Philadelphia Eagles and the Quarterback Conundrum

Oct 26, 2014; Glendale, AZ, USA; Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Nick Foles (left) and quarterback Mark Sanchez on the sidelines against the Arizona Cardinals at University of Phoenix Stadium. The Cardinals defeated the Eagles 24-20. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports

The Philadelphia Eagles quarterback situation is a conundrum for the moment. Later in the offseason it may become more clear but don’t bet on it anytime soon. Eagles owner Jeffrey Lurie commented on a time frame during an interview by Philly.com. Eagles fans may have to wait until March before that picture becomes clear.

“We didn’t go from Peyton to Luck – let’s put it that way.”-Jeffrey Lurie

Obviously with Eagles quarterback Nick Foles missing the last nine games with a broken clavicle he didn’t get a chance to redeem himself from his abysmal first half season play. His future with the Eagles seem somewhat positive based on what Lurie said during an interview in the Eagles locker room after their win yesterday.

"Individual players, I don’t want to talk about. The coaches prepare. What I do is read every report. They won’t even be able to fully evaluate everybody for the next few weeks. But Nick, I feel so bad he got hurt. It’s a shame because, under Chip [Kelly] and the staff, he’s 14-4 and that’s pretty damn good. He’s a hard worker, great guy. We’ll just have to see. But that’s pretty unusual. I’m sure by March we’ll know exactly what we’re planning to do."

Ok, so there looks like hope for Foles next season. Right? But asked the same question again and you get this:

"I think it remains to be seen [if the Eagles have Super Bowl-caliber quarterbacking]. It’s very hard to answer that until you accomplish it. You can point to people that have accomplished it – Aaron [Rodgers] and Tom [Brady] and Peyton [Manning] and those guys. That’s the elite of the NFL. And Drew [Brees]. Until you accomplish that, you can’t say you have it. We’ve just got to always make that position THE most important and do whatever you can to be the best at that position you can. There’s a scarcity of quarterbacks – let’s face it. There are a lot of teams that really struggle at that position. We’ve always got to try to win big and focus on that position at all times . . . “I’m very frustrated that [Foles] only played half the year. He played when our line was banged up at its most. He won most of the games, but we’ve got to limit the turnovers and that’s part of the issue on offense. We cannot lead the league in turnovers – let’s face it."

Not very committal there. If a bit negative because he compared Foles to NFL’s elite quarterbacks and highlighted that he fell short of Super Bowl caliber quarterbacks. So the support for Foles was waning just a bit in the same interview. Then, since the media loves to hammer home a question that has already been answered, Lurie may have tipped his hand a bit.

"It’s not easy [drafting late in rounds]. You’ve got to really catch a break. You’ve got to find the players that are undervalued. That’s what happens. Obviously with Aaron, with Green Bay, they got an undervalued player at that point [late in the first round]. That has to happen for a franchise to have that type of situation.You’re always faced with that. Every team is faced with that. We didn’t go from Peyton to Luck – let’s put it that way."

We didn’t go from Peyton to Luck, let’s put it that way. OUCH. That has to sting just a bit.

It may be March but if someone dazzles in the combine Foles may be on his way out the door. Prior to his injury he had the wrong kind of attention from Eagles general manager Howie Roseman. It was reported that Roseman had soured on the second year quarterback.

Mark Sanchez didn’t shine when he needed to

If Philadelphia Eagles Mark Sanchez wanted to stay with the team all he had to do was improve on what Foles has done. Though Sanchez had moments of greatness he failed to dazzle when it counted. He threw for over 2,400 yards with 64.1% accuracy with 14 touchdowns and 11 interceptions. Not terrible but not amazing either.

So Lurie, Roseman and Kelly have some thinking to do. Should they give Foles one more chance with a healthy offensive line? They can afford it as next season the last on his contract. They don’t have to move on it right now. Sanchez’ contact ends in the spring so the Eagles need to decide what to do with him. Should they keep him? Have him compete for the starting job with Foles?

Neither is a great option at this point but unless Kelly can land Oregon Ducks quarterback Marcus Mariota it my be better for them to keep what they have and look to the 2016 draft class.