Eagles' Barkley ready if needed
Quarterback Matt Barkley, who will back up Mark Sanchez against Carolina Monday night, said he's 'progressed' since last year.
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IN AN IDEAL scenario, Mark Sanchez will get through Monday's night game against the Carolina Panthers and Eagles fans won't have to worry that Matt Barkley is the backup quarterback.
Still in an ideal scenario, Nick Foles would not have a broken collarbone and the Eagles' quarterback depth chart would not be so drastically altered.
In the NFL, being one play away from being the starter isn't a cliché but a reality.
Barkley didn't inspire a lot of confidence last season as a backup when he made three appearances and threw for 300 yards with four interceptions and a passer rating of 44.6.
Yesterday, the second-year quarterback said he's considerably more prepared to play should he have to replace Sanchez.
"I've progressed so much since when the public saw me last year," Barkley said. "Even from a health standpoint, my shoulder is finally healed. My [throwing] motion is back to where it should be.
"I've grown a lot this offseason in terms of overall position in the offense. I'm accustomed to what [Eagles coach Chip Kelly's] mindset is and how he wants quarterbacks to play. It's definitely a big difference from 2013.''
Barkley's role at practice this week has changed from being the scout-team quarterback to getting "Eagle reps" as the next guy into the huddle.
"I was more of the help-the-defense quarterback," Barkley said. "Scout team, that was my role. Now it's more game-day preparation because you are one play away.
"I feel more prepared than ever to do the best for this team and support [Sanchez] in whatever way is needed."