All Signs Point to Foles Against Tampa Bay

PHILADELPHIA (973espn.com) - Mike Groh admitted Tuesday that he and the coaching staff already know who will start at quarterback for the Eagles against Tampa Bay on Sunday.

All signs point to Nick Foles for at lest one more week as Carson Wentz continues to work his way back from ACL/LCL surgery on Dec. 13 of last year.

Nine months, the demarcation line three independent surgeons gave 973espn.com as a reasonable timetable for a high-level athlete's rehab, would be Thursday, a day after preparation begins in earnest for the 1-0 Bucs.

"I think we feel pretty confident," the offensive coordinator said on Tuesday when asked about the starter. "Coach [Doug Pederson] will make that announcement, I guess maybe in the next day or so, but, yeah, we're already onto the game plan and moving forward with that at this time in the week."

Pederson will speak with the media on Wednesday morning.

Wentz had not been cleared for contact as of last week although an ESPN report, citing the team's GPS tracking data, claimed that the Eagles expect their star QB back in play sooner rather than later.

The Eagles will host former offensive coordinator Frank Reich and his Indianapolis Colts in Week 3, probably the earliest you will see Wentz.

Foles did not play well in the 18-12 season-opening win over Atlanta, completing 19-of-34 passes for just 117 yards and a 50.7 passer rating.

"Obviously, we want to improve, and I think we will," Groh said of his offense. "We've got veteran guys here that know the expectation level."

Foles was particularly poor getting the football downfield and to his outside receivers with the longest completion of the night against the Falcons going for only 18 yards to tight end Zach Ertz.

"We had some chances down the field, and we didn't capitalize on those chances," Groh said. "Atlanta's got a lot of talent over there — they've got excellent defensive backs. They made some plays on the football, too, which kept the production down. We know that we've got to create more explosive plays and push the ball down the field."

-John McMullen covers the Eagles and the NFL for 973espn.com. You can reach him at jmcmullen44@gmail.com or on Twitter @JFMcMullen