So when do they build the Tim Tebow statue next to the Rocky statue in Philadelphia?
Tebowmania has gripped the City of Brotherly Love. The rock star quarterback received a loud ovation from Eagles fans when he entered Sunday’s preseason game against the Indianapolis Colts, and he sent the Philly faithful home happy when he ran seven yards for a touchdown with two minutes left in the Eagles’ 36-10 victory.
All this euphoria, however, is masking the reality that the Eagles are entering the 2015 season with a huge question mark at quarterback.
There sure were plenty of “Rocky” sequels. But if there’s going to be a Tebowmania II, the former Bronco and Jet has his work cut out for him just to beat out Matt Barkley for the No. 3 quarterback slot. Barkley, who is entering his third season, completed 12 of 20 passes Sunday for 192 yards with an interception while Tebow completed six of 12 for 69 yards and was sacked sacked three times.
Moving up the depth chart, the numbers don’t get any better. Mark Sanchez started the game and was 2-for-7 for 52 yards and a touchdown. That touchdown came on a screen pass in which rookie Nelson Agholor had to leap to pluck Sanchez’s poorly thrown ball out of the air before finishing off the 34-yard score.
Sam Bradford, listed as the starter, didn’t play in the game. It’s a good idea for Eagles coach Chip Kelly to minimize Bradford’s preseason exposure. He tore his ACL in a preseason game last year, the same one that forced him to miss the last nine games of the 2013 season.
PHILADELPHIA, PA – AUGUST 16: Quarterbacks Tim Tebow #11 and Sam Bradford #7 of the Philadelphia Eagles talk to head coach Chuck Pagano of the Indianapolis Colts prior to their preseason game on August 16, 2015 at Lincoln Financial Field in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Mitchell Leff/Getty Images)
Kelly essentially traded one injury history for another when he dealt Nick Foles to the Rams for Bradford. Foles suffered a broken collarbone in his non-throwing shoulder last season and missed the final eight games.
After throwing 27 touchdown passes with just two interceptions in 2013, Foles leveled off last season with 13 touchdowns and 10 interceptions before his injury. But unlike Bradford, he’s been on the field in a regular-season game within the last 22 months.
The Eagles’ quarterback situation is a collection of reclamation projects. Can Bradford stay healthy and regain the form that earned him rookie-of-the-year honors in 2010? If the answer to that question is no, then can Sanchez manage the offense the way he did when he led the Jets to AFC championship games in 2009 and 2010? Or can Tebow recapture the pixie dust of his magical 2011 season?
While Bradford has shown enough in practice to be the Eagles’ clear-cut starter, his knee still appears to be bothering him according to Jimmy Kempski of The Philly Voice.
Sam Bradford is absolutely not 💯%.
— Jimmy Kempski (@JimmyKempski) August 14, 2015
Rotoworld expanded on that tweet, implying that Bradford’s mobility has been limited.
If Bradford does come back from two ACL injuries and becomes the Eagles’ franchise quarterback, it would be a real-life “Rocky” story.