NFL Analyst: Eagles Should Do 'Whatever It Takes' To Acquire Mariota
PHILADELPHIA (CBS) --- If you simply say the words "Marcus Mariota" anywhere around the Delaware Valley area, you're going to get a strong opinion one way or another.
While 94WIP's Midday co-host Ike Reese and the majority of Eagles fans continue to support Nick Foles hoping the Eagles do not go all-in for Mariota, most NFL analysts say Chip Kelly should gamble on the former Oregon quarterback.
On January 16th, former Eagles great Randall Cunningham expressed his support of Mariota in Philly. Four days later, NJ.com's Mark Eckel reported the Eagles will at least try to get Mariota. Last week, CBS Sports' Pete Prisco said the reigning Heisman Trophy winner would be a "perfect fit" for the Eagles. On Tuesday, New York Daily News writer Manish Mehta speculated on the perfect deal between the Eagles and Jets, landing Mariota in Philly.
ESPN Insider NFL analyst KC Joyner is the latest to get in on the Mariota-to-Philly campaign.
"The Eagles need to break the bank and do whatever it takes to acquire Mariota," Joyner wrote in his latest column this week.
Joyner explained five reasons why Mariota would fit in Philly: (1) familiarity with Kelly's system, (2) he would fix the Eagles' turnover problem, (3) he would upgrade the Eagles' vertical passing game, (4) he passes all seven "Parcells rules", (5) Eagles can fix secondary needs in free agency and later rounds.
To explain reason No. 4 further, Pro Football Hall Of Fame coach Bill Parcells created seven bullet points he looks for in a quarterback before drafting said player. Mariota passes all seven rules.
Drew Brees, Robert Griffin III, Byron Leftwich, Matt Leinart, Andrew Luck, Eli Manning, Chad Pennington, Philip Rivers and Tim Tebow are the only first-round caliber quarterbacks since 1999 who have also passed all seven of the Parcells rules.
Joyner ends with the point that there is no price too high for a franchise quarterback.
"A blockbuster trade could be seen as a poor idea for Philadelphia," Joyner writes, "But if it works out, it could be seen as the type of move that vaults Kelly's Eagles from playoff contender to Super Bowl contender."
