The Linc - Understanding the Eagles' QB Situation

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Brandon Boykin dominated Victor Cruz, and did other good stuff - JimmyK, Philly.com
The Eagles might have somebody who can cover Victor Cruz now. That would of course be Brandon Boykin. Sunday wasn't the first time that Boykin covered Cruz, but this time, Boykin felt more prepared. "Coming into today, explained Boykin, "having already guarded him twice in my career, I kind of had a feel for what he would do, and his moves."

Understanding the QB Situation - Tommy Lawlor, Iggles Blitz
Chip Kelly is balancing short term and long term goals. Vick isn’t part of the long term plans. But he played well this summer. You have to reward him for that. Kelly doesn’t want to send the message to his players that results will be ignored when they conflict with age, salary and/or draft status. Kelly preaches the importance of competition. In order for players to believe this, Kelly must reward the players who earn roles. Vick won the job this summer, but that doesn’t mean he’s entitled to keep the job. Foles finished 2nd in the QB competition, but that doesn’t mean he can’t steal the job away from Vick. Foles also could lose his spot to Matt Barkley. You judge players on how they play. You don’t ignore track records and what happened previously that year, but you try to stay in the moment as best you can. That’s fair to all players involved and also keeps you from blindly sticking by someone that is struggling at that moment.

Game Review: Eagles Offense Vs. Giants - Sheil Kapadia, Birds 24/7
Nick Foles came in on the final drive of the first half. He too showed some inconsistencies, but played well considering the circumstances. Foles found LeSean McCoy matched up against a linebacker and hit him for a 12-yard gain on 3rd-and-4 in the second. He lofted one to Jackson for 21 yards to set up the field goal before halftime. In the third, Foles made a nice throw to McCoy while rolling to his right for an 11-yard completion on third down. He looked for Jackson deep one-on-one and got a 27-yard pass interference penalty. He did a nice job of stepping up in the pocket and avoiding edge pressure all game long. On one specific play, he found Jason Avant for a 22-yard catch and run. Later, he did the same thing, finding Jackson on a crosser on third down. Foles threw a beautiful ball to Brent Celek for a 25-yard touchdown. The Eagles ran play-action, and Foles’ pass traveled 40 yards in the air before it dropped into Celek’s hands. Foles also made a perfect throw on the 5-yard touchdown to Jackson.

Is The Eagles Defense One Competent Safety Away From Success? - Brian Solomon, McNabb or Kolb
The Eagles defense has a lot of problems, but the biggest mistakes all came from the two safeties. I'd venture that without those, the Eagles might have held the Giants to only 7 or 10 points. That's why I wonder how much better this defense would be with just one competent safety. Getting Patrick Chung healthy again will certainly help some, but I'm already looking ahead to the 2014 free agent class. Jairus Byrd? Donte (W)Hitner? An above-average player at that position would do wonders for this team.

Eagle Eye In The Sky: New Wrinkles - Fran Duffy, PE.com
One thing Tampa Bay likes to do with Revis in the fold now is play a coverage that not many talk about, a Quarter-Quarter-Half coverage. Above, you’ll see an example of that. At the top of the screen, you’ll see the Bucs are playing "quarters" coverage, meaning the two defensive backs are splitting their half of the field into two quarters. Those two players are Banks (at the top), who has the area between the sideline and the numbers, and the safety Goldson (the second circle from the top of the screen), who is responsible for the numbers to the hash. At the bottom, you’ll see safety Ahmad Black (who has since been released), who has his half of the field to himself. Underneath, you see Revis manned one-on-one with Arizona Cardinals star wide receiver Larry Fitzgerald, who is all alone on "Revis Island."

McLane's Game Review: Grading the Eagles vs. Giants - Jeff McLane, Inquirer
Foles did a nice job jumping in for Vick and guiding the Eagles to a field goal before the half. He was shaky for most of the third quarter, but rebounded in the fourth and finished short drives with two perfect touchdown passes. It was a very small sample, but Foles appeared to get rid of the ball quicker than Vick and made some throws before receivers went into their breaks. His 25-yard loft to Brent Celek was one example, as was a 5-yard touchdown fade to Jackson on a stop-and-go corner route that sealed the victory.

Can Nick Foles win starting job? Maybe - Reuben Frank, CSN Philly
And you thought the competition for the Eagles’ starting quarterback job ended when Chip Kelly named Michael Vick the starter in August? Maybe not. Kelly said Monday that if Nick Foles plays well enough in place of the injured Vick, he could conceivably remain the Eagles’ starting quarterback once Vick is healthy.

More from Bleeding Green Nation:

• NFC East Standings Report - NFL Week 5
• Michael Vick Injury: Eagles QB is Day-to-Day
• Philadelphia Eagles Week 5 PFF Grades: Vick, Foles graded positively
• Michael Vick injury: QB expected to miss Sunday's game against the Buccaneers, per report
• Chip Kelly rules Philadelphia
• Week 5 Report Card: Referees are awful but Eagles beat Giants