Chip Kelly: G.J. Kinne no longer a quarterback, A lot of people thought the Eagles would get out of Day 1 of the draft with one more quarterback.
Instead, they have one less quarterback.
In a minor but curious bit of news, Eagles head coach Chip Kelly said late Thursday night that G.J. Kinne, who has spent most of the last two years as an Eagles practice squad quarterback, no longer is a quarterback.
Kinne, who has never played in an NFL game, remains on the Eagles’ 90-man roster but Kelly said Kinne will try to make the team this year as a jack-of-all-trades and not as a QB.
“Kinne wants to try to make the team as a special teams player, maybe a receiver or running back, kind of a multi‑purpose player on the offensive side of the ball,” Kelly said.
While this isn’t cataclysmic news, it does help explain why the Eagles signed former Heisman Trophy winner Tim Tebow last month, even though Tebow hasn’t played in a regular-season game since 2012 and hasn’t started a game since 2011.
“Allowing G.J. to move around a little bit means we need to get a fourth quarterback in here, and we felt he was the best guy available,” Kelly said of Tebow.
Kinne spent 2013 training camp with the Eagles and was out of football until the Eagles added him to the practice squad after Michael Vick got hurt in the middle of the season.
Kinne spent the last 10 weeks of 2013 and all of last year on the practice squad.
Kinne is smart, fast, athletic and versatile. He always performed well in the preseason. His preseason stats over the past two years: 14 for 16 for 195 yards with one TD and no interceptions. That’s a 142.6 passer rating.
Although he faces great odds to make the team as a Chad Hall type of wild-card player, with Kelly and this offense, you never know.
Kelly thinks very highly of Kinne and will certainly give him a chance to show what he can do during summer practices.
But most likely, if Kinne does find a career in the NFL, it will be as a coach, perhaps even on Kelly’s staff. Kelly has always believed Kinne would one day make a terrific young offensive coach.
Kinne, 26, ranks third in Texas history with 11,695 passing yards and second with 130 TD passes. At Tulsa, he threw for 9,472 yards in three years, with 81 TDs and 32 interceptions.
In 2010, he led Tulsa to an upset win over Notre Dame in South Bend, throwing a key TD to his future Eagles teammate, Damaris Johnson.
Instead, they have one less quarterback.
In a minor but curious bit of news, Eagles head coach Chip Kelly said late Thursday night that G.J. Kinne, who has spent most of the last two years as an Eagles practice squad quarterback, no longer is a quarterback.
Kinne, who has never played in an NFL game, remains on the Eagles’ 90-man roster but Kelly said Kinne will try to make the team this year as a jack-of-all-trades and not as a QB.
“Kinne wants to try to make the team as a special teams player, maybe a receiver or running back, kind of a multi‑purpose player on the offensive side of the ball,” Kelly said.
While this isn’t cataclysmic news, it does help explain why the Eagles signed former Heisman Trophy winner Tim Tebow last month, even though Tebow hasn’t played in a regular-season game since 2012 and hasn’t started a game since 2011.
“Allowing G.J. to move around a little bit means we need to get a fourth quarterback in here, and we felt he was the best guy available,” Kelly said of Tebow.
Kinne spent 2013 training camp with the Eagles and was out of football until the Eagles added him to the practice squad after Michael Vick got hurt in the middle of the season.
Kinne spent the last 10 weeks of 2013 and all of last year on the practice squad.
Kinne is smart, fast, athletic and versatile. He always performed well in the preseason. His preseason stats over the past two years: 14 for 16 for 195 yards with one TD and no interceptions. That’s a 142.6 passer rating.
Although he faces great odds to make the team as a Chad Hall type of wild-card player, with Kelly and this offense, you never know.
Kelly thinks very highly of Kinne and will certainly give him a chance to show what he can do during summer practices.
But most likely, if Kinne does find a career in the NFL, it will be as a coach, perhaps even on Kelly’s staff. Kelly has always believed Kinne would one day make a terrific young offensive coach.
Kinne, 26, ranks third in Texas history with 11,695 passing yards and second with 130 TD passes. At Tulsa, he threw for 9,472 yards in three years, with 81 TDs and 32 interceptions.
In 2010, he led Tulsa to an upset win over Notre Dame in South Bend, throwing a key TD to his future Eagles teammate, Damaris Johnson.
Blogger Comment
Facebook Comment