Offseason Preview: Quarterbacks

It’s time for the Eagles’ 2006 review and 2007 offseason preview. I’ll go position by position, player by player, talk about what they did and give them a grade based on how they played and what was expected of them, and talk about what they will be doing this offseason and next year. I’ll review team needs, players that need to go and what players the Eagles could be interested in. Let’s start with the Quarterbacks.

QB Donovan McNabb: 10 games and starts, 180/316, 57% completion, 2647 passing yards, 8.38 yards per attempt, 18 TD passes, 6 INTs, 95.5 QB rating, 32 rushing attempts, 212 rushing yards, 3 rushing TDs, 2 fumbles lost

Best game: vs. DAL- 18/33, 354 passing yards, 2 passing TDs, 0 INTs, 112.4 QB rating, 1 rushing TD

Worst game: vs. TEN- 6/13, 78 passing yards, 0 passing TDs, 1 INT, 33.5 QB rating

In the 10^th game of the season against Tennessee, a torn ACL ended McNabb’s great season. Although he and the Eagles appeared to be losing steam at this point with a few losses and some more interceptions being scattered in, Donovan was still on pace to have possibly his best season. The Eagles had brought a little more balance to the offensive playcalling, resulting in better opportunities for the passing game and increasing its effectiveness. McNabb was combining with deep threats Donte Stallworth and Reggie Brown along with receiving threats Brian Westbrook and L.J. Smith to clobber opposing defenses and pace the league in most passing statistics. He wasn’t completing the percentage he was a couple seasons ago, but Five was making teams pay with constant big plays and touchdowns. He showed some consistency problems and he had some costly picks, but this was possibly going to be McNabb’s best season. If McNabb could’ve stayed healthy, the sky would’ve been the limit for this team. Everything on offense was clicking and the Eagles could simply outscore any team in the league. Grade: A

QB Jeff Garcia: 8 games, 6 starts, 116/188, 61.7% completion, 1309 yards, 6.95 yards per attempt, 10 TD passes, 2 INTs, 95. 8 QB rating, 25 rushing attempts, 87 rushing yards, 2 fumbled lost

Best game: vs. CAR- 21/39, 312 passing yards, 3 passing TDs, 0 INTs, 105.9 QB rating, 5 rushing attempts, 12 rushing yards

Worst game: vs. NYG (playoffs)- 17/31, 153 passing yards, 1 passing TD, 0 INTs, 4 rushing attempts, 14 rushing yards

Jeff Garcia surprised everyone when he came off the bench after Donovan McNabb’s injury and helped turn the Eagles into a playoff team. His season started slowly in the Tennessee game and his first start against Indianapolis, and Garcia was playing very conservative. He wasn’t throwing the ball downfield at all, and he was checking down to guys like Westbrook and Smith on almost every play. When the team opened up the passing game in the Monday Night win over Carolina, things started to take off. The Eagles ran the table, won the division and made it to the second round of the playoffs. Garcia sparked these guys, and everyone stepped up to fill the void that Donovan left. Garcia still demonstrated very good mobility for someone his age, and he had a knack for avoiding blitzes. Although most of the time he made decisions quickly, there were a few instances where he held onto the ball too long or made bad plays, especially in the postseason.

Grade: A

QB A.J. Feeley: 2 games, 0 starts, 26/38, 68.4% completion, 342 passing yards, 9 yards per attempt, 3 TD passes, 0 INTs, 122.9 QB rating, 1 rushing attempt, 3 rushing yards

Best game: vs. ATL- 22/33, 321 passing yards, 3 passing TDs, 0 INTs, 128.5 QB rating, 1 rushing attempt, 3 rushing yards

Worst game: @ IND- 4/5, 21 passing yards, 0 passing TDs, 0 INTs, 84.2 QB rating, 1 fumble lost

As the third string QB, A.J. Feeley didn’t get much of a chance to play. After being released by San Diego and signed by the Eagles before the last preseason game, Feeley remained inactive until McNabb’s injury. In the blowout loss to Indianapolis, Feeley saw some late garbage time action, turning the ball over once. In the final regular season game against Atlanta, after the Eagles found out the division had been clinched, Feeley played in all but one series. He connected with his fellow backups for 3 scores and walked all over Atlanta’s starting defense. He showed enough that he could be the Eagles’ primary backup.

Grade: A

Overall Quarterback Grade: A

2007 Outlook

QB Donovan McNabb: He’s going to have to work hard to get back from his knee injury, and hopefully he’s ready for opening day. If not, I have enough confidence in the backups to keep the seat warm while he rehabs. McNabb’s strong arm and playmaking ability really go well with the rest of the players on offense. There’s no controversy, and he’s the guy next year assuming he’s healthy.

QB Jeff Garcia: He’s a free agent, and he wants to test the waters. Despite poor seasons in Cleveland and Detroit before becoming an Eagle, Garcia wants to go out and have a chance at starting again. He doesn’t have much interest in returning to the Eagles on a backup’s salary. Some team is going to go nuts for him, and they can have Garcia if they want him a lot. I wouldn’t mind having him back at the right price, but he’s going to want a raise from last year, and I’d rather have the cap room and A.J. Feeley than less cap room and Jeff Garcia.

QB A.J. Feeley: He signed a two year contract, and evidently he was promised that he would be the #2 QB for the 2007 season, which would mean Jeff Garcia is gone. The Eagles probably weren’t planning on Garcia playing as well as he did, but they’re generally a team that keeps promises like this. I’m fine with Feeley being the #2 QB over Garcia, mostly because it means that much more room to sign Stallworth and maybe a free agent or two. He’s significantly younger than Garcia, and he can be a franchise backup QB, if that makes any sense.

Potential Free Agent Solutions:

None to be excited about

Potential Draft Solutions:

Tyler Palko, Pittsburgh

Isaiah Stanback, Washington

Chris Leak, Florida

All second day selections