Matt Barkley Ready to Complete For Philadelphia Eagles Starting QB Job
By Josh Sanchez
Former USC Trojans quarterback Matt Barkley went from being considered a first round NFL Draft prospect to falling in to the fourth round on draft day. While it was disappointing, Barkley is using that draft day slide as motivation moving forward to prove all of the teams that passed on him wrong. Barkley now has a chip on his shoulder and he has come in to rookie minicamps ready to work and make an impact.
There were some doubters that voiced their opinion once Barkley was selected by Chip Kelly and the Philadelphia Eagles because of the perceived style of offense Kelly runs. Barkley is not a mobile thrower, so they viewed him as a poor fit to the season.
For Barkley, he feels that he is able to adapt in to any scheme and find a way to make it work.
“You know, I’ll make it fit,” Barkley said, via CSNPhilly.com. “It doesn’t matter what plays we run, I’m going to find a way to help this team out, and I know Coach Kelly has a way of working things out as well in terms of how he schemes and how he calls plays, so I’m not worried. I’m just worried about the here and now and what I can do right now.”
Barkley is actually a much better fit in Kelly’s offense than people realize.
Kelly doesn’t need a signal-caller that is running all over the field and running the read-option. What he needs is a smart quarterback that is able to think and make decisions fast, while making quick and accurate throws. That is Barkley in a nut shell.
The former Oregon head coach is very familiar with Barkley during their time going against each other in the Pac-12 in college. If Kelly didn’t think Barkley could succeed in his scheme, he wouldn’t have made the pick.
Not only does Barkley think that he can make it work in Kelly’s system, but he is ready to compete for a starting job right away.
“I’ll get to know those guys, and I’m sure from what I’ve heard they are outstanding men, but you come in knowing that you have a job and they’re trying to take that job as well, so it’s competition, you know. Competing is what it’s all about,” Barkley said.
It may take awhile for Barkley to beat out Michael Vick and Nick Foles for the starting job, but he certainly has the skill set and determination to do so further down the road.