Philadelphia Eagles Quarterback Situation Still Uncertain
Bill Streicher-USA TODAY Sports
The Philadelphia Eagles are in the early stages of Training Camp, and are facing uncertainty at the Quarterback position. All four QB’s on the roster have question marks surrounding them. All have different degrees of of how immense these questions really are, but none the less, the Eagles have to find the solutions to their QB conundrum.
The main question that pretty much the entire NFL world has been asking, “is Philadelphia Eagles QB Nick Foles the real deal?”. This question wont be answered with a few 7 on 7, or 11 on 11 practice periods. This is a question that might even take years to figure out. Nick Foles balled out last season, throwing 29 touchdowns and only 2 interceptions (including playoffs). The uncertainty if Foles can maintain his level of high play is very real. Foles will not put up numbers like that ever again, but he doesn’t have to. Nick has to become more efficient and confident, which he has shown during camp. With only a small sample size, fans are all wondering if Foles can do the one thing all Eagle fans have been longing for, win a Super Bowl. This is a concern that will take time to figure out.
One level of uncertainty that doesn’t need multiple seasons to figure out is the back up Quarterback position. The importance of this position cannot be overstated. If it wasn’t for the depth the team had last season with Nick Foles waiting in the wings, last season could have looked a lot different. At this point it’s a two man race between six year vet Mark Sanchez, and the former fourth round pick Matt Barkley. Both ironically went to USC, and are both going for that number two QB spot. After very underwhelming performances by both players during the spring practices, Sanchez and Barkley have stepped it up in Training Camp thus far. The Eagles need to get some type of production out of these two to prepare for the season. If Nick Foles has to miss time, knock on wood, one of these players has to step in and not miss a beat. So far it looks like its Mark Sanchez job to lose. Once again questions are swirling at Eagles camp.
The one dark horse that fans and the National media tend to over look is second year player out Tulsa G.J. Kinne. The fourth QB on the team is automatically written off by some, but Kinnie has actually been quietly stealing reps away from Barkley during practice. I would not be shocked if Barkley falls from the number two QB battle with Sanchez, to battling Kinnie to just make the active roster. G.J. has had a strong consistent spring and has played solid in Training Camp. Compared to Barkley’s up and down play that pretty much sums up his career, Kinnie has to think he has a shot to make the final squad. Kinnie would have to put together really good, almost perfect preseason performances to dethrone Barkley, but it isn’t out of the realm of possibility. Kinnie has the necessary tools to do so.
With all these intricate outcomes and possibilities, the team has uncertainty at the Quarterback position. This isn’t a bad thing, but the team needs some answers. With Training Camp moving along many of these questions will be answered one way or another. The Quarterback position is the most important in all of sports. This uncertainty in time, will be gone, and if all goes as planned, there shouldn’t be anymore concern in the future.