Philadelphia Eagles: Why Does Chip Kelly Want A Mobile Quarterback?

By Jonathan Page | Jan 30, 2015

Credit: Kevin Jairaj-USA TODAY Sports

There has been a lot of reports this past week about the Philadelphia Eagles attempting to trade quarterback Nick Foles. I am not surprised by these reports as I do not think Kelly ever really wanted Foles to be his quarterback but he was forced into the decision by how well Foles played in 2013. I don’t think Kelly can run the offense he wants with Foles as his quarterback.

More from Eagles News

I don’t think Kelly wants to trade Foles solely because he played poorly last season, don’t forget he only played in 8 games. Foles has had one half a great season and half a bad season. Considering how hard it can be to find a franchise quarterback, you should not trade a quarterback after a half a bad season if he had shown promise beforehand.

The reason why Kelly wants to trade Foles is his lack of mobility in my opinion. Yes, pocket passers have more success in the NFL than mobile quarterbacks. However, Kelly does not run a traditional NFL offense. That does not mean that any mobile quarterback will perform better than Foles instantly but I think Kelly has to limit a lot of what he does though because of Foles’ lack of mobility.

I have always been a fan of Foles and I will be disappointed if the Eagles trade him. I decided to go back and watch some of Michael Vick in 2013 to see what Kelly could do with a mobile quarterback. I think the main reason Kelly wants a mobile quarterback is to help the running game, not necessarily to help the passing game. Foles lack of ability to run the ball weakens the Eagles running game, as explained below.

Looking at the below videos, it is clear that a mobile quarterback would run the read option better than Foles currently can. Option plays are the staple of Kelly’s running offense and they are not as successful without a mobile quarterback.

You can see how dangerous a mobile quarterback can be if the defense doesn’t account for him in Kelly’s offense. The below example shows how a mobile quarterback can help LeSean McCoy be more effective too.

In the above clip the Eagles use a strange formation with 3 offensive lineman. They've never ran that formation with Foles at quarterback, maybe it requires someone mobile. I won't show any more examples of the read option but there are a lot more, this is all from one game too.

Kelly's offense aims to make the opposing defense cover every inch of the field. This often leaves a lot of empty field available for a mobile quarterback to take advantage of using his legs. The below example shows this as Vick picks up a first down on 3rd and 9.

Lastly, mobility can also help the passing game. Kelly can use more play-action, more rollouts and boot-action rollouts like the video below shows. Even Sanchez, a very average athlete, can make plays like the one below that Foles simply cannot make.

As I said earlier, I'm a fan of Foles and I still think he could have success here and also for another team in a pro style offense. I do not think that he is a bad quarterback. I do think that Kelly realised this past season though that he can not run the offense he wants to run without a mobile quarterback.

Does Kelly even want a pocket passer who throws the ball 30/40 times a game for 300 yards a game? I think that goes against his philosophy, Kelly's offense is based around the run. A mobile quarterback could help the Eagles running game and as I said last week, the Eagles running game holds the key to their success. I would hate to see Kelly fail here without ever getting the quarterback that he wanted to run his offense.

Next: Who Wants To trade For Nick Foles?

More from Inside the Iggles

Home/Eagles News