Inside the Iggles
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Philadelphia Eagles: Their 7 best and worst backup QBs of the last 30 years

By Brandon Thornton

MINNEAPOLIS, MN - FEBRUARY 04: Quarterback Nick Foles
MINNEAPOLIS, MN - FEBRUARY 04: Quarterback Nick Foles /
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EAST RUTHERFORD, NJ – DECEMBER 28: Quarterback A.J. Feeley #14 of the Philadelphia Eagles scrambles against the New York Giants during the game at Giant Stadium on December 28, 2002, in East Rutherford, New Jersey. The Giants won 10-7. (Photo by Ezra Shaw/Getty Images)
EAST RUTHERFORD, NJ – DECEMBER 28: Quarterback A.J. Feeley #14 of the Philadelphia Eagles scrambles against the New York Giants during the game at Giant Stadium on December 28, 2002, in East Rutherford, New Jersey. The Giants won 10-7. (Photo by Ezra Shaw/Getty Images) /

The 4th best, A.J. Feeley

When it was learned that Donovan McNabb broke his ankle in a heroic victory against the Arizona Cardinals, the Super Bowl dreams of the Philly faithful seemed to die. They did die in the final game at Veterans Stadium months later, but that’s beside the point.

Backup Koy Detmer would play well in his lone start versus the San Francisco 49ers, but when he suffered a dislocated elbow in that game, the team had to turn to second-year third-stringer A.J. Feeley.

Shockingly, Feeley would go 4-1 as a starter, rattling off four straight wins in his first four starts.  It helped that he had the best team in football around him, but Feeley secured the number one seed in the playoffs for the Birds.

After bouncing around the league, he would return in 2006, and while he never won another game as a starter in relief, he did come the closest to beating the undefeated New England Patriots in 2007’s regular season.  A beloved backup, Feeley is deserving to be on this list for saving one of the Eagles’ best seasons.

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