Philadelphia Eagles : No Franchise QB = No Super Bowl

Nov 27, 2014; Arlington, TX, USA; Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Mark Sanchez (3) on the sidelines in the game against the Dallas Cowboys at AT&T Stadium. Philadelphia beat Dallas 33-10. Mandatory Credit: Tim Heitman-USA TODAY Sports

This season, quarterback-play for the Philadelphia Eagles has been mediocre-at-best.

Nick Foles was no where close to the player he was in 2013 through the first 8 games of 2014. He ended this season with 13 touchdowns, 10 interceptions, and a QB rating of 81.4. The Eagle’s record was 5-2 before Foles was taken out of the game against the Houston Texans in Week 9.

Mark Sanchez has performed similar to Foles. Sanchez has 10 touchdowns, 7 interceptions, and has a QB rating of 88.0 through 5.5 games. The Eagle’s are 4-2 with Sanchez at the helm.

Nick Foles had Eagles fans’ hopes up after last season’s marvelous statistics. However in 2014, fans saw a young quarterback making some poor decisions and taking a lot of unnecessary hits. It was only a matter of time before Foles would get injured. Foles took a lot of big hits in college and it continues in the NFL.

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Sanchez was exciting for a few games, but now it’s clear he’s the turnover machine he has always been. Eagle’s head coach Chip Kelly is doing his best to make Sanchez seem more than a backup-caliber quarterback, but the glitter is quickly falling off.

Without a true franchise quarterback the Eagle’s chances of winning a Super Bowl are severely hindered. In the last decade, the only non-franchise-caliber quarterback to even make it to a Super Bowl was the Chicago Bear’s Rex Grossman in 2007.

So if neither Foles nor Sanchez can be “the guy” for the Philadelphia Eagles, than what options does Kelly have come this offseason? Chris Burke from SI.com wrote an article on December 9, 2014 that gives some insight as to which quarterbacks will be available through the draft, and which current NFL quarterbacks could be available via free agency. The list of potential candidates does not look great.

Nov 8, 2014; Salt Lake City, UT, USA; Oregon Ducks quarterback Marcus Mariota (8) passes the ball during the second half Utah Utes at Rice-Eccles Stadium. Oregon won 51-27. Mandatory Credit: Russ Isabella-USA TODAY Sports

For the Eagles to move into the top 5 picks of the 2015 NFL draft, in order to secure the likes of Oregon’s Marcus Mariota or Florida State’s Jameis Winston, Philadelphia would have to mortgage the future of their franchise much like the Washington Redskins did to acquire Robert Griffin III a few years ago. That was a bad idea then, and it definitely is now. Although Chip Kelly gushes about how great Mariota is, many experts believe that his accuracy may not be good enough in the NFL, and unless he is a throw-first/run-second type of quarterback like Seattle’s Russel Wilson, Mariota’s running ability will not last in the big leagues. As for Winston, he is not the same quarterback that threw 40 touchdowns a year ago–plus his off-the-field issues make him a huge risk.

Michigan State’s quarterback Connor Cook is an interesting prospect, but he will probably stay in college for his senior year. Cook gets the ball out of his hands quickly, and has a nice touch–somewhat reminiscent of Green Bay’s Aaron Rodgers.

There are several other quarterbacks who will be available in the draft, but draft experts do not seem to be excited by these players. Perhaps Eagle’s general manager Howie Roseman, along with Kelly, have an ace up their sleeve. An ace that can make all of the throws and great decisions.

The list of free agent quarterbacks eligible to be signed in 2015 are names that we’ve all seen in the past. Names like Kyle Orton, Michael Vick, Blaine Gabbert, Matt Flynn, and Matt Moore. Some people think that Robert Griffin III could be acquired for a second or third round pick, but that doesn’t seem realistic, and if it were, Griffin is another guy that takes vicious beatings on a weekly basis in the NFL–no thank you. Chicago’s Jay Cutler? Tennessee’s Jake Locker? Cleveland’s Brian Hoyer? St. Louis’s Austin Davis? No. No. No. And no. Chip Kelly is a special coach, but it is very difficult to picture how any of these players will help bring a championship to Philadelphia.

Could Eagle’s backup quarterback Matt Barkley be the answer? We don’t know. There is not enough information. Kelly obviously saw better things from Sanchez going into this season. The Eagle’s quarterback situation is in limbo, and their defense is probably not good enough to win multiple playoff games.

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