The timeline for naming a quarterback in Philadelphia has been a hot topic of late.
Michael Vick wants to know if he’s going to be the Eagles’ starting quarterback as soon as possible and wide receiver DeSean Jackson is eager to find out who will be throwing him passes during the 2013 season. Coach Chip Kelly has been resolute about not making a decision until he sees Vick and Nick Foles at training camp, something that guard Evan Mathis agrees is the most prudent approach for a team still installing a new offense under a new coaching staff.
“I haven’t been evaluating our quarterbacks because I’m focused on the offensive line but I really don’t see the point of Chip Kelly naming a starting QB before camp,” Mathis said, via the Associated Press. “This is an entirely new coaching staff with an entirely new offense, which isn’t even fully installed yet. It’s not rocket science; whoever the coaches feel will help the team the most will win the job after proving himself in training camp and preseason.”
Mathis may have just been toeing the party line, but his answer and Kelly’s repeated answers to questions about the quarterback timeline continue to make the most sense.
Even as he was pushing for a decision to come before camp, Jackson said that the competition has been even to this point. That’s a much stronger argument for holding off than anything Jackson or Vick have provided for moving forward with a decision right now, especially since training camp will introduce different wrinkles to the competition than the Eagles have seen thus far.
