Nick Foles

If Chip Kelly drafted Matt Barkley, a quarterback virtually no one thought he could be interested in, then there is no reason to think that he can't start this season. History says fourth-round quarterbacks hardly ever start in the NFL, let alone as rookies. But the NFL is evolving and in certain segments becoming more like the college game than vice versa. And there's something about the Great Kelly Unknown that suggests anything is possible. There are some pertinent reasons to support Barkley's candidacy, among them his decision-making, accuracy, and moxie.

Little morsels of information have been leaking out of the NovaCare Complex since Chip Kelly held his first practices with the Eagles last month, all of which were closed to the media. Running back LeSean McCoy said the first three-day minicamp felt like a track meet. Tight end Brent Celek said Kelly's method of communication would change the NFL. Wide receiver Jeremy Maclin revealed that Michael Vick was ahead of Nick Foles in the quarterback competition. It's what they in the entertainment business call "a soft opening.

Michael Vick, Nick Foles and Matt Barkley were on the field together for the first day of organized team activities on Monday. But any hope for a clue about who will start at quarterback for the Eagles this season based on the first practice was diminished by coach Chip Kelly's rotation. Vick opened with the first-team offense, but Foles also took a significant number of snaps at the NovaCare Complex. Kelly believed it was near a 50-50 distribution. Neither Barkley nor Dennis Dixon took first-team snaps on Monday, but both received steady work during Kelly's fast-paced practice.

NEW COACH Chip Kelly has touted an even competition between Michael Vick and Nick Foles for the Eagles' starting quarterback position, but given the reworked 1-year, $10 million contract the Birds gave Vick, most of us figure he is likely to emerge as the starter. That's pretty much what receiver Jeremy Maclin thinks, as well. Maclin was asked yesterday, if he had to guess, who will be No. 1? "Right now, you've got Mike going with the 'ones' and Nick sprinkling in some reps here and there, so . . . " Maclin said at his Lincoln Financial Field charity event honoring five moms of kids he met through his summer football camp in West Deptford, N.J., where Maclin lives.

RIGHT NOW, we really don't know who the quarterback of the 2013 Eagles will be. That thought somehow forced its way through the sensory overload of the first Chip Kelly Eagles practice reporters were allowed to watch yesterday at NovaCare. (The other thought that arrived, almost concurrently: People actually listen to Nicki Minaj? I mean, if you autotuned Minnie Mouse . . . ) The hectic, no-huddle (ever!) pace and dance-party-volume music were certainly novel flourishes on the fields Andy Reid trod for so long in South Philly.

Matt Barkley's welcome to Philadelphia included a swarm of reporters invading almost every sliver of personal space surrounding him. It was evidence to the Los Angeles-area native that the closest thing to a Hollywood star in this city is an Eagles quarterback. At Friday's rookie minicamp, Barkley was the biggest attraction. He was not the Eagles first-round pick in the recent draft. He was not even the second- or third-round pick. But the fourth-rounder with the ballyhooed college resume at Southern California has three days to impress the coaching staff before Michael Vick and Nick Foles arrive for Monday's organized team activities and take practice reps away from Barkley.

MATT BARKLEY is here to play. The Eagles' fourth-round rookie quarterback made that clear yesterday afternoon when he met with reporters following the first workout of rookie camp, which continues through the weekend. The full squad assembles Monday, the first time reporters can watch the team under new coach Chip Kelly. Barkley said Michael Vick and Nick Foles are "outstanding men," who "have both done great things," but "you come in knowing that you have a job. They're trying to take that job as well.

WHY, YES, Chip Kelly said. What he sees during minicamp this week certainly will affect how the Eagles approach next week's NFL draft. "I think it's invaluable," Kelly said Tuesday after the first workout of the 3-day session granted to first-year coaches. "It's difficult at times to make an evaluation on some guys just watching film, because you don't know what the play call was or you don't know how they were instructed on what they were supposed to do on that play. You're just kind of watching athletic ability and going through it. But when you get to see them on the field for 3 straight days, running around doing things, it gives you a better understanding of what your team is and kind of where they are. " Kelly said the NFL schedules the extra minicamp for new coaches before the draft for that exact purpose - "to give us a better understanding of our team" before making selections.

On Sunday against the Cowboys, Nick Foles made his NFL debut by replacing injured starting quarterback Michael Vick with 7 minutes, 41 seconds left in the second quarter. On Nov. 23, 2008, against the Ravens, Kevin Kolb got his first significant NFL playing time by replacing struggling starting quarterback Donovan McNabb to open the third quarter. Their results were similarly unsuccessful. Outcomes: Sunday, Cowboys 38, Eagles 23; Nov. 23, 2008, Ravens 36, Eagles 7. Foles' numbers: 22-32-219, 1 TD, 1 INT. Kolb's numbers: 10-23-73, 0 TD, 2 INT. Foles' bright spot: He completed a 44-yard TD pass to Jeremy Maclin early in the third quarter to give the Eagles a 14-10 lead.

It may be time to envision the possibility that Nick Foles will win the Eagles starting quarterback job. Certainly, there are some who have already contemplated the likelihood, considering the competition. Chip Kelly has never wavered from his stance - given the day after he became the Eagles head coach - that he likes Foles and would tailor his offense to the second-year quarterback's skill-set should he prevail. And yet there has been this perception that Foles has little chance since Kelly came aboard and decided a few weeks later to bring Michael Vick back.

Part Two of a Series The Eagles are amid their first organized team activities this week, and they will practice throughout the next four weeks. After those practices, Chip Kelly will have a better idea of the Eagles roster. But there's a lot that will happen between now and then. To get you up to date, The Inquirer is spending two weeks assessing where the Eagles stand at each spot. Jeff McLane started on Monday with offensive line. Here are wide receivers: Projected current first team WR1: Jeremy Maclin (6-foot-0, 198 pounds, age 25, 5th season)

Michael Vick, Nick Foles and Matt Barkley were on the field together for the first day of organized team activities on Monday. But any hope for a clue about who will start at quarterback for the Eagles this season based on the first practice was diminished by coach Chip Kelly's rotation. Vick opened with the first-team offense, but Foles also took a significant number of snaps at the NovaCare Complex. Kelly believed it was near a 50-50 distribution. Neither Barkley nor Dennis Dixon took first-team snaps on Monday, but both received steady work during Kelly's fast-paced practice.

RIGHT NOW, we really don't know who the quarterback of the 2013 Eagles will be. That thought somehow forced its way through the sensory overload of the first Chip Kelly Eagles practice reporters were allowed to watch yesterday at NovaCare. (The other thought that arrived, almost concurrently: People actually listen to Nicki Minaj? I mean, if you autotuned Minnie Mouse . . . ) The hectic, no-huddle (ever!) pace and dance-party-volume music were certainly novel flourishes on the fields Andy Reid trod for so long in South Philly.

IT LOOKED like a gaggle of third-base coaches relaying signs to a batter. Three Eagles' staffers, along with wideout Ifeanyi Momah, who had the day off from practice after going hard all weekend in rookie camp, waggled fingers behind their heads, tapped their arms, and carved designs in the air. As the offensive players on the field regrouped from the play they'd just run, every head turned to the sideline. Everyone seemed to be getting his assignment this way; no one huddled, and the players lined up within 10 seconds or less to snap the ball again.

Little morsels of information have been leaking out of the NovaCare Complex since Chip Kelly held his first practices with the Eagles last month, all of which were closed to the media. Running back LeSean McCoy said the first three-day minicamp felt like a track meet. Tight end Brent Celek said Kelly's method of communication would change the NFL. Wide receiver Jeremy Maclin revealed that Michael Vick was ahead of Nick Foles in the quarterback competition. It's what they in the entertainment business call "a soft opening.

If Chip Kelly drafted Matt Barkley, a quarterback virtually no one thought he could be interested in, then there is no reason to think that he can't start this season. History says fourth-round quarterbacks hardly ever start in the NFL, let alone as rookies. But the NFL is evolving and in certain segments becoming more like the college game than vice versa. And there's something about the Great Kelly Unknown that suggests anything is possible. There are some pertinent reasons to support Barkley's candidacy, among them his decision-making, accuracy, and moxie.

MATT BARKLEY is here to play. The Eagles' fourth-round rookie quarterback made that clear yesterday afternoon when he met with reporters following the first workout of rookie camp, which continues through the weekend. The full squad assembles Monday, the first time reporters can watch the team under new coach Chip Kelly. Barkley said Michael Vick and Nick Foles are "outstanding men," who "have both done great things," but "you come in knowing that you have a job. They're trying to take that job as well.

Matt Barkley's welcome to Philadelphia included a swarm of reporters invading almost every sliver of personal space surrounding him. It was evidence to the Los Angeles-area native that the closest thing to a Hollywood star in this city is an Eagles quarterback. At Friday's rookie minicamp at the NovaCare Center, Barkley was the biggest attraction. He was not the Eagles' first-round pick in the recent draft. He was not even the second- or third-round pick. But the fourth-rounder with the ballyhooed college resumé at Southern California has three days to impress the coaching staff before Michael Vick and Nick Foles arrive for Monday's organized team activities and take practice reps away from Barkley.

Asked last month who was ahead at quarterback on the Eagles' depth chart, Chip Kelly said the competition was "even" between Michael Vick and Nick Foles. He even threw Dennis Dixon into the mix, and said that the former Oregon quarterback took snaps with the first team during a three-day minicamp. But Jeremy Maclin shed some more light on the battle when he was asked who he thought would ultimately be the Eagles' starting quarterback. "Right now, you've got Mike going with the ones and Nick 'sprinkled in,' some reps here and there," the wide receiver said Thursday.