From the Desk of Eagles Outsider Barry Bowe

Two Good, One So-So, & One Awful

Several quarterbacks are drawing the attention of this Eagles Outsider as the 2015 NFL season unfolds. I’ve got my eyes on four Eagles QBs:

1. Sam Bradford
2. Mark Sanchez
3. Thad Smith
4. Stephen Morris

Plus two former Eagles:

1. Nick Foles
2. Matt Barkley

Plus one Chip Kelly heartthrob:

1. Marcus Mariota

And two QBs who stink – in my opinion:

1. Johnny Manziel
2. Jameis Winston

Four QBs I’m watching played this week:

1. Sam Bradford
2. Jameis Winston
3. Marcus Mariota
4. Nick Foles

SAM BRADFORD

Sam Bradford was good, bad, and ugly in the Eagles 39-17 win over the lackluster Saints (1-4).

• Good – He showed some flashes of brilliance as he went 32-for-45 for 333 yards and two TDs.
• Bad – His stats could’ve looked even better, but he was once again victimized by an epidemic of dropsy by his receivers.
• Ugly – He threw two head-scratching Red Zone interceptions.

First quarter. Scoreless game with a chance to take the lead. First-and-ten on the 12 and Riley Cooper is wide open in the end zone. But instead of lofting the ball to Cooper for an easy score, Bradford threw a pass reminiscent of the interception he threw to Sean Lee against the Cowboys back on Week 2. The ball went straight from his hand to Brandon Browner who was standing in between him and Cooper.

One series later, and now trailing 7-0, but with a chance to tie the score. Second-and-goal at the 14. Bradford’s pass intended for Miles Austin in the end zone was intercepted by Delvin Breaux for a touchback.

Bradford’s uneven play still casts a dark cloud over his future with the Eagles (2-3), Some questions could very well be answered against the New York Football Giants (3-2) this week on Monday Night Football.

Personally, I don’t see enough talent to justify a megabucks deal.

Highlight VIDEO below.

JAMEIS WINSTON

In case you’re late becoming a QB Watch follower, I don’t disguise the fact that I don’t like Jameis Winston. And unless he’s playing against one of the other QBs I’m following, I don’t watch his games. Instead, I watch the highlights and read the recaps.

This week, Winston went 13-for-19 for 209 yards and one TD. And for the first time, he didn’t throw an interception as he helped lead the Buccaneers (2-3) to a 38-31 victory over the Jaguars (1-4). And that’s a big deal because the Bucs hadn’t won a home game in nearly two seasons – 11 straight losses at home prior to Sunday.

So he gets points for this week’s performance.

MARCUS MARIOTA

Marcus Mariota played well enough – 21-for-32 (66%) for 187 yards – to give his Titans two leads:

1. 10-0 in the second quarter.
2. 13-7 in the third quarter.

But the Bills (3-2) outpointed the Titans (1-3) 14-13 as Mariota failed to throw a touchdown. But he did throw a loss-sealing interception with less than two minutes remaining.

VIDEO of his ill-advised pass is below.

NICK FOLES

I picked Nick Foles to lead the Rams to upset the Packers in Green Bay. And he had several opportunities to do just that, but he failed miserably.

I picked the upset based on three factors:

1. Rams outstanding defense
2. Running of emerging-star Todd Gurley
3. Passing of Nick Foles

Prior to kickoff, Aaron Rodgers had established an NFL record by throwing 587 consecutive passes at Lambeau Field without an interception. His last interception at home came way back in 2012. But the Rams defense broke that streak and gave Nicky Football three excellent chances to win the game:

1. Late in the second quarter, leading 7-0, and driving once again – Aaron Rodgers dropped back to pass on a third-and-two at the Rams 42. But James Laurinaitis intercepted Rodgers.
2. Late in the second quarter, now leading 14-10, and driving once again, Rodgers dropped back to pass. But he was intercepted for the second time. This time by Trumaine Johnson.
3. In the third quarter and leading by 21-10, Aaron Rodgers dropped back to pass. Robert Quinn sacked Rodgers and knocked the ball loose. Lamarcus Joyner recovered and the stout Rams D had its third Aaron Rodgers turnover of the day.

So the defense did its part and Todd Gurley did his part by gaining 159 yards on 30 carries. But Nick Foles didn’t hold up his end of the equation. In fact, he looked awful:

• 11-for-30 passing
• Horrendous 37% completion rate for just 141 yards.
• One TD.
• Four drive-destroying interceptions.
• Sacked three times and knocked down a lot.

The Packers defense was outstanding and some of Jeff Fisher’s play-calling and clock-management was curious. But my hero – Nick Foles – blew every chance he got to pull the game out with one ill-advised pass after another. And the Rams (2-3) fell 24-10 to the undefeated Packers (5-0).

The loss dropped the (2-3) Rams two games behind the Cardinals (4-1) team they beat the week before. I’m still picking the Rams to overtake the Cards and take the NFC West. It looks like they have some soft touches coming up the next two weeks:

1. Cleveland Browns
2. San Francisco 49ers

CHART

In addition to being the official Eagles Outsider for BlameMyFather.com, Barry Bowe is also the author of:

• Born to Be Wild
• 1964 – The Year the Phillies Blew the Pennant
• 12 Best Eagles QBs
• Birth of the Birds
• Soon-to-be-published sexy, police procedural Caribbean Queen
• Soon-to-be-published novel Stosh Wadzinski
• Soon-to-be-published novel Polish Widow