Jacksonville Jaguars vs. Philadelphia Eagles – 3 Questions with Inside the Iggles

Despite naming Blaine Gabbert the starting quarterback for the regular season, the Jacksonville Jaguars still have plenty of questions to answer with two games remaining in the preseason. Saturday night they host Chip Kelly and the Philadelphia Eagles. Michael Vick was recently named the starter and his performance so far in the preseason has warranted such an endorsement. With that in mind we headed over to our Fansided Eagles brethren over at Inside the Iggles and asked Adam MacDonald a few questions about our opponent.

1. How has Chip Kelly’s offense looked so far? Is it vastly different from what he ran at Oregon?

So far Chip’s offense has definitely looked similar to what he ran at Oregon. The up-tempo, no huddle approach is definitely still there and will be throughout the season. The inside and outside zone read will still be a staple of the offense, but there will be passing wrinkles in it to adapt to the NFL game. You’ll be seeing a lot of bubble screens and double, triple, even quadruple TE sets, all set up by the IZR/OZR. The important thing to note though is that what we’ve seen so far is extremely vanilla. Chip has said he would tailor the offense to whoever the QB is, so now that Vick has been named the starter he will start installing the offense you can expect to see against the Redskins in Week 1. Against the Jags this weekend? Probably still pretty vanilla.

Aug 15, 2013; Philadelphia, PA, USA; Philadelphia Eagles head coach Chip Kelly talks with quarterback Michael Vick (7) during the second quarter against the Carolina Panthers at Lincoln Financial Field. Mandatory Credit: Howard Smith-USA TODAY Sports

2. What did Eagles fans think of the QB competition? Do you see Vick on the team beyond this year?

At first, some fans were definitely skeptical about a prolonged QB competition, thinking it may hurt the team in the long run to not know who their starter was. But as time went on and we saw both guys take snaps in the preseason game, I think people warmed up to it. It was bringing out the best in both players. Foles looked better than last year and Vick has looked better than he ever has in his career. It became obvious after 2 weeks that while Foles had look good, Vick had simply looked better. This offense was built for him to play in. It also helps to know now that we have a competent backup in Nick Foles if Vick were to get hurt. If Vick has a decent year (at least 7 wins) I could see the Eagles possibly bringing him back for another season if the Eagles take a QB in the late first round and they could compete for the starting job. But if Vick struggles, he’s gone for sure. Maybe even before the season ends.

3. Which rookie is flying under the radar and could make a big impact this year? 

Watch out for Bennie Logan. I know a lot of Eagles fans were scratching their heads when his name was called in the 3rd round. Logan was never a guy to dominate the stat sheet during his time at LSU but he was always known as a high motor and high character guy. He wore #18, which is a number given to LSU football players who shows leadership and represents what LSU football is all about. But since he showed up at camp, Logan has been making a name for himself by creating pressure in the backfield, taking on double teams, and batting down passes. Logan has ridiculously long arms, which is great for swatting passes and keeping separation from linemen. He’s already batted down 2 passes in the preseason. I fully expect Logan to move up to the starting roster, probably before week 1. He can play nose and end in the 3-4 and tackle in the 4-3 looks. Very excited for this kid.

– Daniel Lago

Yell at me on Twitter @dlago89