Tonight at 7:30 p.m. ET, the New England Patriots will take on the Philadelphia Eagles in NFL Preseason Week 1 action live from Lincoln Financial Field in Philadelphia. The game can be viewed here. Patriot's fans can listen to the game on 98.5 The Sports Hub, while Eagles fans can do the same on 94 WIP.
The main focus on the Eagles heading into tonight's preseason opener is how the quarterback situation will play out. Michael Vick is slated to take the reins of the offense tonight while Nick Foles is expected to start in Philadelphia's second preseason game Aug. 15 against the Carolina Panthers. Vick and Foles will use the next month to try and outplay each other in hopes of earning the starting job come Week 1 of the regular season when the Eagles travel to Washington, D.C. to take on the Redskins on Sept. 8.
While Vick is starting, he and Foles are each expected to get 12-20 snaps against the Patriots, and Vick doesn't put much weight into starting the game.
"It doesn't mean anything," Vick told The Washington Post about the start. "The only thing I want to do is go out there and have fun, play the game, play with a purpose, enjoy every snap, try to make the most out of it as long as I'm out there and just try to be consistent like I have throughout camp and have fun playing the game."
Vick played in 10 games with Philadelphia last year, going 204-for-351 for 2,362 passing yards and 12 touchdowns while throwing 10 interceptions. He also rushed for 332 yards on 62 attempts and had one touchdown. Foles, meanwhile, appeared in seven games, going 161-for-265 for 1,699 yards with six touchdowns and five interceptions.
Tonight will be a sneak peak into new head coach Chip Kelly's vision of a revamped offense. Kelly was successful with the running game at Oregon last year, but said he's committed to trying other things at the NFL level. Friday can prove to be a glimpse into how Kelly plans on using DeSean Jackson and LeSean McCoy this season. McCoy only scored 2 touchdowns in 12 games last year, after having a career-high of 17 in 2011.
Meanwhile, for New England there's no doubt about who will start the season at quarterback as Tom Brady prepares for another push to the AFC East Division title and hopes to lead his team to another Super Bowl. The biggest storylines surrounding the Patriots include missing their usual tight ends, replacing Wes Welker and of course if and how Tim Tebow will figure into the team's schemes.
Bill Belichick's squad will be without tight ends Aaron Hernandez, who was released in the offseason due to him being investigated and held without bail in the murder of Boston semi-professional football player Odin Lloyd, and Rob Gronkowski ,who is making his way back from injury. It'll be interesting to see if St. Louis import Danny Amendola (63 receptions for 666 yards and three touchdowns in 2012) can replace the production of departed Welker (118 receptions for 1,354 yards and six touchdowns in 2012).
Tebow was acquired this offseason by New England and could be used to change things up offensively after only throwing the ball eight times last year with the Jets for six completions for 39 yards and no touchdowns while rushing for 102 yards on 32 attempts with no touchdowns.
While tonight's game is only the start of the preseason, it could prove to be a stepping stone to answering the many questions both teams face heading into the regular season.
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