It probably seemed strange at first. With the anticipation growing about Chip Kelly’s fuel-injected offense, the Eagles came out Friday night against New England with all the horsepower of a '71 Pinto.
And with Michael Vick leading the way.
Not until Nick Foles took over late in the first did the offense kick into turbo boost, showcasing the various formations and read option that made Kelly’s offense so potent at Oregon.
“There are times we're going to have to play fast and times we're going to have to play slow,” Kelly explained. “Really, the game itself dictates what you have to do. I've said that all along.
“There were certain things in that game we just wanted to get accomplished. Really, our first full game with officials, so we wanted to get a feel for that.”
If Kelly follows script Thursday against the Panthers in the second preseason game, Vick will be the man in charge when the offense ratchets up a notch or two. And then we’ll get our first real observation of what Kelly’s multiple-option offense can do when spearheaded by his multi-talented quarterback.
Vick already flashed a glimpse of his potential against the Patriots, putting six on the board in his first series on a 47-yard bomb to DeSean Jackson out of an offensive formation and tempo that even he deemed “vanilla.”
“We slowed it down a little bit, but it’s good to have the ability to do that whenever you need to, at your discretion,” Vick said Monday. “But who knows [about Thursday]? We don’t know what the game plan is or what Coach is going to want. When they say ‘tempo it up,’ we tempo it up. [When they say] ‘slow it down,’ we slow it down.”
But the allure of Kelly’s offense, and its fullest potential, exists only under the premise that Vick is behind the wheel, shifting into high gear and breezing down the fast lane with Jackson, LeSean McCoy and his stable of tight ends riding shotgun.
Kelly didn’t tip his hand about the flow of his offense for preseason Game 2, but Vick said he didn’t mind taking a backseat to Foles as they take turns in Kelly’s competition rotation.
“I’m just coming to play,” he said. “I’m coming to have fun. I’m coming to lead this team, regardless of who I’m out there with. I’m coming out to try to be the best that I can be and that’s all you can do in this situation. It’s not a bad thing at all. We’re all here to play football. These games bring something out of you.”
Vick’s increasing comfort in Kelly’s offense has been evident throughout camp. After a so-so first week, the big strikes downfield to Jackson started to resurface as camp progressed into the second week.
Not only did he reconnect with Jackson for the big touchdown against the Patriots, but Vick also whizzed a third-down conversion to Jason Avant and completed 4 of 5 passes for 94 yards to compile a perfect passer rating in very limited action.
“I’m trying to get better, even at the age of 33 years and being in the league 12 years,” he said. “I’m trying to get better at my accuracy, trying to be better with my ball placement and just trying to be a better quarterback.
“I appreciate the opportunity to come out here every day. I appreciate the game of football. I’m thankful for the talents that I have, and most importantly, my teammates that I have who gave me an opportunity to thrive in certain situations. I take it serious. I know I’m a work in progress, and I’m going to keep working.”
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