The Philadelphia Eagles made their second quarterback move of the offseason Thursday, signing ex-Baltimore Ravens practice squadder Dennis Dixon to a two-year contract -- three days after Philly restructured Michael Vick's deal. The moves indicates a potential three-way competition between Vick, Dixon and Nick Foles, though the Eagles could still move the latter via trade. Whether it's with the Eagles or another team, who starts the most NFL games in 2013: Michael Vick, Dennis Dixon or Nick Foles?
I think Michael Vick will start the most games for the Eagles this year at the quarterback position. Here's the main reason why: He's the best quarterback on the team.
Signing Dennis Dixon as a backup or third-stringer makes a ton of sense since he played for new Eagles head coach Chip Kelly at Oregon. He knows the system. He will be a major asset in the quarterback room and on the practice field. And I always liked his skill set. But he's a backup, at best.
For all of Vick's faults, he is still better than Nick Foles. The offensive line in Philly was a mess last year. The return of Jason Peters will help out Vick immensely.
I think Dennis Dixon gives Chip Kelly someone who knows the system, but I think he is too inconsistent a passer to be effective against NFL defenses. Michael Vick will be plagued by injury problems and won't stay healthy. Also, his inconsistency as a decision maker when faced with a pass rush leads to turnovers.
So I believe it will be Nick Foles. I think he is the best passer of the three quarterbacks, and ultimately, that is what you need to win in the NFL (along with dependability and health).
In my mind, the Eagles have done more than set up a three-way quarterback competition between Michael Vick, Dennis Dixon and Nick Foles -- they've also opened our eyes to some possibilities.
It appears that Vick and Dixon have the same skill set, though Vick is clearly more advanced. If it was a competition between the two of them, I'd say Vick would win. But it's the inclusion of Foles that makes me wonder whether they'll have a two-quarterback system.
Chip Kelly has never been shy about being creative. He's never worried about conventional wisdom. In my mind, he's setting up to use two quarterbacks in different looks, making his team even more difficult to prepare for.
While I think developing Nick Foles would be a better option for most football teams, my sense is Michael Vick will be the starter.
The competition should spark commitment from Vick, which would lead to more preparation and film time. He's never been known as a player who is the most prepared for "the game within the game." Obviously, he's more mature now, and at 32 years old, he understands the opportunity in front of him while still having the body to get it done. This might be his last go-round, yet he still has the combined physical ability and experience that Foles and Dennis Dixon lack.
We can't rule out Tony Graziani, Brady Leaf and Joey Harrington becoming part of this QB derby at some point. Here's Chip Kelly using his honeymoon period to play mad scientist, like plenty of coaches who come from college do. "I'm the only one who can make my former collegiate star a great NFL quarterback -- let's go get him!" It always happens. Then the head coach learns quickly that college isn't the NFL and has to adjust.
So is Dennis Dixon really going to start for Philadelphia? Of course not. His best-case scenario is to eventually be the No. 2, because either Vick or Foles is going to be traded at some point. It might not happen until after the draft, when every QB-hungry team who lost out on Alex Smith and didn't get one in a weak QB draft will start inquiring. The Eagles already tipped their hand as to who they'll keep when they intimated Friday that it'd take a lot to pry away Foles. That's the same thing as calling every GM in the league and telling them that Foles is available -- except this way you save on all those long-distance calls.
My money is on Vick staying and starting the majority of the games in Philadelphia. How does Nick Foles suddenly become a read-option QB? Answer: He doesn't. Vick has the potential to do it and will buy time until Kelly can acquire/draft his franchise QB.
Six weeks ago, Mike Vick didn't just have one foot out the door of Philly; he was looking at real estate listings in Kansas City and Phoenix. Then the Eagles hired Chip Kelly. Not long after that, the team offered Vick what he needed to return, and now they've doubled down on Dennis Dixon, another double-threat QB.
Bottom line: All signs point to the Eagles running an offense similar to the one we've watched over the past few years in Oregon. That means Nick Foles is now just a trading Chip for Kelly ... and a target for Andy Reid and John Dorsey, who will swing a deal to make Foles the Chiefs' starter for the entirety of 2013. Meantime, Vick will once again be The Man in Philly ... until he invariably gets hurt.
