Michael Vick will get the start for the Philadelphia Eagles for the preseason opener against the New England Patriots on Friday night. But head coach Chip Kelly is open to experimenting, because Nick Foles will get the start for the second preseason game of the season, when Philadelphia hosts Carolina on Thursday, August 16th.
The quarterback situation with the Eagles is well-documented. Vick and Foles have battled back and forth in the competition. Now we can add in rookie Matt Barkley, though Barkley will likely be the third-string quarterback behind Vick and Foles, in whichever order they may fall.
Kelly laid out the plan for the New England game – Vick and Foles will both play in the first quarter. Following that, Barkley will come in for the second quarter and the third quarter to take the snaps. Dennis Dixon and G.J. Kinne will close the game out.
Expect there to be plenty of attention paid to both Vick and Foles, with the competition about as wide open as it could be right now.
For the quarterbacks, the preseason games will have the feel of a regular season, because their performance rides on whether or not they will see the field come Week 1. Of course, it’s likely that the quarterback conversation will continue in Philadelphia even on into September and beyond, unless one quarterback separates themselves from the other by quite a bit.
You can catch the Patriots vs. Eagles preseason game on NFL Network starting at 7:30pm ET to watch it all unfold.