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There is some disturbing talk on the airwaves about next season: if Michael Vick keeps going on the path he is on so far, piling up yards and points, then Chip Kelly will have no choice but to keep him on the roster.
Kelly has shown so far that he is learning how to coach in this league. His first two games have not been perfect. His offense has shown flashes of brilliance and the defense is weak, pretty much what fans expected coming into this season. If he keeps Vick next year, regardless of his performance, he will be making a huge mistake.
Kelly has shown an affinity for former Oregon Ducks players with Casey Matthews, Patrick Chung and Jeff Maehl. He has ignored this publicly, but you can’t ignore the fact that none of the three players have any real validated skills to contribute to the team. With this knowledge, I’m taking a step here to identify the next quarterback of the Philadelphia Eagles: Marcus Mariota.
Mariota is the current Ducks signal-caller in his sophomore season. He is built for the Kelly system and has had success last season and this season so far. He knows the system inside and out, immediately bringing more knowledge to the table than Vick. Mariota would have to get himself into the draft as a sophomore, but there is no reason to think Kelly wouldn’t give him a call.
There are other quarterback options in the draft, but we don’t know where the Eagles will end up in the standings. It is a weak NFC East, and there is no reason to think that a 7-9 or 8-8 record is out of the question. If that happens, it eliminates the top choices in the draft class.
With the weakness of the defense, Kelly would be wise to use top picks on that side of the ball anyway. Don’t be surprised to see Mariota in an Eagles’ uniform next season as Kelly continues to lay the groundwork for his franchise and offensive system of the future.
Matt Shaner is a Philadelphia Eagles writer for www.RantSports.com. Follow him on Twitter @MDShanersports, “Like” him on Facebook or add him to your network on Google
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