NFL Week 2

Vick Fine Being Kolb's Backup

http://sports.espn.go.com/nfl/news/story?id=5595955

Michael Vick told ESPN on Monday that there should be no quarterback controversy in Philadelphia -- he's OK with Kevin Kolb as the Eagles' starter.

Vick, one day after leading the Eagles past the Detroit Lions with 284 passing yards, two touchdowns and another 37 rushing yards, said in a SportsCenter interview that Kolb is the Eagles' "leader" and that he was "OK" being the backup.

Eagles coach Andy Reid told reporters before Sunday's game that Kolb was ready to return in Week 3. Kolb was held out of Sunday's game after sustaining a concussion in the first half of the Eagles' Week 1 loss to the Green Bay Packers.

Despite throwing for 458 yards and three touchdowns so far this season, Vick said he's fine with his role as a reserve.

"I came into this season and this year as the backup and that's been my mindset," Vick said. "I've been working hard to be reliable whenever I'm needed. That's the way it is, and the way it's gonna be throughout the season."

Vick also said after Sunday's game that Kolb was the Eagles' rightful starter.

Kolb told the Philadelphia Inquirer on Monday that he needs to show the Eagles and their fans that he belongs as the top quarterback on the team.

"I appreciate [Vick's support], but I got to prove it, too," Kolb said. "That's the competitive nature of everybody. ... Andy's loyal to everybody and he's a trustworthy guy. He does what's right for the team always. And I appreciate the words that Mike has said."

Vick told ESPN on Monday that he's confident that Kolb will deliver for the Eagles.

"I know how good he is, and what he can do," Vick said.

"He's gonna lead us and we're gonna follow," he said.

Kolb started two games in his first three seasons before he became the team's No. 1 quarterback after Donovan McNabb was traded to Washington.

Reid said after Sunday's game that even if Vick isn't starting, he'll be involved in more plays than last year.

"We've got more plays for him than we did a year ago, so he'll be on the field," Reid said. "It isn't going to be five or six plays this year."

Vick said he hopes to get an opportunity to be a team's top quarterback next season.

"Hopefully, somebody will give me that opportunity [next year] and if they give me that opportunity, they'll get 110 percent," he said.

 

Yeah, I realize that too. I don't know about the few more years part as his contract is up after this season.

 

I don't think the fans opinions matter one bit. They were calling for McNabb's head ever since he got there.

 

Because of the success of Vick over the last two weeks, fans are clamoring for him to start. Last week, I'd say it was 55-45 but now I would say it's more like 80-20, of course I am just going by what I read, see and hear because I don't live in Philadelphia.

If Kolb comes in does bad against Jacksonville next week, I'm not so sure we'll see him in there for that huge (for obvious reasons) game against Washington the next week. We'll just have to see.

 

This Yahoo! article mirrors what I said about Vick and have been saying about Kolb:

http://sports.yahoo.com/nfl/blog/sh...kles-again-promptly-gets-bench?urn=nfl-270843

It would've been difficult to imagine this back in 2007 when Michael Vick(notes) was being led around in handcuffs, but I'm about to argue that the man is being wronged.

It's not just Vick, either. It's all of his teammates, fans and pretty much anyone who wants the Philadelphia Eagles to win football games. They're all being done a disservice by Andy Reid's decision to go with Kevin Kolb as the starter in next week's game against the Jaguars.

Reid said it before and after Vick beat the Lions: Kolb has passed the necessary concussion tests, and he will start next week. Just like that. Kolb was going to be your starter, even if Vick threw for 600 yards and 11 touchdowns Sunday.

I just wonder about Reid's motivation with this borderline-irrational devotion to Kolb. I see three possibilities for his unwavering Kolb love:

1. Training camp and practices have clearly demonstrated that Kolb is better than Vick, and Reid legitimately believes that Kolb gives the team the best chance to win;
2. After sticking his neck out for Kolb this offseason when he traded Donovan McNabb(notes), Reid really feels like he needs to prove he was right and justify that decision; or
3.The old unwritten rule about a how a player can't lose his job to injury.

The first possibility would be the only acceptable one. If Reid is thinking about the second or third, it's garbage. Giving the Philadelphia Eagles the best chance to win football games is the only acceptable motivation here.

I have never seen anything from Kevin Kolb(notes), in real, live game action, that can match what Michael Vick's done in the last two games. It's never happened. Of all the games in which Kolb's had significant playing time, he's been very good just once. Admittedly, it's not a large sample size, but there it is.

Vick, with the last two games being the only two in which he's had substantial playing time, has shined in both of them. In six quarters, he's thrown for 459 yards, three touchdowns, no interceptions, and has rushed 18 times for 140 yards.

Those are Pro Bowl numbers. You don't bench Pro Bowl numbers, unless you have someone on the bench who can put up even better numbers, and if Kevin Kolb can do that, he's been hiding that ability pretty well. The Jaguars and their not-so-stellar pass defense are next on the schedule for the Eagles, so any quarterback who faces them figures to have a decent day. Kyle Orton(notes) threw for 295 yards against them in Week 1, and Philip Rivers(notes) just lit them up for 334. Opposing quarterbacks have a 103.5 passer rating against the Jags through two weeks.

So there's pressure on Kolb, not just to perform and win, but to do it rather impressively. If he struggles at all against the Jaguars, he and Andy Reid are going to have a lot of questions to answer.

Reid's been adamant all along that there's never been a Vick vs. Kolb quarterback controversy. By now, I agree with him -- Vick has clearly earned that job.

 

This is true, this year is huge for Reid because if Kolb flops, there is a good chance he won't last past next season. As for being a smart coach, sometimes. He is a horrible clock/timeout/challenge manager and doesn't try to run any type of balanced offense whatsoever. I think he would have a problem implementing Vick because of everything that has been invested in Kolb. We'll really have to see how it plays out.

Yeah, that's true about competition bringing out the best but it can divide a locker room too. You have certain players, coaches and fans clamoring for one guy and the rest wanting the other guys It can be detrimental.

If so, I couldn't think of a better scenario then the one he is about to face against the Jaguars. They have almost no pass rush and a horrible overall pass defense. If he struggles against the Jaguars, things don't really get much easier afterward.

Exactly and it is not only players that are rallying around Vick, the fan base that is rallying around him continues to grow as well.

I don't think the dust will simply settle after week 3. Kolb has to be consistently successful in order for the Vick talk to quiet down and with Vick's touches only increasing, as Reid stated, I don't see the dust settling anytime soon.

 

Yeah, we knew that.