Vick picked to lead Eagles
Better grasp of new coach’s offence
PHILADELPHIA Eagles first-year coach Chip Kelly has named veteran Michael Vick Philadelphia’s starting quarterback.
Vick has been solid in two pre-season games, and backup Nick Foles, in his second season with the Eagles, has struggled to grasp Kelly’s multi-faceted offence. Vick has thrown for 199 yards this pre-season and will take a 113.2 quarterback rating into Friday’s game at Jacksonville (0-2).
‘He’s our starter for the season,” Kelly said. “It’s not a onegame trial basis.”
There wasn’t a lot of suspense with Kelly’s decision, which was announced after practice on Tuesday, and after the coach met with both players. Foles has been sacked six times in two games, and has a quarterback rating of 65.5, after showing flashes as a rookie last season while Vick was injured. Vick played in just 10 games last season, while Foles topped 340 yards twice as a rookie.
The Eagles (1-1) are coming off a 4-12 season, coach Andy’s Reid’s last, and haven’t made the playoffs since they won the NFC East in 2010.
Philadelphia opens the regular season at Washington Sept. 9.
“We had a good amount of tape, a good amount of us seeing them on the field,” Kelly said. “And seeing them in a lot of different situations, and wanted to put a guy in place, if we could, in enough time to get us to prepare the season.”
Kelly has only shown glimpses of his uptempo offence in the first two pre-season games and defences already seem tired and confused while the Eagles are moving the ball with ease.
The first-team offence led by Vick and Foles has four touchdowns on eight-plus possessions in two games. One drive ended with an endzone interception and two others ended with fumbles.
Vick had a breakout year under coach Andy Reid in 2010, leading the Eagles to the division title and starting in the Pro Bowl. But he’s battled injuries and inconsistency the last two years.
The 33-year-old Vick sustained a concussion in Week 10 last year and Reid decided to let Foles play the rest of the way because the Eagles were in last place.
Vick returned to start the season finale against the New York Giants with Foles injured.
He finished the year with 2,362 yards passing, 12 touchdowns and 10 interceptions, and also lost five fumbles.
“I think Mike is ahead right now. I think Nick made it very difficult,” Kelly said. “It wasn’t where one guy went north and the other guy went south. I think both of them upped their games. But at this point in time Mike’s ahead.”