Eagles' QB situation is no big deal

HEY, WANNA know what doesn't matter?

Which quarterback plays the first series of the Eagles' preseason opener tomorrow night vs. the Patriots.

As Chip Kelly explained yesterday, he never said he would christen either Michael Vick or Nick Foles as the No. 1 quarterback for the preseason opener.

"They're both going to get reps. So whoever takes the first rep, let's not anoint them as anything," the Eagles' coach said after yesterday's joint practice with the New England Patriots, the opponents for the preseason opener. "Someone's got to be the first guy. So we'll have a plan as a staff how many reps those guys will get, and we'll go from there. We do have to have someone start the game, but I wouldn't say the guy that starts the game is going to be the starter overall, in general, as we get going on Sept. 9," when the Eagles open the regular season at the Redskins.

What will matter for Sept. 9 is how Vick and Foles play tomorrow night, as Kelly's evaluation process enters its final phase. But no matter how evenly Kelly tries to divvy it up, it will be hard to keep all the variables the same for both QBs. The QB who takes the first series presumably plays against New England's starting defense. The other QB might or might not get many or any reps against Patriots' starters. There's also the question of how much exposure to injury Kelly wants to risk to his first-team offense, especially a ravaged wide receiving corps, just to make sure two quarterbacks get decent time with the starters. QB reps where you're throwing long to Nick Miller aren't quite the same as the ones where DeSean Jackson is on the receiving end.

Kelly acknowledged that yesterday, but said he felt the real No. 1 QB will move whatever group he's quarterbacking.

"The bottom line is which quarterback gives us the best ability to win . . . how do they respond when he's in there? I've been with guys when it didn't really matter the personnel group around him. He just seems to get them down the field.

"It's not, 'Hey, I didn't have the starting receiver, so it would have been good if I had them in.' Well, they may not be [available] in the [regular season] game, either. Which guy is going to give us the best chance to win the game is the decision. But the good way to gauge that is who is helping us move the ball in a productive manner."

Despite what he said about a true No. 1 finding a way to move the team, Kelly then clarified that the result of the drive isn't everything in QB evaluation.

"You've got to factor some things in. We've got a hell of a drive going, and two drops in a row, and the location of the ball is perfect. Well, that's not the quarterback's fault," Kelly said.

Vick said he understands that the preseason games - which Kelly has likened to a final exam at the end of a semester - could decide the competition.

"You can find yourself in situations where one game can make a difference, so it really finalizes the situation, as far as results and what you're looking for," Vick said. "I think [Kelly] has gone about this whole situation with the right mind-set, and we respect it. We're just going to keep battling every day in practice and keep competing."

There were reports yesterday stating Vick will start against the Pats. That wouldn't be a surprise, given that he is the returning starter, the most veteran Eagle at age 33, and a guy who has done and said the right things over the 2 months since he blurted out that he didn't like sharing first-team reps, and said he wished Kelly would decide before training camp.

"I feel good about where I'm at," Vick said. "There's always things to work on. Every practice, regardless of how good it may seem, you can always find errors and mistakes that can be corrected."

There has not been a big difference, this week or any week, between Vick's passing performance and Foles'. In fact, observers were startled to see Foles run a credible read-option yesterday against the Pats, making the defensive end bite before throwing a short pass to a wide-open receiver.

Neither Vick nor Foles has been on the level of Tom Brady this week; if either of them were, we wouldn't be talking about any sort of competition. But both moved the team pretty well against New England in the last 2 days of practice. Both have connected on long bombs over the Patriots' defense.

"In my mind, there's no statement in who comes out first," Foles said yesterday. "If it's me, I know Mike's going to be there cheering me on. If it's Mike, I'm going to be right there cheering him on and helping him in any way possible. We're all on the same page, we're pushing each other every day in practice to become better players, but we're also being great teammates to one another out of the locker room and in the locker room. That's really important. It's been a good experience for both of us."

Vick said he would play the same way, regardless.

"We haven't even thought that far," Vick said, when asked about starting. "For me, at the end of the day, it's just playing football and regardless of who you're out there with, you need to be at your best and you've got to bring the best out of them."

Before camp, Jackson said he guessed Vick would win the job. Asked again yesterday, Jackson said: "Every day they go out there and do a great job, honestly . . . Whoever wins the starting position, I definitely won't be mad, not slightly, a little bit."

Click here for complete coverage of Philadelphia Eagles training camp.

Blog: ph.ly/Eagletarian