The heat is rising on the competition between Tanner McKee and Kenny Pickett | PHLY Sports

we're going to start with the Ace Hardware temperature check over the course of the Season our friends at Ace are going to help us talk about the things that are rising or cooling down in the Eagles world and we can take a look at what Eagle is heating up or cooling off with our Ace Hardware temperature check visit Ace Hardware home services online at www.ace hardwarehome services.com to get started on your next project and I think this is very easy this is what the whole city is talking about Zack you walk outside and everybody's shouting at you hey is it going to be tenor mcke is the two are they gonna throw Kenny picket overboard let's talk about it uh we talked about it last night but I don't think that I don't think that sleep uh a good night's sleep for most of us has deterred the way that most people feel Tanner mcke is the better quarterback than Kenny picket right now how long will it take for the Eagles to admit that that that's that's a leading question right because uh accurate you're not asking me is Tanner mcke the better quarterback you're saying Tanner mcke is the better quarterback how long will the Eagles take to think that I'm a journalist I'm telling the truth okay well giving your opinion um that's not an opinion well that that is an opinion that Tanner m is the better quarterback than it's not it's fact things have this is like this is like McKai beckon is not the starting Right Guard yet yes he is uh okay so I believe I agree Kenny picket has been outplayed by uh Tanner mcke so that's I I'll start with that there are different factors at place in the game at least last night I think that's why this conversation needs to go beyond simply the game last night the game last night there were factors beyond I don't want to say Beyond pick its control because they he he has the ball every play but he's going up against the first team defense as Nick serani said there was a lot of pressure in his face more so than with mcke but I do think and I'll give you credit because you identified this early on mcke gets rid of the ball quicker okay I think he he makes he makes quicker decisions and the offense seems to run better with mcke in there there isn't there's parts of Pickett's game that mcke can't duplicate the mobility in particular extending plays mcke does not do that nearly as well but yeah mcke has has played better has shown more promise picket has starting experience in this league it depends how much the Eagles value that so I'm I'm gonna turn this around to you here because this is what I I want to know do you think the Eagles are clinging to the idea of picket as the number two because of the investment that they made or do you think it's because of the overall evaluation of picket that includes the context of his first two seasons in the NFL perhaps their evaluation of him coming out of pit uh in addition to the investment that they made I think the answer is neither I think they are not actually clinging to it I think they are saying that they that they are clinging to it I mean the the degree to which they are professing there's nothing to see here Kenny picket is our number two I think you have been around long enough Zack to know that like the louder that comes from the building the true it is um I think they see what we see and they have to figure out the right way and the most delicate way to move forward knowing that that's what I think is happening because I also think it's not just last night's game that last night's game reflected what we have seen all summer it's the same style of play issue Tanner mcke gets rid of the ball Kenny pick it does not it's the same thing we saw last summer you know I I I wrote the column after the second preseason game last year that Tanner mcke should be the number two over Marcus Mariota for a lot of these same reasons and I think if you just think about what would actually happen in a game like if Kenny picket is the backup quarterback it becomes the Kenny picket show it's like how much uh little like how much freneticism can he do can he escape the rush is he G to get rid of the ball what kind of plays he G to make if Tanner mcke is the quarterback with AJ Brown and Devonte Smith and Dallas Goddard and saquan Barkley he's goingon to get rid of the ball and give the better players on the field a chance to help you win games it's going to be there's going to be so much higher upside I think T mcke is a is a good quarterback but aside from that if the Eagles accept that how do they move forward I don't think they're gonna cut him that would be silly right you know he's he would be overpriced for a third quarterback and his contract's guaranteed but it's not it's not honorous it's one in change this year two and change next year um I think that they would love to trade him if they could I think my guess is that they would probably be more open to a player for player trade so that it doesn't look like well you gave up fourth round value for him in April and now you're trading him for a six round pick like that wasn't a good deal um so I think that's a possibility and then I think that you're the thing that we have talked about is on the table that maybe maybe early in the season Kenny picket is the backup quarterback game day and Tanner mcke is the emergency quarterback on game day but if something happens long term it'll be a very short leash for Kenny picket I just don't think the idea that they don't believe what everybody else has seen and as I said last night what everybody on the roster has seen over the course of the summer like the the Eye in the Sky don't lie as they say right like the tape doesn't lie they have a guy who is clearly better and for like all the reasons that they like Kenny picket as as cost controlled Assurance tenner mcke is even cheaper and has an extra year on his deal so for a moment don't be an evaluator be a forecaster week one against the Green Bay Packers who's the number two quarterback who's the designated third quarterback I think if they're both on the roster canny pick it as number two I think right now there's a real chance that Kenny picket is traded okay but that but but that's my point is that I'm expecting picket to be the number two quarterback I I do think they are honest when they say that that pick their number two I don't agree I don't think it's Ironclad but I think the way they view it right now is pick's their number two mck is their number three because I because if there was a game tomorrow you need I think you need a little bit more skepticism about the things that they say to you on the podium I'm not even talking about what they say at the podium I'm saying based on how and this is what you just said if there if in in Brazil you said you think Pickett's the number two quarterback and mck's number three that's that's exactly what I just said I'm not saying that's the way it should be uh I do I don't think pick's been as lights out as I'm I'm sorry mck's been as as lights out as it might be portrayed I thought frankly in the joint practice on Tuesday pick it outplayed mcke but I do think on the ACT yeah I do think on the aggregate this summer mcke has outplayed picking I wrote in that 15-step guide the howwi roseman's offseason that you can find on R phly.com uh before that the Eagles should give mcke the chance to win the the backup job that I didn't think they should add someone like picket when they added someone like picket I understood the impetus for it uh or the motivation for it but I still believe that mcke should have had a more Earnest job or an Earnest opportunity to win the number two job I think if they went into Brazil if if the Brazil game was this weekend picket would be number two mcka would be number three I'm not saying that's the way it should be but I do think that's the way it is where and and I've been consistent with this is I also think if jayen Herz went down for 10 games six games whatever it may be then I think picket is the I I think they would start mcke but what we don't know about mcke and I'm curious with that smirk on your faces for we'll find that out in a second what we don't know about mcke yet okay is you say how he would function with AJ Brown Devonte Smith and I get that but how he would function against a top defense against a defensive coordinator that's scheming for him because that has not happened yet in the NFL okay he would also have a much better offensive line I mean all of that sure is part of the bigger picture I'm smiling because I just got the text message that I believe the third of the six cameos I have ordered for the seventh annual ospr has just been delivered I look forward to uh watching that when the show is over Thursday glad you had to that that's that smirk there yeah um the other thing I want to add is that like it's not just the performance the the balance of what they say and what they do they have been giving Tanner mcke reps with the second team at the expense of Kenny picket which is not a thing but they have not given picket reps with the third team right because I think it's a very delicate situation for them they have to handle it and that's why that's why I think that they they might lean towards the the picket too early in the season but yeah when push comes to shove I think that howy Roseman knows and they all believe that Tanner mcke is their is their actual second best qu I I wouldn't disagree with you there and I think that's why I think one of the issues that they could honestly run into is if you're shouting from The Mountaintop that competition is a core value and you're all about your core values then and like you mentioned the team sees it and and you go into so how much does that weigh if what matters as much as competition is whether the equity that you spent to acquire the player the context of when he was drafted what your evaluation might have been out of college if that play if that comes into it then you can earnestly say to the team this is about you know this is we're all about competition here right because exactly I would agree con Tanner mcke has outplayed can he pick it this summer where they but I I do think they would try to fight you on the technicality of it going up against the starters of you know the the difference between second team and third team yeah I I get that but I I don't need to be football expained like we we've been watching preseason for a decade yes like there I can tell the difference yeah now look I I think the practices way more they those factoring more to me than the preseason games because we've seen guys get hot in preseason game I've seen I saw Tim t played decently in a fourth preseason game against the Jets right I I think what there's a difference there's a difference between a guy running around and making plays versus a guy getting the ball out on the top of his drop in the face of a rush throwing Guys open sure when Kenny picket is like he looks like he's never seen a blitz before every time he gets blitzed yeah and and and look the the other thing too is the steel Wars fan base is not surprised by this right I mean if you talk to people in Pittsburgh it's like yeah we we could have told you this right so that I always think of the the the scenario we like to bring up if you're an opposing team if jayen goes down and you're an opposing team who would you rather face would you rather face P or would you rather face mcke and I think the opposing teams would rather face picket because I think of the arm talent that mcke presents canny picket for Quinton Johnson who says now uh so now now e sticks get kick to the curb which is kind of funny because e stick was interested in signing with the Eagles right uh um who says no probably the Chargers honestly interesting I I I I don't know the answer to that but I I also don't think the Vikings are like rushing to get Kenny picket I mean Sam darnold's here yeah I don't think that's I think it's I think that's a situation that would make more sense is Los Angeles where or or somewhere where they're really more worried about the backup not not soone compete as a starter sure all right well let's use this to begin our I if I could just ask you this and we we'll have time to discuss it third preseason game do you think it's it's picket vers mcke in that game or do you think that they're acting very delicately here I don't think that Kenny piet's gonna play I think they want I think they want Kenny picket on ice right now I think they'll give mck a chance to play a half and maybe will a chance to play a whole half or something like that I don't know what do you think I guess the idea of the Will Greer thing last night was to get him a a series yes in case that they don't play him in in game three so I don't know maybe they will both play what do you think well yeah they thought M they thought Greer deserved the series I think that you'll see less of pick and less of mck I think you'll see a lot of Will Greer next week okay all right let's get to our 53 man roster projections as a way to to wrap around all these conversations from last night I think I would be surprised if you and I don't have the exact same thing here I've got all three guys on the roster at the moment yeah I have the same three guys I I don't have them trading Kenny picket right now certainly wouldn't rule that out um let me ask you this bo uh what if a team has watched mcke and is really intrigued and they offer something for mcke would you trade mcke what are they offering a third a third oh interesting I mean that might be high but that's spicy I mean I probably wouldn't we're talking about evolutionary Nick fos but I think people need to get over I think people need to stop the evolutionary Nick Foles thing I mean look a 66 like uh a tall quarterback's not necessarily Nick he's a good player yeah I I think Nick I think Nick FES had a little more athleticism than he did I think um I don't think Nick Foles I think Nick Foles was a little bit more of um I think F's game was was different than mck's yeah he only won one Super Bowl mck is gonna win multiple but as I said on the postgame show last night you can still watch the replay if you missed that on on our our YouTube channel or wherever you get your podcasts uh in 20 2017 Foles did not play at all in the preseason before his injury he really struggled he barely was there in the spring and there was concern there there was concern about Nick Foles going in into that year and then they kind of let uh you know Foles got got healthy got some confidence obviously in the playoffs and went on a heater uh but there it's not without precedent that a backup quarterback struggles they hang with him and then that that guy catches fire [Applause] City like the May