Who Will Quarterback The Eagles in 2013?
BREAKING NEWS, Eagles, News Saturday, January 19th, 2013
Chip Kelly was officially introduced as the head coach of the Philadelphia Eagles on Thursday afternoon. Notoriously an offensive-minded coach, it is still a question as to who will quarterback the team in 2013. The spread offense is a fast-paced, innovative offense that has yet to be fully introduced to the NFL.
With a seemingly perfect quarterback for the spread offense, Michael Vick, on the roster, the Eagles may not have far to look for their 2013 quarterback. Chip Kelly’s offense can also make a few adaptations to fit the quarterback who currently sits atop the depth chart, Nick Foles.
A common misconception of the spread offense is that it is full of speed options and running plays. While it does rely heavily on these, it also utilizes the play-action and short, quick routes. At one play every 20.9 seconds, the object of the Chip Kelly offense is to call as many plays as possible and tire out the defense with its unrelenting pace.
One of the biggest problems people attributed to Michael Vick in 2012 was the length of time he held on to the ball. With an offensive line made up of spare parts, Vick needed to learn to pull the trigger quickly. While some plays Marty Mornhinweg called took time to develop, 99 percent of the Chip Kelly offense will require the quarterback to release the ball within 1 to 2 seconds, a welcomed change to the fans who watched at their TVs on Sundays screaming “Throw the ball! Get rid of it!”
The ball can be delivered to the receiver within two seconds of the snap of the ball but the spread offense calls for more than just a receiver who can catch the ball. Yards after the catch (YAC) are an important trait for receivers in a spread offense to possess. DeSean Jackson is still one of the fastest players in the league and can make anyone miss in the open field. Jeremy Maclin has been known to go down with little contact but can excel with a little green in front of him. The Rams showed a few years ago that a dinking and dunking offense can work to an extent but eventually it can sputter out; three and five yard completions don’t add up to much if receivers are tackled immediately and not tacking on those deadly YAC yards.
Another big aspect of the spread offense, which the Eagles have already excelled at, is the screen pass. Not only to the running back out of the backfield but to receivers and tight ends as well. The Eagles have long been a dangerous team when a player gets the ball in his hands behind the likes of Todd Herremans or Evan Mathis, a trend that they can continue with Chip Kelly.
From the sounds of it so far, Nick Foles should be able to run the spread offense as well, right? One of the biggest pieces of the spread offense is the speed option. A pretty predictable, but effective play that spreads the offense out to one side after the snap of the ball with the ball in the quarterback’s hand and a running back behind him to toss it to if need be. Designed quarterback draws are also popular in the spread offense. These two types of plays are the only aspects of a spread offense that Nick Foles could have trouble succeeding with. However, with great short and medium throw accuracy, the passing aspects of the offense would greatly suit Foles.
The happiest player of the whole move may be LeSean McCoy. Looking at the stats of running backs under Chip Kelly, it is hard for one of the best backs in the league to hold back the salivation when thinking of what he can produce. Kenjon Barner ran for 1,700 yards and 21 touchdowns under Kelly in 2012 and in the three years previous, LaMichael James combined for over 5,000 yards and 50 touchdowns.
It is unlikely that any NFL running back will consistently put up numbers like that but it is no doubt that a positive spike in LeSean McCoy’s production could be coming. Kelly’s spread offense will have to adapt to the NFL. Becoming more and more a passing league, the quick slants, curls, and over the top play action plays that are currently in the spread offense repertoire will likely be utilized more in the NFL than in the college ranks.
With a large pay cut, Michael Vick could lead the 2013 Eagles with little to no adaptations made to Chip Kelly’s offense. With some changes made to accommodate the more gifted passer on the team, Nick Foles could be the quarterback in 2013.
Of course, the quarterback may be an unknown third party. The free agency market for quarterbacks is barren and the draft doesn’t possess a quarterback worthy of a fourth overall pick. Trading back and drafting a player like Geno Smith may be in the cards for the Eagles but, as Chip Kelly said, there is still a lot of evaluating to do on the roster and he will put the right players in the right positions to succeed. That sure sounds like an Andy Reid type of statement but hopefully it isn’t changed during his post game press conferences to “I have to put my players in a better position to succeed.”
The Chip is in place and the questions are starting. Who is the quarterback? Who leads the defense? How will this offense fare in the NFL? Many more questions will be answered in the coming weeks and months. For now, let the speculation commence.
Short URL: http://gcobb.com/?p=35635
Posted by Brenden Peddigree
on Jan 19 2013. Filed under BREAKING NEWS, Eagles, News.
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Ha Ha that Kaepernick experiment looks really good and that was his 10th career start. Jake you want to know what it is? Keep watching #7 for SF.
The Eagles is by far the worse team in the NFC and it’ll take them at lest 5 years to get to respectability let alone contend.
Flacco has one of the strongest arms in the NFL.. We’re going to have to draft a quarterback..
Anyone notice when the 49ers needed a critical play on were down in the Red-Zone where they went. Yes that’s right, they ran right at Falcon CB Assante
Samuel. on Gore’s 2TD’s, Samuel nowhere to be found
2 others first down runs by RB Hunger were right at Samuels side
He is a horrible Defender and by trading him to the Falcons, the Eagles were able to Draft RB Bryce Brown with that 7th Round Pick
Songs why do you keep posting on gcobb.com shouldnt you be on some Redskins website bitchin about Shanahan getting RG111 injured because he really wants Kirk Cousins as his QB;you know he prefers the white QB! If we are not gonna be anything for five years and you love the skins so much what the point of coming on here!
I dont understand people hating on Nick Foles,theres a difference between him and Kolb when you watch them play.Even when Kolb was throwing for 300 yards I did not like him because you could clearly see his weaknesses and I didnt think they were fixable.Starring at the rush and breaking the pocket early and his arm strength I just didnt think he had the heart to stare down the gun barrel.Nick Foles has great pocket awarness and is tough and accurate and throws on time.He just has to polish his game and get rid of the rookie mistakes.
Philly? what about Russell Wilson.
Do Kaepernick need to polish and get rid of rookie mistakes?
Do he need to polish and get rid of the rookie mistakes?
What about Jay Cutler?
Do he need to polish and get rid of the rookie mistakes.
I threw Cutler in there because he’s not a rookie but still do what he do..
suck ass.
The reality is that a player is what he is…and that’s what you should have learned with Kolb.
Players are what they are.
Look at Brady..He was good starting from the time he was thrown in.
Mcnabb was good from the time he was thrown in.
Even Aikman getting pummeled in his first season…He was making all the throws when he wasn’t laying on his back playing with a horrible team.
If Foles was surrounded by a mauling offensive like Baltimore and 2 strong imposing receivers like Baltimore…
A smash mouth coach like the Harbaugh’s then maybe he would have a chance operating as an efficient cog on offense like Alex Smith was with niners last season…but the Eagles don’t have the players or coach in place for Foles to just be efficient.
You need more than efficient to carry this team.
And you need a defense in place that gives the offense opportunity by taking the ball away in key points in the game…
That don’t exist in Philly.
So come on.
Get ready for multiple 3 and outs continually with an undersized offense, which translates to an undersized defense tiring out and getting run over by the 4th quarter.
See, I know you guys want to hate…But I’ve been right.
I was once like you before I woke up from the green cyanid laced green kool-aid and begin to look at things objectively.
Began to look at winning organizations and found this organization is fundamentally flawed compare to teams that build sustainable championship type product.
Now, these ass clowns are forcing Howie freakin Roseman down the fans throats.
Do you feel good about that?
Look at Ozzie Newsome in Baltimore….look at the Giants GM and scouting, look at the niners GM scouting.
I haven’t even mentioned the Steelers or New England.
Do you think Howie can outdo any of these GM’s on draft day?
Hell, even the Browns got a better GM in Lombardi..and they were able to convince Horton to run the “D” there.
So when I’m a pessimist it’s for good reason.
The Eagles brass takes away the possibility of hope..
They like to make the headlines in the offseason like the Chip Kelly hiring but in reality…every splash knocks the team further into obscurity.
Instead of Gimmicks, the Eagles could have hired a competent GM and a hard nosed coach without the gimmicks and they could have went after Horton to solidify the “D”.
But they’re the Eagles.
Right?
Haveacigar out puffin his chest about flacco, but flacco played great, made big throws when he had to, big plays in big moments, that’s the defining measure, I didn’t see it coming , kudos to flacco
He outplayed Brady last year as well! Hey when you are a hen you puff out your chest when one does well… Of course two hen QBs now have been in SB in recent memory!!!! Does any school have more?
Tell it to someone who cares Fraud….can’t you find any Deadskins fans to play with?? Go away loser, we don’t care what you have to say.
Foles is no Flacco….did you see that duck “foul” I mean Foles threw when Maclin was wide open in the end zone.
With the broken bone in is hand you mean Songs..
Songs youre a Deadskins fan so why do you care! Go away,us Eagles fans here no what the team need and dont need your hate! Have fun being a skins fan,I will always be an Eagles fan no matter what you say!
know what the team needs
Yeah Songs, you are correct! It may take the Eagles a lot longer than 5 years. The roster is flawed, no QB, and a defense which overdosed severely on the wide 9 scheme. There rehabilitation could be ongoing, for real! I won’t speak out on the O-line issues. Ask Mike Vick, Shady, and any other concussed player on that roster.