From the Desk of Eagles Outsider Barry Bowe
Six QBs
Six quarterbacks will draw the attention of a great deal of Eagles fans as the 2015 NFL season progresses and I’ll keep you posted each week.
- Sam Bradford
- Nick Foles
- Marcus Mariota
- Mark Sanchez
- Tim Tebow
- Matt Barkley
Five played this week – but one did not. The one who didn’t play was, of course, Sam Bradford.
Sam Bradford
Sam Bradford was “DNP Coach’s Decision” in Sunday’s game against the Colts.
Here’s Chip Kelly’s take on Bradford’s sitting out the game:
“That’s my decision. He really wants to play. I don’t think he’s real happy with my decision. Just felt he’s been out here for two weeks, done a really nice job. He’ll get his first work against the Ravens [next week] when we get a chance to train with them for a couple days before we play them and he’ll play in the Ravens game.”
Personally, if I’m coach of the Eagles, I not only want to see what Bradford looks like in some game action, but I also want him to get used to playing in the Eagles’ offense.
I’d want him to knock off some of the rust that’s formed during the nearly two years of inactivity. I’d also want him to start building some confidence in both his ability to play and the soundness of his knee. Trust me on this, but there’s intense mental trepidation in Bradford’s mind about the soundness of his surgically-repaired knee.
On the dark side, if he’s going to blow out his knee again, I’d like him to blow it out as soon as possible so I could start making the adjustments that such an event would necessitate.
Nick Foles
Nick Foles started on Friday night for the Rams and played the first two series against the Oakland Raiders.
Foles looked sharp on game’s first drive. He completed a 26-yard pass to Lance Kendricks and a 35-yard pass to Tavon Austin to set up Greg Zuerlein’s 31-yard field goal to give Rams 3-0 lead. He also threw one incompletion.
On his second possession, Foles completed an 8-yard pass to Kenny Britt, threw one incompletion, and was sacked once as the Rams were forced to punt.
Nick Foles went 3-for-5 for 69 yards – no TDs and no INTs – 13.8 average and 104.2 QB rating.
Marcus Mariota
Marcus Mariota threw an interception on his first drive – which led to a Falcons field goal and a 10-0 lead – and he fumbled on his second drive. The fumble was recovered by Falcons’ linebacker Paul Worrilow and returned 14 yards for a touchdown and a 17-0 lead for the Falcons.
After that, Mariota seemed to settle down and threw five straight completions.
Overall, Mariota went 7-for-8 for 94 yards – no TDs and one INT – 11.8 average and 76.0 QB rating.
Mariota’s highlight – or in this case – lowlight video is below.
Mark Sanchez
With Sam Bradford watching from the sidelines in civvies, Mark Sanchez started for the Eagles on Sunday.
Pardon my French – but Sanchez looked shitty.
Oh, sure, he threw a TD-pass to rookie Nelson Agholor for 34 yards, but he hung the rookie out to dry on a pass that way high and behind. Agholor made a great catch and run to make the score.
Sanchez also hung Jordan Matthews out to dry on a pass over the middle and missed him another time when he was wide open over the middle. Worst of all, Sanchez underthrew Trey Burton by a good fifteen yards on his first play from scrimmage. Burton was all by himself and at least ten yards beyond the closest defender, but Sanchez threw late and short. The defenders caught up and broke up the pass.
It would’ve been an easy score.
Sanchez’ numbers were 2-for-7 for 52 yards – that one TD and no INTs – 7.4 average and 97.6 QB rating.
He was the worst quarterback on the field on Sunday and his body language on the sidelines reflected same.
Matt Barkley
Conversely, Matt Barkley was the best Eagles quarterback on the field on Sunday.
He looked calm and cool in the pocket, and his throws were pretty much on the money. His numbers were 12-for-20 for 192 yards –no TDs but one INT – 9.6 average and 71.2 QB rating. Yet, for some reason, the sentiment around town seems to be that Barkley won’t be the number-three quarterback this season.
Tim Tebow
Tim Tebow took over midway through the third quarter and finished up the game.
He looked fine on his first drive, but looked somewhat bewildered the rest of the way. His overall numbers were 6-for-12 for 192 yards – no TDs or INTs – 5.8 average and 67.7 QB rating. After that, he looked like he hadn’t played football for a long time.
He was bad and some critics will tell you that Tim Tebow is not an NFL quarterback.
That said, Tebow ran for a TD from seven yards out in the fourth quarter in the determined manner that still stamps him as a “winner.” The video of that TD run is below.
Methinks, Chip Kelly likes him and wants him to be an Eagle. Me-also-thinks that Chip Kelly likes Sanchez and wants him to be the backup – but Chip doesn’t like Barkley and would love to deal him for a draft choice.
We’ll see how this plays out.
In addition to being an official Eagles Outsider, Barry Bowe is also the author of:
- Born to Be Wild
- 1964 – The Year the Phillies Blew the Pennant
- 12 Best Eagles QBs
- Soon-to-be-published sexy, police procedural Caribbean Queen
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