Andy Reid obviously saw this coming.
He wasn’t the only one.
This morning Eagles Nation is in the full throes of a quarterback controversy, regardless of how many times Reid says Kevin Kolb is his guy. And his starter.
To be honest, it didn’t take a lot to see this one coming.
From the second Kolb sat up with that huge clump of the Lincoln Financial Field turf stuck in his helmet last week (the only thing missing was the image of stars and birds circling around his head), all eyes turned to Michael Vick.
The former All-Pro who had not started a game in the NFL in four years did not disappoint. Vick played well in the second half of the Packers game, almost rallying the Eagles to an improbable win.
That kicked off a week of daily updates. No one expected Kolb to be able to go against the Lions, in light of the increased concern in the NFL about concussions and the controversy over the fact that both he and Stewart Bradley were allowed to briefly return to the game before being pulled.
Pretty much everybody expected Vick to start against the Lions. Reid put off the inevitable as long as possible, waiting until his final press availability Friday to note that Kolb would not play on Sunday. That made Vick the starter.
This put into play a series of events that while tantalizing to the fans, no doubt was like water torture to Reid. There wasn’t any good way for this thing to pan out for the coach. Even before he got hurt in Week 1, Kolb played miserably. That Vick came in and rallied the Birds was like putting a match to a gas-soaked bonfire.
This morning Eagles nation is a conflagration.
All of which only makes even more interesting something Reid did before the game on Sunday. The Eagles coach went out of his way to note that both Kolb and Stewart had actually passed concussion testing on Saturday and would be back at practice on Wednesday. If all goes well there, both would start on Sunday in Jacksonville.
Then Vick went out and did his best Nitro act, torching the Lions with both his arms and legs.
And Reid’s response after the game? Kolb is the starter.
I will give him one thing. It’s probably better for Kolb to make this start on the road. Reinserting him as the starter for the return of Donovan McNabb and the Redskins at the Linc the following Sunday would have been a dicey proposition.
But what happens if Kolb does not play well in Jacksonville? If he plays the same way he played against the Packers (and in front of this porous offensive line that’s a distinct possibility), Reid and Kolb likely will be able to hear the screams of Eagles fans to put Vick back in all the way down in Florida.
That offensive line is a key equation here. Vick clearly still has a lot of the magic left in those legs that he exhibited while building an All-Pro career with the Falcons before watching it all crumble in the wake of a conviction for bankrolling a dog-fighting ring.
There’s a very good chance Kolb gets clobbered again operating behind this offensive line. The same can’t be said of Vick. His legs give him – and the Eagles – options Kolb just does not possess.
Then there is the suddenly mediocre state of the NFC East. What many thought of as a possible rebuilding year now is taking on a different look, one that sees the Eagles tied for the NFC East lead after the Giants, Redskins and Cowboys all lost yesterday. The Cowboys, hyped as a possible Super Bowl team, are now 0-2.
Andy Reid will meet the media this morning. No doubt he will make every attempt to quash any talk of a quarterback controversy. Good luck with that. It won’t work this morning. And it won’t work after Kolb’s first sack or incompletion next Sunday.
Get used to it, Andy. You’re learning something Eagles fans have known for years. The most popular player on the roster is always the backup quarterback.
And when he does what Vick did yesterday, that only makes him that much more popular.
It’s going to be a very interesting week.
QB or not QB, that is the question for Andy Reid this week.
He wasn’t the only one.
This morning Eagles Nation is in the full throes of a quarterback controversy, regardless of how many times Reid says Kevin Kolb is his guy. And his starter.
To be honest, it didn’t take a lot to see this one coming.
From the second Kolb sat up with that huge clump of the Lincoln Financial Field turf stuck in his helmet last week (the only thing missing was the image of stars and birds circling around his head), all eyes turned to Michael Vick.
The former All-Pro who had not started a game in the NFL in four years did not disappoint. Vick played well in the second half of the Packers game, almost rallying the Eagles to an improbable win.
That kicked off a week of daily updates. No one expected Kolb to be able to go against the Lions, in light of the increased concern in the NFL about concussions and the controversy over the fact that both he and Stewart Bradley were allowed to briefly return to the game before being pulled.
Pretty much everybody expected Vick to start against the Lions. Reid put off the inevitable as long as possible, waiting until his final press availability Friday to note that Kolb would not play on Sunday. That made Vick the starter.
This put into play a series of events that while tantalizing to the fans, no doubt was like water torture to Reid. There wasn’t any good way for this thing to pan out for the coach. Even before he got hurt in Week 1, Kolb played miserably. That Vick came in and rallied the Birds was like putting a match to a gas-soaked bonfire.
This morning Eagles nation is a conflagration.
All of which only makes even more interesting something Reid did before the game on Sunday. The Eagles coach went out of his way to note that both Kolb and Stewart had actually passed concussion testing on Saturday and would be back at practice on Wednesday. If all goes well there, both would start on Sunday in Jacksonville.
Then Vick went out and did his best Nitro act, torching the Lions with both his arms and legs.
And Reid’s response after the game? Kolb is the starter.
I will give him one thing. It’s probably better for Kolb to make this start on the road. Reinserting him as the starter for the return of Donovan McNabb and the Redskins at the Linc the following Sunday would have been a dicey proposition.
But what happens if Kolb does not play well in Jacksonville? If he plays the same way he played against the Packers (and in front of this porous offensive line that’s a distinct possibility), Reid and Kolb likely will be able to hear the screams of Eagles fans to put Vick back in all the way down in Florida.
That offensive line is a key equation here. Vick clearly still has a lot of the magic left in those legs that he exhibited while building an All-Pro career with the Falcons before watching it all crumble in the wake of a conviction for bankrolling a dog-fighting ring.
There’s a very good chance Kolb gets clobbered again operating behind this offensive line. The same can’t be said of Vick. His legs give him – and the Eagles – options Kolb just does not possess.
Then there is the suddenly mediocre state of the NFC East. What many thought of as a possible rebuilding year now is taking on a different look, one that sees the Eagles tied for the NFC East lead after the Giants, Redskins and Cowboys all lost yesterday. The Cowboys, hyped as a possible Super Bowl team, are now 0-2.
Andy Reid will meet the media this morning. No doubt he will make every attempt to quash any talk of a quarterback controversy. Good luck with that. It won’t work this morning. And it won’t work after Kolb’s first sack or incompletion next Sunday.
Get used to it, Andy. You’re learning something Eagles fans have known for years. The most popular player on the roster is always the backup quarterback.
And when he does what Vick did yesterday, that only makes him that much more popular.
It’s going to be a very interesting week.
QB or not QB, that is the question for Andy Reid this week.
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