I’ve said it before and I’m going to say it again, at this moment right now, Mark Sanchez is the Eagles starting quarterback and he’s got the confidence of his teammates because they know he can execute this offense. They’ve seen him do it. Sam Bradford on the other hands, has to get himself healthy, regain his confidence and prove to his teammates that he can do the job at the quarterback position. He has the training camp and the preseason games to prove it.
Chip Kelly can’t roll Bradford out there as the starter unless he wins the job in front of his teammates. If Sanchez is outplaying Bradford, all the guys on the offense will know it. 
Bradford has to at least play as well as Sanchez in the preseason and I don’t know if he’s going to be prepared to go into the preseason games in live action and do it.
Remember there’s going to be a lot on Bradford’s plate in a week and a half. First, he has to master Chip Kelly’s offense. I know he’s supposed to be smart as a whip, but he still has to master the offense. He wasn’t executing it flawlessly during the OTA’s and mini-camp.
Secondly, he has to regain the confidence in his right knee, which he has hurt in each of the last two seasons. He’s got to get into live action with big 300 pound guys falling around his legs, and he has to keep his concentration downfield and deliver the football. How will he feel when he gets hammered the first time? How will he feel when he right leg gets hit the first time? These are all tests Bradford has to past this summer.
Thirdly, former Pro Bowl quarterback and Super Bowl MVP Kurt Warner let us know that Bradford has to regain confidence in his ability to make plays downfield. Warner said Bradford had become “a check down Charlie”. “Check down Charlies” only throw the ball to their short and underneath receivers, rather than holding the ball a little longer and looking downfield for open receivers. You must have courage to stand strong in the pocket and the confidence in your arm to get the ball downfield to open receivers.
Bradford has to regain his confidence in both of these areas. He has a lot on his plate and he’s got to perform here in Philadelphia, which isn’t St. Louis. St. Louis is a baseball town. They don’t care about the Rams. Things are different here in Philadelphia. If you’re the Eagles quarterback, you’ve got some responsibility on your shoulders. Bradford will need to get used to that.
I’ve been impressed that Sanchez decided to stay here in Philadelphia. He got a taste of the city when he threw those costly interceptions last year, but he decided to remain an Eagle. Sanchez can handle the pressure of being the quarterback of the Philadelphia Eagles and everything that goes with it.
It’s Wednesday July 22nd and there are 11 days until the Eagles report to camp.
Which Eagles quarterback do you think is the most confident they can run this offense, stay healthy in 2015 and quarterback the Eagles to the playoffs? Bradford or Sanchez?
On another note, Sanchez couldn’t have been pleased by what his former teammate Darrelle Revis had to say about him in a Sports Illustrated interview. According to the New York Post, Revis took a machete to the reputation of his former teammate.
“We almost made it [in 2009 and ’10], and we didn’t have a quarterback,” Revis said. “Mark was solid. He wasn’t elite.”
I can’t agree with Revis’ criticism of Sanchez. Remember that the young quarterback was a rookie in 2009 and in only his second season in 2010. Yes he may not have been one of the league’s best quarterbacks in the regular season, but Sanchez stepped his game up in the playoffs.
Revis is criticizing the most impressive accomplishments on the resume of Sanchez. Think about this. In his rookie and second seasons as a quarterback for the New York Jets, he took his teams to AFC Championship games and had some outstanding numbers in those games.
CSNPhilly.com highlighted his stats in the postseason for the Jets and to be honest with you I was very impressed with his numbers. Sanchez had a 4-2 record as a starter. He completed 60.5% of his passes with nine touchdown throws and three interceptions for a 94.3 QB rating. That’s championship quarterbacking by a guy who was in his rookie year and second season in the NFL.
Compare the Sanchez resume in the NFL to Bradford’s time in the league.
Correct me if Im wrong. Sanchez never played in Chips offense last year and was out of football for 2 years and was great in preseason. Foles never played in Chips offense the year before and looked great his first year. Vick went to Washington never played in this offense and lit them up. Then why in the world wouldn’t Bradford follow the same path? Hes the only one that actually has played in a hurry up offense on his resume.
I think I have been saying this all off-season that Sanchez will be the Opening Day Starter… I don’t expect Bradford to be a 100% Healthy and up to speed 100% with Kelly’s System for another 6-7 Weeks or so…
It would not surprise me to see Bradford only play a limited amount of snaps
In 1 or 2 Preseason Games towards the end of Camp..
This was a terrible move by Kelly who will cut his losses quickly if Bradford is not 100% comitted to getting healthy and learning his System…
One of the big knocks about Bradford while in St Louis is that he and his handlers were always tentative about his return and never wanted to get blackout there until he was 100%.. Well guess what Agent Mr Tom Condon, rarely are NFL Players ever 100% healthy and especially when the real Season rolls around… Players have to learn how to play with and thru the pain, it’s a part of the game and yes, especially at QB where they are the leaders and face of the Team, whether they like it or not… Philadelphia is probably one of the 4-5 Harshest Cities with Demands from Fans/Local Media that Bradford could have ended up with… This is not going to end up well for Bradford, Chip Kelly, the Eagles or us Fans…
There paying him 13million hes,playing barring injury + they gave up a 2nd Rd pick and a young qb that cost near to nothing so yes if he’s healthy he’s playing no matter what.
Well Chip should have thought of these things before making the Deal..
Why Do you think the Rams gave up on Bradford..They could have easily let him try to make 1 more attempt at proving his worth to them.. Hell, the Rams already paid over $55 Million to him since 2010 ,with very little in return to show for it, so what’s 1 more Year at $13 Million..
This is the main thing about Sam Bradford.. It’s Heart or Passion or the lack of it that Sam Bradford has.. You’ve heard many postives about him after the Deal was made because he is a very likeable and talented Player so we hear of his Quick Release, his High Football IQ, His Accuracy.. but as sure as I am sitting here, no one is confident about his leadership, his confidence, his mental toughness and that’s why Coach Fisher and GM Snead gave up on him and decided now was the time to start afresh with another QB..
The Eagles and Kelly got snookered BFT..
Sam Bradford was not going to re-sign with the Rams, thus creating a year long distraction. So the F/O was willing to let him walk, if they could get value for him – and they did –
Bradford didn’t feel he had the protection, and weapons to be successful with the Rams, and verbally let his feelings be known.
Nothing to do with his heart, passion, or confidence. He had no more loyalty to the Rams and their vision.
The real sad thing is that if Chip Kelly had a pulse of what was happening around the NFL, he could have waited for a few weeks for the Rams were about to release Bradford and then could have pursued Bradford as a Free-Agent and the could have Traded Foles for a Draft Pick in Return …
Kelly panicked and gave up too much for a $13 Million Salary in 2015 QB who has underachieved most of his NFL Career
They are still laughing in St Louis at the heist they pulled over on Kelly
You may have a point Paul. That 2nd round pick would have been valuable to us..
Figuring the 2015 Eagles Finish with 8-9-10 Wins puts them anywhere from Selecting 16th-24th in each Round meaning that 2016 2nd Round Pick will be around the #46-#54 Overall Pick and especially if Bradford is a one and done Player for the Eagles and bolts after 2015 or is a bust or gets injured then losing that Pick is really a Killer and was unnecessary …
Right now the Eagles have their 1st Pick (#17-#22 Range) and then Two
3rd Round Picks (their Own and Detroit’s Pick which figure to be in that 80th-90th Range) which leaves about 60 good Players off the Board from their 1st Round PIck to when they Draft again in the 3rd Round…
Chances are LB M Kendricks, CB B Boykin and DE C Thornton all book Via Free-Agency …
2016 draft targets:
1st Round Targets – Ronnie Stanley – Notre Dame – OT – 6-6 315 or
Tyler Boyd – Pittsburgh – WR – 6-3 212 or
Tony Connor – Ole Miss – S – 6-2 214
2nd Round – Vadal Alexander – LSU – OG – 6-5 340
3rd Round – Le Raven Clark – Texas Tech – OT/OG – 6-3 315
Jacoby Brissett – NC State – QB – 6-3 239
Free Agent Targets – Trent Williams OT, Kelechi Osemele OG,
Aldon Smith OLB, Trumaine Johnson CB
Paul and cliff just invented second round picks for next year. Also I believe the fraud has predictions now ranging from 5-10 wins…too funny
Where did I Invent a 2016 2nd Round Pick for the Eagles ?
When did I post 5 Wins for 2015 Eagles?
I’ve stated 7-9 Wins Range pretty much all Off-Season (10 is a possibility if all things fall there way) but I’ll throw out the low & high and narrow it to a 8-9 Win Season which is the most likely scenario and won’t be good enough to make the Post-Season
Good Players GMCliff
OT Stanley from Notre Dame is probably a Top # 10 Pickas he’s regarded as the Best OT inCollege Football
WR is a position the Eagles could be pretty set at if Agholor plays as expected and 2nd Year WR J Huff Develops to joinMatthews to go along with some young WR in Camp inBailey, Davis & Harris so I don’t see the going WR with their first Pick…
I think some are just riding the side of Optimism with Josh Huff. He is a nice KR only to me. Tyler Boyd would solidify the receiving Core – He is everything that Riley Cooper is not.
I like the combination of receiving talent with Matthews Aghalor, and Boyd, than Matthews Aghalor, and Huff..
Tony Conner, has some work to do as well, but is IMO, the best of the bunch, – He is Dawkins like, with more speed – and would go nice next to Malcolm Jenkins.
and the O-line will have to be addressed this offseason – Peters has probably one more good year in him. They have to bring in a Free Agent or draft one.
Paul, Laramy Tunsil, of Ole Miss, is considered the best OT in this years draft if he comes out. I like Stanley because he is bigger, and just about, as athletic.
Isn’t Tunsil having some issues at Ole Miss about taking improper $$$ from an Agent and may be ruled ineligible to play this Year… Stanley will go Top #5
Sam Khan Jr., ESPN Staff Writer
Ole Miss is investigating allegations of rules violations made by the stepfather of offensive tackle Laremy Tunsil, the school said in a statement released on Monday.
The school also said it is fully cooperating with the NCAA regarding the accusations made by Lindsey Miller, Tunsil’s stepfather, about potential rules violations. The men were both arrested for an altercation that occurred between the two last month and led to Miller and Tunsil pressing domestic violence charges against each other.
“The University of Mississippi Department of Athletics is aware of the allegations made by Laremy Tunsil’s stepfather regarding potential NCAA violations involving Laremy,” the statement said. “As we do with any allegation, we initiated an internal investigation last week and have offered the NCAA our full cooperation.
We take the obligations to the NCAA and SEC very seriously, and we will continue to educate, monitor and enforce all applicable rules. Any other reports are speculation until the process is complete.”
Paul, it sounds like the Step Father was just being vindictive, and wanted to hurt his status as a pro. I hope it does. It will hopefully give the Eagles an opportunity to draft him…..But, it may not be true.
Thnx for the INfo GMCliff… Most Reports have Tunsil as probably the most Athletic OT with the best upside as potential dominant Player at the NFL where
Notre Dame’s Stanley is regarded as the safest and probably the most plug in & play ready Player from Day 1 …
Of course they have to play this Season so lets see how they Play with the Hype and Scrutiny that comes with be Pre-Season All Americans,,
There’s a big OT from Mich State whose name escapes me who has GM excited about his Prospects.. .
Eagles will need to Draft J Peters Replacement with their Top Pick come 2016 I believe or possibly that Safety from Florida State ..
Paulman, you are thinking about Mich. State OT Jack Conklin, highly rated prospect.
That’s him EHL, He’s a Beast and would love to see him with the Eagles..
Jason Peters has probably 2015/2016 Seasons left in his Tank.. Draft Conklin in 2016 and let him learn and sit behind Peters/Lane Johnson for a Season and then be ready to take over in 2017.. Maybe LJ switchs to LT and Conklin plays RT… Either way, hes a good player to add along the OL…
Cripes. These are just the same recycled articles with all the same people saying all of the same things. I feel like this blog should go on hiatus until camp starts because there is really nothing to talk about.
EXCEPT for Aaron Nola. First game that I actually watched on tv all season. Looked good although it was against a bad team. He was around the plate all night. Got squeezed a little in my opinion.
I will say this much if Bradford is healthy all yr he has no excuses he has 3 very good rbs young up and coming wr cor and the next big thing in ertz plus his best oline yet he has has had as well as the best coaches he has had so if he plays all 16 games he better have like 30+ td passes with only about 12 ints other wise his career is over..
Ive stated all along,this was a heist job.Jeff fischer made the pawn of Cleveland feigning interest in sami am,turn a light bulb on in chips mind.He figured if he had two ones (his and clevelands ) he could pry Mariotta free .If given truth serum ;hed admit as much.His not resigning sam isa tell tale sign ,that was his intention all along.He misplayed his hand ,took on 12 pus million and a 2nd (non conditional)in another stupid GM move.The worst case scenario is still to be played out ,if Foles plays like two years ago vs NFC West defenses..the offensive coordinatorfs head shurmur is clearly in the cross hairs as he sold chip on his love of Sam.
Fisher & GM Snead took advantage of a newbie GM Kelly just like they did the Redskins on the RG3 Deal…
The Reality is that GM Kelly needs to pay more attention around the NFL on what other Teams are thinking,needing and doing and can’t be in his own little world for he has to have relationships with other GM around the NFL if he ever wants to make good Deals
If Kelly was unable or unwilling to ascertain from the Titans on what the Cost of that #2 Pick would have been, then the entire QB Charade of Foles, Bradford & the Browns was a waste of time
If Bradford falters or sustain an Injury then who is Eagles QB Target for 2016?
Chip Kelly isn’t getting 10-12-14 Years like AR did.. If Eagles are not contending for a deep Playoff run by the 2016 Season, then Kelly will be a goner after his 5 Year Deal is up.. Pressure is all on Kelly.. Let’s see if he’s worth it and can handle the Pressure …
Fisher & GM Snead took advantage of a newbie GM Kelly just like they did the Redskins on the RG3 Deal…
The Reality is that GM Kelly needs to pay more attention around the NFL on what other Teams are thinking,needing and doing and can’t be in his own little world for he has to have relationships with other GM around the NFL if he ever wants to make good Deals
If Kelly was unable or unwilling to ascertain from the Titans on what the Cost of that #2 Pick would have been, then the entire QB Charade of Foles, Bradford & the Browns was a waste of time
If Bradford falters or sustain an Injury then who is Eagles QB Target for 2016?
Chip Kelly isn’t getting 10-12-14 Years like AR did.. If Eagles are not contending for a deep Playoff run by the 2016 Season, then Kelly will be a goner after his 5 Year Deal is up.. Pressure is all on Kelly.. Let’s see if he’s worth it and can handle the Pressure …
Russell Wilson could be chips target..
wilson won’t be available for at least two years if EVER!
WHere are you getting 2 Years HAC..
RW and his Agent have clearly stated to the Seahawks that if no long-term Deal is made , that he will not return or sign a “Franchise Tag” and play on a 1 Year Deal come 2016.. Now the Seahawks have the Right to Franchise but if your leader and face of the Franchise doesn’t want to be Tagged then they either have to sign him beforehand or move on from him, they aren’t going to drag him for 2 Years on back to back Franchise Tags.. in fact the NFL and Players Union are about ready to get rid of the Franchise Tags all together just for this very reason..
Oh that’s right fraud you have no idea how negotiations work because you don’t live in the real world. I will teach you a vocab word…. Ready…. ‘Posturing’ =saying or doing things to help your bargaining position . If you think they leave $18m on the table, sit for a year than you are crazier than I originally thought. So by your analysis he isn’t available for 3 years… This one and two franchise years…. Now you are saying they’d leave $36m on the table … Right! Maybe he can go play single A ball
2015 will be Russell Wilson’s Final Season as a Seahawk, unless they break the Bank for him between now and the Start of this Season with a New Deal at $25 Million Per Season for 5 Years with $75 Million in Guaranteed $$$ .. If not he will move on…
Wilson and his Managers/Agents and the NFL Office will not allow this “Franchise Tag” System to keep a Marquee Player stuck to a Team when he doesn’t want to be there and the when the Team is not making a honest effort to Sign him… That’s my Story and I am sticking with it..
The Jets, Eagles or Redskins will be the Major Players for Wilson come next Off-Season for that’s what Best for Wilson and the NFL whether its by Free-Agency or some type of Trade ..