Matt Barkley was considered by many as a steal for the Eagles in the 4th round.

By BRIAN BALDINGER

Saturday, April 27th, 2013 might be a day that all Eagle fans may want to save and remember.

Where were you at high noon on this day?. It could be great trivia one day.

Early that morning I did a lot of errands. Went to the gym to try and preserve whatever it is I have left. Off to the post office…then to the bank as deposits are always the hallmark to a good day. Even stopped by at the nursery to pick up some seeds that needed to be planted for a future harvest of fresh vegetables.

The Eagles had been busy harvesting some future stars over the past two days.

It was hard to find fault with the selections of Lane Johnson, Zach Ertz and defensive tackle Bennie Logan.

All were drafted right where they were predicted to go. No reaches. No swinging wildly for the fences. Solid building blocks and immediate contributors.

So after my errands were finished I plopped down on my favorite sofa to turn my NFL Network on at high noon on the infamous April 27th to find out that the Eagles traded up to the 98th selection at the top of the 4th round to select…Matt Barkley?

EVERY Eagles fan I know scratched their head with curiosity.

Hadn’t Barkley been selected? Oh really? He hadn’t? Well, why not? So many questions. But why had the Eagles drafted him?

Nothing defines an NFL draft like drafting a quarterback.

Not just any quarterback. A high profile one. Think back to when the Eagles traded back into the second round in 2007 to use their first selection on Kevin Kolb and the ripple effect that had on the Eagles, not to mention their star quarterback at the time.

Of course there were years where the Birds used a sixth round pick on a quarterback out of Delaware – Andy Hall – and no one said a word.
But that is not the case with Barkley.

He has been in the national spotlight since he was a freshman starter at legendary Mater Dei High School in Los Angeles. He would win two state titles there, which made for a momentous decision to take his talents to USC.

I can still remember his second collegiate start at the horseshoe in Columbus, Ohio vs. the highly-ranked Buckeyes and he wasn’t out of place.

He could play, and if it weren’t for the transgressions of the present coach of the Seattle Seahawks Barkley might have gone onto win a championship riding high on the Trojan Horse around the Coliseum.

There was the wonderful shootout with Andrew Luck; a triple overtime loss to the Cardinals where suddenly Barkley’s name was mentioned with the talents of Luck and Heisman winner RG3.

I was shocked when Barkley decided to forgo the 2012 draft and return to USC. A preseason number No.1 ranking quickly faded behind a weakened offensive line and a depleted defense.

But Barkley is an Eagle. No question that when he steps into a huddle everyone knows he is THE quarterback and can play the position and can lead.

But is he a good fit for Chip Kelley and the Eagles?

That’s where I am convinced that Chip truly can fit a system to the players he has, and not the other way around. Meaning, I will take what I have and crate a system around the talent I have.

This is the challenge for Chip and all Eagle fans

Barkley wasn’t just drafted at No. 98 because he was the best player on the Eagles draft board. He was drafted to compete for the starting quarterback position. And its a position that will include less read option and more drop back throws

Is Chip crazy? Isn’t the read option offense what helped him produce 10 plus wins a year for 4 years in a row and a trip to the national championship game? Isn’t it the wave of the NFL future with athletes like Kappernick, Griffin III and Wilson running roughshod around defenseless linebackers?

If Barkley leads the Eagles to and NFC East title this season, then Chip Kelley is already coach of the year.

My favorite Saturday Night Live skit of all time is the one where DITKA and a group of schmucks can beat anyone anytime anyplace. It’s what great coaching truly is. IF Kelley can take any quarterback and put him in any system and win..win big..then he is a great coach

I don’t know yet if Chip can do this…But I can’t wait to find out.