As if it ever has worked any other way, the Eagles have bumped into a tidy quarterback controversy. That's because, with their season and Michael Vick's left hamstring both malfunctioning Sunday, Nick Foles did plenty to help them defeat the New York Giants, 36-21.

Vick left the game with 1:25 left in the second quarter, and the Eagles could have attributed that to caution. But oddly, both Vick and Chip Kelly insisted afterward that, had it been necessary, he could have played. Still, Kelly kept Foles in the game ... and was rewarded with two fourth-quarter touchdown passes.

Kelly insists that Vick will start Sunday in Tampa Bay, though mid-week medical reports could swing his mind.

If the Vick-or-Foles, Foles-or-Vick debate rages, Kelly will have to take some of the blame/credit. He was the one who kept the competition humming deep into the offseason, an indication that he was not so sold on Vick that he could never be persuaded to change his mind.

“We're always going to compete,” Kelly said, when asked if Foles had an opportunity to win the No. 1 job, “and to make sure that the best guys are on the field.”

And so, it begins.

Enjoy.

Check out my column on the situation, along with my story about the Birds' improving defense, in the Daily Times Monday and, as always, on delcotimes.com