Frank Reich Speaks on Eagles' QB Competition Between Sam Bradford, Carson Wentz

While veteran Sam Bradford may have the inside track at being the Philadelphia Eagles' starting quarterback in 2016, offensive coordinator Frank Reich isn't ready to make that declaration.  

In an interview with the 94WIP Morning Show (h/t Andrew Porter of CBS Philly) Wednesday, Reich stressed the importance of competition between Bradford and rookie No. 2 overall pick Carson Wentz:

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I've been around this business a long time as a player and as a coach, and one of the things I've really come to appreciate is it's not a contradiction to say you’ve got to have order. Because if you don't order it's chaos. So, if you're the head coach you gotta come in and you've gotta establish order. There has to be organization, there has to be order, but the other thing that — as coaches — that you've got to establish is a culture of competition. This is one of the most competitive industries in the world and so, to say that there's not competition, that's just the furthest thing from the truth.

So, I don't see the problem with creating order and competition at the same time, personally. Every one of us as a coach and a player, you're working harder to get better, but in that process you have to establish order and things have a way of working themselves out.

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After Bradford retracted his well-publicized trade request and returned to the Eagles in March, head coach Doug Pederson essentially dubbed him the starter, according to Zach Berman of the Philadelphia Inquirer:

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My feelings haven’t changed: [Bradford's] my guy. He's the No. 1 guy. I just want him to embrace that. Let's not look backward. Let's look forward. ... 

I expect Sam to not look over his shoulder. I expect Sam to look forward. He's getting himself ready for the season. He's getting ready for Cleveland. ... That is the message I gave him. No need to look over your shoulder. You're the guy. Let's embrace it, let's go.

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Reich's comments seem to oppose Pederson's certainty, which could make for plenty of controversy in training camp and during the preseason.

The former longtime NFL quarterback went out of his way to praise Wentz as well, per Porter: "He's got a contagious personality, he's a winner, incredibly smart. For a young guy, about as smart as you could be. Showed all the right signs in every way."

Philadelphia drafted Wentz to be the quarterback of the future, and while Pederson seems content to allow him to sit and learn, there is some pressure to utilize a player who is selected so early in the draft.

If Wentz outperforms Bradford during the lead-up to the 2016 regular season, starting a lame-duck signal-caller over the hand-chosen guy could be a tough sell for the Eagles.

Reich is willing to keep his options open, but that may not matter if Pederson isn't on board with the idea of an open competition.

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