Chip Kelly: Starting QB Will Be Determined By 'Performance'
PHILADELPHIA (CBS) – The quarterback controversy has returned to Philadelphia, thanks to an injury to Michael Vick, and a good performance from Nick Foles.
Vick won the job in convincing fashion during the preseason, quieting many who thought Foles should get the nod. But Vick's performance has cooled after a hot start, and a hamstring injury during Sunday's win over the Giants gave Nick Foles a chance to come in and take advantage of the opportunity. Foles did just that, throwing two touchdown passes in just over a half of football.
"Oh, I don't know that's way down the road," Kelly said of a possible change at the QB position regardless of injury. Kelly said after the game and reiterated that Vick is still the starting quarterback. Kelly spoke with 94WIP's Angelo Cataldi on Monday morning. "Just performance, everything is performance based, you know, in terms of how successful we are and are we doing what we need to do to win football games."
Vick will be evaluated on Monday in regard to his availability during practice this week, and Sunday's game against the Bucs. Given the general healing time for a hamstring strain, it would seem likely Foles will start against the Bucs.
During the WIP Morning Show on Monday, 61% fans voted that if both players were healthy, they'd rather see Nick Foles as the starting QB (see Audio Roadshow results).
Kelly talked about his approach to the offense with Foles rather than Vick.
"It really doesn't affect it totally. Obviously, Mike [Vick] is a little bit better runner than Nick [Foles] is, but we don't run as much quarterback run as people think we run. I think when you watched us going in, it wasn't like the formations and plays things like that, looked totally different when Nick was in there. It's still about making sure that we have everybody accounted for, whether it's in the run game or in the passing game," Kelly said. "Nick made some really good decisions, and really happy when he got in there. I think that drive right at the end of the first half, was great for everybody on the offensive side of the ball to be able to come away with some points, in that situation. We've got total confidence in Nick. I said since I got here, you got to have two quarterbacks to play in this league, and we feel like we do have two quarterbacks."
One thing the Eagles do have going for them is some normalcy. After starting the season with three games in 11 days, they're on a more regular schedule of Sundays for games, Monday off, and back and practice on Tuesday.
"The first three weeks we were never in the same, I guess, schedule. We opened up on a Monday, then played a Sunday, then played a Thursday. Then we had four days off and came back to play Sunday. Now we're kind, I feel like---we call it battle rhythm. We're starting to get into a rhythm," Kelly said. "You play on Sunday, you're off on Monday, you're in on Tuesday, Wednesday is red zone, third down. As you get going you start to get into that rhythm that we're trying to get into. It was really the first week in that rhythm, with a game on Sunday and then kind of where our schedule is. We're learning them, they're learning us, but I think we're moving in the right direction."
LISTEN: Angelo Cataldi interviews Chip Kelly
The preseason injury to Jeremy Maclin left the Eagles thin at wide receiver. Many fans have wondered if the Eagles will look outside of the current roster for help at the position.
I look at everything. I still think we moved the ball through the air, we threw for 300 yards again, it's everything. I think when you look at all the guys put together---I think that's the different thing. I think Jason [Avant] made a couple big plays for us, and obviously I thought Brent [Celek] made a couple big plays and then you work in [Zach] Ertz in there too, with Riley [Cooper] and they all played a little bit more," Kelly said. "I think you got to have---I mean, obviously you want to have as many weapons available to you as you can. It's a process of how are people---and it's interesting as we go into games, most people right now are not playing us the way they played all the other teams, so it's that feeling out process early into the game and then once we get a beat on what they are doing I think we can kind of zero in and have a game plan that gives us an opportunity to be successful."
