Tim Tebow, Mark Sanchez or Sam Bradford: Who Should Philadelphia Eagles Start at Quarterback?
The Philadelphia Eagles had a wild offseason filled with trades, signings and roster cuts. LeSean McCoy and Nick Foles are no longer on the team; however Chip Kelly brought in DeMarco Murray to carry the rock.
Without a doubt the biggest position question mark right now for the City of Brotherly Love is quarterback. Donovan McNabb isn't walking through those doors. Tim Tebow, Mark Sanchez and Sam Bradford highlight this Eagles set of passers. This Eagles trio has its fair set of flaws, but there are positive attributes to consider as well.
Here, we make the case for each quarterback as the starter this upcoming season.
Case For Tim Tebow
If Tebow was going to succeed anywhere in today's NFL, this would be the place to do it. Tebow is an outstanding running quarterback who averages more than 60 rushing yards per start. It's no secret that Kelly wanted Oregon quarterback Marcus Mariota because of his mobility. For comparison proposes, Tebow has a better passer rating (75.3 to 74.1) than Sanchez, and he has a much superior touchdown to interception ratio. Tebow has 17 passing touchdowns and nine interceptions while Sanchez has 82 passing touchdowns and 80 interceptions.
There's no doubt Tebow can do more with less when compared to Sanchez, but he just may be a better option than Bradford as well. Bradford is a former No. 1 overall pick, who coincidentally played against Tebow in the 2009 BCS Title game. Unfortunately, Bradford has torn his ACL the last two seasons.
Case For Mark Sanchez
Sanchez may not be regarded as a top tier quarterback in this league, but he does have one big advantage over both Tebow and Bradford; experience. Bradford and Tebow have started a combined 65 regular season games. Sanchez has started 70 regular season games. Tebow and Bradford have started a combined two playoff games, while Sanchez has started six. Sanchez has his ups and (a lot of) downs, but he has by far the most quarterback snaps on the Eagles roster.
Perhaps the biggest factor to consider with Sanchez is the system. Sanchez played under Kelly with the Eagles last season, so he's very familiar with this team, the NFC East, and the Eagles playbook. For Sanchez it's not, Can he grasp the offense? It's just, Can he perform and make the throws?
Case For Sam Bradford
The case for Bradford is simple: He's the best pure pocket passing quarterback on the roster. Bradford has the highest passer rating, completion percentage, and averages the most yards per game of any Eagles quarterback. The biggest issue with Bradford is health. The former No. 1 overall pick out of Oklahoma has torn his ACL the last two seasons.
Still, the Eagles gave up a lot for Bradford. They traded away Nick Foles and a potential second round pick to acquire him. Bradford isn't very mobile, but he can make accurate throws in the pocket.
Who should the Eagles start at quarterback? Vote in our NFL fan poll below.
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