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Amidst all of the chatter about Chip Kelly’s culture, and his apparent issues with landlords and rent, there’s another storyline circulating around the Philadelphia Eagles that I don’t understand.
There seems to be some question about who will be the opening day quarterback between Sam Bradford and Mark Sanchez. Of course, people need something to talk about with their team of choice during this time of year, but don’t take this discussion too seriously. There is zero competition at quarterback here.
Provided he doesn’t suffer a setback of any kind, Bradford will be the Eagles’ starting quarterback come September. The writing was on the wall even when Nick Foles was still here and Sanchez re-signed. Sanchez may have gotten an inflated contract, but you have to remember that a large chunk of that money is conditional to him starting games.
Conditional money like that does not speak to the certainty of Sanchez being the team’s clear-cut starter. That kind of money speaks to an “if” situation — if Bradford gets hurt, if you play at all, if you start, etc. Too many ifs exist in that sentence.
Meanwhile, Kelly trades Foles and a second-round pick for Bradford and his fully guaranteed $13 million salary. First, Kelly doesn’t trade his starter in Foles for a backup. Secondly, Kelly doesn’t trade a second-round pick with Foles for a backup. Thirdly, Kelly doesn’t trade his starter for a $13 million backup. Kelly may be unconventional, but he still has to play within the rules of finance and making smart decisions with that money. Fourthly, someone please remind me what Sanchez did so well last year that warrants him being the starter?
Sanchez is a good game manager, maybe the second best game manager behind Alex Smith. But game managers don’t win you games unless you’ve got an elite defense or something to pick up that slack. Without that, a quarterback can’t be just a normal piece of the puzzle. They need to be the piece that brings everything together. Bradford gives the Eagles that kind of potential; Sanchez can only keep his seat warm for him if he can’t be out there.
So don’t get caught up in trying to decipher Kelly’s comments about who has the starting edge. Bradford had it from the moment he set foot off the plane, and unless he screws it up for himself, he’s not going to lose it to Sanchez. Instead of wasting your time reading too far into this, spend that time trying to see what Kelly’s apartment looked like. That should prove to be far more interesting.
Doug Green is a Featured Writer for www.RantSports.com covering the Philadelphia Eagles and the NFL. Follow him on Twitter @DGreenNFL.
