The final week of the preseason is mostly garbage, as teams rest their starters and give ample playing time to scrubs who are going to get cut the next day. But in Philadelphia, plenty of people will be watching the final preseason game to see the battle for the third-string quarterback job.
Matt Barkley will start for the Eagles on Thursday night and play the first half, and Tim Tebow will play the second half. The plan is that one of them will be the third-string quarterback behind Sam Bradford and Mark Sanchez, while the other will get cut.
Neither player has been particularly impressive in the first three preseason games. Barkley’s passer rating is 66.6; Tebow’s is 67.2. Barkley, however, said he thinks he can show something off as a starter.
“I’ll be excited - first start,” Barkley said. “Excited to get in a rhythm early on, get my feet going, get the ball moving. . . . I don’t feel any pressure at all. I don’t think it’s anything but just an exciting opportunity. I’ve been in this place to impress.”
Tebow, who has run for 50 yards on 10 carries in the preseason, is not much of a passer but may be able to use his mobility to make the Eagles’ roster. He says he’s striving to be a good teammate to Barkley even as the two of them realize that they’re trying to beat each other out.
“You’re competing for something, but at the same time, you want to do it the right way,” Tebow said. “You want to treat others the way you want to be treated the entire time - no matter what’s on the line, no matter what’s it stake. Because opportunities and positions are never more important than character.”
It’s entirely possible that neither Barkley nor Tebow will get any playing time for the Eagles this season. But one of them will likely make the roster, and that makes their Thursday night game interesting. At least by the standards of a Week Four preseason game.