Howard Smith-USA TODAY Sports
If QB Michael Vick wanted to have any shot at solidifying the Philadelphia Eagles’ starting quarterback spot, he would have needed to perform lights-out on Friday night in the Birds’ 2013 preseason opener against the New England Patriots.
And the wily vet did just that.
Vick wasted absolutely no time in showing new Eagles head coach Chip Kelly, his teammates, his fans and anybody else who cared to tune-in, that he is still an elite play-maker.
On the Eagles’ first offensive series, Vick hooked up with the always electrifying WR DeSean Jackson on a beautiful 47-yard touchdown pass. Vick was only on the field for his Birds’ first two drives, as expected, but was still able to rack up 94 passing yards and a touchdown through the air on just four completions (five attempts).
Even though assumed backup QBs Nick Foles and Matt Barkley certainly performed up to par, Vick was the obvious victor in the Eagles’ first meaningful QB battle. Foles’ had a shockingly (please note tremendous sarcasm) boring showing in the contest, completing five of six passes for 43 yards. He recorded an equally boring zero touchdowns.
While Barkley avoided mistakes and looked fairly comfortable on the NFL stage, he was only able to complete half of his passes (11 of 22) for a very modest 103 passing yards. To put the rookie’s output in true perspective; Vick threw for just 9 less yards than Barkley on 17 fewer passing attempts.
Surprisingly, Vick did not record a single rushing try during the Friday night exhibition. While this may very well be for no reason at all, it would make sense for Coach Kelly to try and keep Vick out of harm’s way as much as possible in his first live action.
While the Eagles’ 2013 quarterback competition is certainly not over just yet, I would be truly shocked if Coach Kelly chose anybody but Vick to lead his Birds into battle when the 2013 regular season kicks off.
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