After the Seattle Seahawks absolutely wiped the floor with the Philadelphia Eagles Sunday afternoon, Seahawks defensive end Michael Bennett had some choice words for Eagles quarterback Mark Sanchez and the stunningly ineffective effort he displayed.
"You need to tell the Philadelphia police that they need to put an [APB] out, because Sanchez is out there trying to impersonate a good quarterback," Bennett told USA Today. "What did I see out of Sanchez? The same thing everyone else did - not much."
That's a pretty scathing assessment of Sanchez's day -- even if it is entirely accurate. He finished the game with ten completions for 96 yards, two touchdowns and an interception.
The question facing the Eagles in the aftermath of that poor showing is; would Nick Foles have fared much better against the stifling Seahawks defense?
Watching Russell Wilson run around and make smart, athletic play after smart, athletic play had to have Philadelphia fans salivating.
Sanchez certainly can't do that.
Foles can't either.
What Foles can do is play smart, fundamental football, get the ball into the hands of his playmakers and let them do the work. The problem is, against a team like the Seahawks and the other elite organizations in the NFL, what you need isn't just a point guard to distribute the rock.
What you need is a quarterback who can truly make the players around him better. Who can shoulder the load, make a couple plays that leave the defense scratching their heads and distribute the ball to his playmakers.
Again, Sanchez can't do that. Not consistently.
Foles, though he's played extremely well at times, hasn't proven that he can do that on a regular basis either.
It's a conundrum that Howie Roseman and Chip Kelly will be forced to solve in the offseason.
Sanchez, brought in on a one-year, reclamation project deal, will most likely be gone after this season. Maybe they just let him go; maybe they franchise him and try to see what they can get. Either way, he's probably not long for Philly.
Foles has another year on his rookie deal and isn't going anywhere. The question is, do you operate the offseason around the idea that Foles is "the guy?"
If he is, you focus your efforts elsewhere -- bringing in some young talent on the offensive line, improving the secondary.
If he isn't, then the entire Philadelphia Eagles offseason plan should be based on bringing in a quarterback they think can lead the franchise for the next decade.
Marcus Mariota? Not unless they give up their entire draft in a Mike Ditka, Ricky Williams-esque move.
Jameis Winston? No thanks.
There is no easy answer, but that's why Roseman and Kelly are the leaders of this franchise.
The bottom line is, Kelly's "quarterback-friendly offense" can hide deficiencies against lesser franchises, but not against the best teams in the league.
Watching Wilson on Sunday, one thing became crystal clear -- a true top-flight, franchise quarterback separates the good to great teams from the elite, and the Eagles won't be elite until they find "their guy."
