Bradford won’t play against Colts

Kelly will say he’s not injured.

So it was a little surprising when Chip Kelly announced the quarterback will not play in the team’s first preseason game against the Indianapolis Colts on Sunday. Don’t know how I missed this before… It’s just my call. A quarterback leads by playing, not by being babied.

“I think he can go”, said Kelly. “This has nothing to do with any of that”. Chip Kelly seems to genuinely enjoy keeping people guessing, so this will all change at some point during the preseason.

This, of course, means that Mark Sanchez will start.

But the Eagles will have three days of practice with the Ravens next week leading into their game. When Bradford was with the St. Louis Rams, head coach Jeff Fisher held him out of the preseason opener following his ACL surgery the previous November. For now Kelly is in a better safe than sorry mode. There’s a fine line in preseason games. It was Barkley’s second interception in training camp, which proves his being error-prone. Barkley has the experience advantage, having been with Kelly longer, but he’s flopped in his limited opportunities. Now that you’ve had your good night of sleep, it’s time to heat up that morning pot of coffee, splash some water on your face to wake yourself up and of course, don’t forget your morning serving of Bacon, Eggs and Eagles!

Kelly said middle linebacker Kiko Alonso (concussion) would sit out Sunday but return to practice next week with the Ravens.

With the way Bradford has been throwing the ball, the Eagles might find the end zone often this season. “I was preparing to be out there”.

Eagles beat writer: I am the Eagles’ beat reporter for The News Journal, but I also cover every other sport imaginable when the Eagles aren’t playing. “It’ll be fun to take off the red [QB practice] jersey as well”. Especially with someone like Trent Cole, the long-time Eagle unceremoniously dumped in the offseason, rushing the passer for the Colts. Kelly revealed that Matt Barkley, and Tim Tebow are vying for the third string quarterback position, and they will receive the bulk of Sunday’s action.

Bradford is coming back from his second left anterior cruciate ligament tear in a 10-month span and wasn’t given full medical clearance until the August. 2 start of training camp.

All-Pro RB DeMarco Murray is spending more time on the sideline than expected while Ryan Mathews gets more reps with the first-team offense.