRI, it doesn't appear that the 33-year old will be ready to go Sunday in Oakland. If he is less than 100 percent, the head coach may be gun shy about sending him back out there based on his lackluster performance against the Giants Sunday when his mobility was clearly compromised.
That leaves Nick Foles, still recovering from his concussion suffered two weeks ago against Dallas and who underwent imPACT testing Monday, and Barkley as the team's next best options heading into week nine.
"I know Nick was in here this morning and I expect those results today, and Mike went for an MRI but we won't get those results until later," Kelly said.
Kelly and the Eagles are certainly facing difficult circumstances at the quarterback position which has contributed to the team scoring zero offensive touchdowns in the past two games. However, in terms of preparation, there isn't much the first-year head coach can do until he settles on a starter moving forward.
"Matt got the same amount of reps that any number two quarterback gets going into a game," Kelly pointed out. "I Don't care if you're the Philadelphia Eagles, New York Giants or whoever you are, if you're a team in the National Football League there are only so many reps you can give your number two quarterback. There's a certain amount of reps your number one has to get to prepare for the opponent you're about to play, that's just how it works."
As the wheels keep on turning on the Eagles quarterback carousel, the focus will likely ultimately shift to Kelly and his ability to adjust the other facets of his offense around what has been a revolving door at that position.
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.
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