The Eagles claimed QB Stephen Morris off waivers from the Jaguars. That’s the 3-13 Jaguars who had the lowest scoring offense in the NFL. They were all the way up at 31st in yards, so we have to give them credit for that.

Just what the heck were the Eagles thinking?

This is the mentality I’ve encountered from a few people. And I can see where they are coming from. But this is where context is so crucial.

The Jags only kept two QBs on the roster last year. They had Morris on their practice squad. They only have two QBs on the roster this year. I think Morris would have been their choice for the practice squad, but the Eagles claimed him, preventing that from happening.

Morris will be the #3 QB in Philly. He was going to be the #3 QB in Jacksonville. The difference is that the Eagles keep the #3 QB on the roster. The Jags take the risk of having that QB on the practice squad, where the other 31 teams can sign him (or try to sign him).

This isn’t the Eagles turning to Jacksonville to solve some key part of the offense. The Jags had a talented, but flawed young QB and they took a risk by cutting him. The Eagles grabbed him because they like his talent and his potential. Unless something goes very wrong, Morris will spend the year working in practice, but that’s it. He isn’t likely to see the field this season.

Back in 2000 the Eagles grabbed a rookie DT cut by the Cardinals, who were coming off a 6-10 season. That was Darwin Walker and he ended up starting in Philly for years. He only played in one game in 2000. He was a backup in 2001. He had a breakout season in 2002 and started for the next five seasons. Andy Reid saw a chance to add a young, talented player. He was patient and things worked out well. Thank god Reid didn’t have the mentality that “Some crappy team just cut that rookie so he must be a bum”.

We have no idea whether Morris will be in Philly for five weeks or five years. He might prove to be a disappointment very quickly. Or he might develop over time. History is filled with sure-thing QBs who failed and other guys who were initial failures that turned into something. Sometimes even great players.

Johnny Unitas was cut by the Steelers. He eventually signed with the Colts and went on to become arguably the greatest QB of all time. Lin Dawson was also cut by the Steelers. He led the Chiefs to a Super Bowl title. Kurt Warner tried out for the Packers in 1994, but got cut. He then played arena league football for two years. Warner impressed the Bears enough to get a tryout, but he was hurt and missed it. Eventually the Rams gave him a tryout in 1998 and signed him. The rest is history.

Guys like Unitas, Dawson and Warner are anomalies. Most guys who get cut don’t pan out. They were cut for a reason. Morris isn’t likely to develop into anything more than a backup, and even that is probably a long shot. The point is that you can’t simply say “This guy got cut by a crappy team. He stinks. What the heck were the Eagles thinking?”

Let’s talk about Morris. He was a 3-star recruit that went to Miami. He was a bit undersized coming out of high school, listing at 6-2, 186. He was considered a dual-threat QB, meaning he could run and throw. Morris got to Miami with a bit of a chip on his shoulder and worked hard to develop as a player.

He is now 6-2 and 215 pounds. He ran 4.63 at the Combine so he has good straight-ahead speed. Morris went to the Manning Passing Academy before his Senior season at Miami and won the skills competition. While there, he got the attention of some people.

Though NFL Network’s Mike Mayock called North Carolina’s Bryn Renner the most polished quarterback there, he said Morris was “the guy I really enjoy. He threw a beautiful football. He’s got a big arm. Stephen Morris has great mechanics. You can see he has really been developed well the last couple of years.”

NFL.com’s Bucky Brooks said Morris “might be the most talented quarterback in college football,” and that he “spins the ball with exceptional velocity and zip while showing a deft touch on intermediate and deep passes. Most impressively, he is deadly accurate, capable of making pinpoint throws to every area of the field. He displays terrific anticipation, awareness and timing in the pocket.”

UM coach Al Golden said Morris can throw the ball at least 65 yards in the air.

Earlier in his career, Morris was so unassuming that teammates couldn’t hear him in the huddle. He fixed that by practicing in the mirror. Now, “I watch Stephen talk and am amazed by his maturity,” Golden said.

Morris had an up and down career at Miami. He started five games in his first two years and showed real promise. He then started as a Junior and played very well. His Senior season did not go as hoped. Morris lost his offensive coordinator to the NFL. His top WR got hurt at midseason. So did his RB. Morris was dealing with some nagging injuries. He still put up okay numbers, but he just wasn’t impressive.

One thing that hurt Morris during his career was coaching changes. He played for three different OCs. Not only that, they had very different ideas. Mark Whipple was an older guy with an NFL background. Jedd Fisch was a young guy with a college and pro background. Finally there was James Coley, who came over from Florida State. System changes hurt a player’s ability to develop. Morris finished his career with 49 TDs, 30 INTs, 7896 yards and a completion percentage of 57.9. That’s a good college career, but nothing for the history books.

There were moments of greatness. Morris set the ACC record for passing yards in a game with 566. Check out the final play from that game.

This wasn’t the only 4th quarter, game winning TD of his career. Morris didn’t play on dominant Miami teams so he understands how to play in close game and to lead his team from behind.

Because of his inconsistent career and Senior season, Morris wasn’t drafted. He signed with the Jaguars, where he was reunited with Jedd Fisch, who had become the OC of the Jags.

Morris didn’t play much this preseason. The Jags have a young starter in Blake Bortles and he got a lot of action. Bortles threw more preseason passes than any other projected starter in the league. He threw 60 passes while Mark Sanchez and Sam Bradford combined for 61.

Morris did start the preseason finale and I was able to study that game. I came away impressed. Morris had good stats: 16-25-160 with a TD and no INTs. He had 3 passes dropped or those numbers would be even better. More important than the numbers, Morris passed the eye test.

Here are a couple of highlights from the game (beware the highly annoying volume).

Downfield throw

Short TD

Morris has a stronger arm than either Matt Barkley or Tim Tebow. He is a faster runner than either of them. Morris puts good velocity on his intermediate and downfield throws. He puts good touch on short passes. And he’s not afraid to hit his RBs and TEs. Barkley always seemed to want big plays. You can’t force the issue.

Mechanically, Morris is very sound. Natural QB. Has pretty good footwork. One of the things that really impressed me was his pocket presence. He stayed focused downfield, even with rushers closing in on him. It was hard to judge him as a decision-maker without seeing All-22 stuff and knowing the offense really well. He didn’t force the ball into coverage.

You can see where Chip Kelly would like Morris as a fit for the Eagles offense. He is a pocket-passer who can run when needed. Morris shows the ability to be a very accurate passer. There were some throws where his ball placement was outstanding. Consistency is the issue.

I would have preferred the Eagles sign Bryn Renner or Austin Davis because I’ve seen more of them. I know they have flaws, but also potential. Morris might be more physically gifted than them. And the one thing he does well that Kelly might covet is throw the ball down the field. Morris has a strong arm, but is also accurate with his deep balls. Kelly loves chunk plays. Morris averaged 8.3 yards per passing attempt in college.

You’ll see several deep balls in this highlight video.

The one thing I don’t know about is how Morris will handle the up-tempo pace. That seemed to bring out the worst in Barkley, who played in a pro style offense in college. Morris also played in pro style offenses so this is something that is a complete projection. Eagles OL coach Jeff Stoutland was at Miami when they recruited Morris and was on the staff for his first season. That hardly makes Stoutland an expert on Morris, but he at least has some knowledge of him and the kind of person/player he is. Joe Pannunzio, a member of the Eagles personnel department, is one of the men who helped recruit Morris. That’s another insider’s perspective.

Morris has a great opportunity. He is playing for an offensive guru in Kelly. He is part of a team that has a good OL and elite skill players. This is the best environment he’s been in for a while. It is up to Morris to show that he belongs.

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Tim Tebow supporters are not happy at all. They don’t see how you could cut Tebow and then replace him with this “scrub”. Chip Kelly said it plain as day…Tebow wasn’t good enough. Simple as that.

Here’s the thing. Tebow is 28. He was drafted back in 2010. He has played in 35 NFL games, with 16 starts. Tebow has been part of five NFL Training Camps. He spent the past year working with a passing guru (Tom House).

And Tebow is still a project.

Tebow needs to play. Go get in the AFL or CFL and play. Games bring out the best in him. We all agree on that. Go play. Get more live reps. Maybe…maybe that will help him to make quicker decisions and improve as a passer. The biggest problem Tebow has right now is between his ears. He’s still mechanically awkward, but he’s improved in that area. Reading defenses and making quick decisions are his main issues now. On his two best throws in the Jets game, he was a second or so late in making the reads. That works against third stringers, but not starters.

Kelly gave Tebow a great opportunity. No one else in the NFL had any interest. Tebow did show progress as a passer, but not enough to warrant a roster spot. With the amount of experience he has and work he’s put in, Tebow needs to be at a higher level right now.

Morris has a stronger arm, better mechanics and is a more gifted passer. He has potential that the Eagles will try to develop.

This isn’t anything personal against Tebow. He got a shot. He wasn’t good enough. OG John Moffitt had the same situation. Both guys are former starters that were out of the league and tried to come back. Both played their best in the Jets game. Both had good moments, but neither was good enough to earn a roster spot.

The Eagles kept young OL Josh Andrews over Moffitt. And they added Morris to replace Tebow. Youth and upside in both situations. That’s the NFL.

As for Barkley, things just didn’t click in Philly. The up-tempo wasn’t a good fit for him. And I think Barkley needs to look in the mirror and realize the glory days of high school and college are over. He always worked hard with the Eagles, but I don’t think he got the fact that he’s just not that good of a player.

Every summer Tom Brady sits down and reminds himself that he was a 6th round pick. He uses that to keep himself motivated. Barkley should develop the same kind of mentality. I don’t know that he’ll ever start in the league, but I could see him becoming an effective backup.

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The Eagles play their season opener in one week. That means will start with some Falcons talk in a couple of days. Until then, why not read The Eagles Almanac.

The 2015 Eagles Almanac is ready for download! Just $15 for 120+ pages of ad-free analysis > http://t.co/REynuDZIjf pic.twitter.com/0HfdeyhNqM — Eagles Almanac (@EaglesAlmanac) August 12, 2015

Lots of great stuff Eagles info in one awesome bundle. Fun for the whole family.

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