Safety Net

Keeping Sudfeld around a prudent investment

Long before the traditional Rocky intro, it was clear that this wasn’t the same Eagles team that beat the Falcons and Vikings here in the playoffs, much less the Patriots in the Super Bowl.

All you had to do was look at the quarterback position.

Super Bowl MVP Nick Foles, nursing a sore neck, and Carson Wentz, the franchise quarterback coming off knee surgery, didn’t participate in the preseason opener Thursday against the Pittsburgh Steelers. Even Doug Pederson couldn’t keep that little ditty in house while swearing that he would make a decision after reevaluating Foles.

So, it was hardly a surprise that Lincoln Financial Field was full of empty seats. Even the halftime show featuring news of the next players to be inducted into the Eagles’ Hall of Fame wasn’t going to help the real attendance. (Congratulations, nonetheless, are in order to Seth Joyner and Clyde Simmons, key components in the Gang-Green defense of 1991).

Eagles fans begin their evaluation with the quarterbacks, and the open practice last Sunday at the Linc afforded a better look at the position.

Wentz at least threw a few footballs in pre-game Thursday, although he wasn’t wearing the protective brace he does during practices. Foles was in shorts.

So, on this night, the Eagles were Nate Sudfeld’s team, no disrespect to Joe Callahan, the Wesley College product who started the second half and only dreamed he would see much action in the preseason opener.

It was Sudfeld’s offense and initially that meant a lot of running plays.

Sudfeld looked the part taking the field with the first-team offense.

Sudfeld realigned rookie tight end Dallas Goedert, who started instead of sidelined Pro Bowler Zach Ertz, before the first play. Then he handed the ball to Jay Ajayi, who netted four yards, the running back using second and third effort behind a motivated offensive line.

Second down was a problem. Sudfeld sailed the ball over the head of the 6-4 Mack Hollins, which is tough to do. And on third down Sudfeld was intercepted by cornerback Coty Sensabaugh, who jumped the route. Might want to try a head fake before locking in on the receiver.

The interception gave the Steelers a first down at the 39-yard line of the Eagles, who forced a punt, thanks to Malcolm Jenkins’ sack.

Of course, these weren’t the real Steelers, either. Jenkins put quarterback Landry Jones on his back, not Ben Roethlisberger. Antonio Brown didn’t play. Le’Veon Bell hasn’t signed his franchise tender.

All of that’s par for the course in the preseason.

The second possession went better for Sudfeld, and to his credit, he stuck with it. Starting at his two-yard line, he avoided the dreaded sack-safety by handing the ball to Ajayi, who thundered 26 yards.

Sudfeld had a decent drive going until Goedert, hearing footsteps perhaps, dropped an easy throw over the middle on first down. Back-to-back handoffs netted 12 yards. Finally, the Steelers caught on. They stopped the run game and forced Sudfeld to try to beat then with his arm. And Sudfeld gave it a pretty good shot.

Sudfeld connected with Goedert for a 19-yard completion. Later, Sudfeld did his impression of Foles operating a run-pass option play.

Sudfeld avoided the rush by Tyler Matekevich, the Temple lad, cut upfield as if to run, and with the defense frozen in time, rifled a bullet to Goedert for a 15-yard touchdown.

Wendell Smallwood bulled over from the oneyard line for two points, the Steelers penalized for an illegal formation. That gave the Eagles an 8-7 lead with 10:26 to go before the halftime announcements.

At that point Goedert caught three passes for 60 yards from Sudfeld. The other three completions netted minus-two yards.

Sudfeld wasn’t done although he threw another interception late in the first half, Bryce Treggs going one way, the throw another. Teammate Rasul Douglas, who was beaten for a 71yard scoring pass, bailed the Eagles out with an interception of Joshua Dobbs.

Instead of being timid, Sudfeld balled-out. On second-and-four, he moved to his left out of the shotgun and spiraled a 63-yard scoring bomb the other way to Shelton Gibson.

It pulled the Eagles within 15-14, as Smallwood couldn’t finish on another two-point attempt from the one-yard line, the Steelers again covering up the center for an illegal formation penalty.

All in all, Sudfeld completed 10 of 14 attempts for 140 yards and a 103.3 passer rating in his half of work.

In a few weeks Foles and Wentz will be ready to roll, barring setbacks. The Eagles will have to decide if they have roster room to keep a third quarterback such as Sudfeld. The way they go through quarterbacks, keeping a guy like Sudfeld would seem a prudent investment.

Considering the parameters, the less than detailed game preparation and the stage Thursday night, Sudfeld was solid — borderline good.

Even if it wasn’t the quarterback Eagles fans came to see.

Contact Bob Grotz at bobgrotz@21stcenturymedia.com; follow him on Twitter @bobgrotz

MATT ROURKE — THE ASSOCIATED PRESS With Carson Wentz still recovering from knee surgery and Nick Foles bothered by neck spasms, Nate Sudfeld showed Thursday night in the preseason opener against the Steelers that it would be wise for the Eagles to keep him around.

MATT ROURKE — THE ASSOCIATED PRESS Eagles quarterback Nate Sudfeld looks to pass during the first half Thursday against the Steelers in Philadelphia.