Eagles have quarterback controversy
Andy Reid may want to avoid it -- indeed, it is he that controls it most -- but the coach has himself a quarterback controversy after Michael Vick replaced an injured Kevin Kolb and nearly guided the Eagles past Green Bay Sunday.
Eagles have quarterback controversy
Jeff McLane, Inquirer Staff Writer
Andy Reid may want to avoid it -- indeed, it is he that controls it most -- but the coach has himself a quarterback controversy after Michael Vick replaced an injured Kevin Kolb and nearly guided the Eagles past Green Bay Sunday.
It is probably silly to suggest that the Eagles bench Kolb this early in his tenure as the starter. The Eagles changed the course of their history when they boldly traded away franchise quarterback Donovan McNabb and promoted Kolb in April. So it's unlikely to think Reid will abandon this path just because Kolb struggled in one half of play.
The 26-year-old Kolb also has two years left on his contract, while the 30-year-old Vick has one.
But Vick will likely get his opportunity to show that he's still a starter in this league when the Eagles play at Detroit next week and possibly the following week at Jacksonville. Kolb suffered a concussion in the second quarter, came back for one series and was pulled at the half. He will definitely sit out at least next week.
Vick, by the way, believes he's still a starter and raised some eyebrows with this quote he gave from the post-game podium seat Kolb was supposed to be sitting at:
"I still feel like I can play at a high level. I feel like if I had been out there for four quarters maybe we would have had a chance to win the game," Vick said. "But it's all hindsight now."
Reid, for the record, said Kolb is still his starter. But the young quarterback may test the coach's patience. He looked very tentative in the pocket. He completed just 5 of 10 passes for 24 yards with each completed pass coming underneath. When he did throw downfield he was nearly picked off three times. After the concussion he came back in and eyeballed DeSean Jackson for too long and was nearly intercepted by Clay Matthews.
"I'm going to take the responsibility for this," Reid said of Kolb's performance. "There were a few different things going on there. It wasn't just the quarterback or the offensive line. It was a combination of things. I'll make sure I go back and fix that."
Vick, on the other hand, was far from perfect. But he injected some energy into the sluggish offense with his dazzling runs, and he was fairly efficient passing the ball completing 16 of 24 passes.
"Honestly, I felt good when I was out there," Vick said. "I felt like I could play three or four more quarters. So that's a good thing. My legs [weren't] tired. I felt like I'm in shape, in great shape. I felt like I'm battling and that I fought and that I had the instinct and desire to win."
Love or hate him, discount him abilities as a quarterback or not, Vick was a long-time starter in this league. He knows how to the play the position.
The question for Reid, though, is whether he's willing to sacrifice a chance at winning to develop Kolb, and how long is he willing to stick with the young lad?
Like Kolb did a year ago when McNabb broke a rib in the first game of the season, Vick will likely have a one- or two-game audition. Will it be for the Eagles or for some other team looking for a starting quarterback next season?
Buckle your seatbelts, it's going to be a bumpy ride.
Comments (67)
Jeff is such a creative thinker....— bonnerlou- Most talented roster in the league— scootch
- forget who can play qb...who can hog tie the fastest?— bmoney17
- What was the deal on the time outs? Seemed to be a waste.— Lawmoe
- Welcome to Andy Reid Airlines. in case of a loss of cabin pressure, three plastic cups will drop from the ceiling. stop screaming and calmly pull one over your nose and mouth and start breathing. if you are traveling with small children or a pack of eagles fans staring ahead at 5 to 6 years of football purgatory, put your own mask on before assisting others.— jamesiri
- If KK has to sit for at least 2 weeks, and Vick plays better than people expected, look for him to get traded by the deadline for some favorable draft picks next year and Roseman and Crew can finish their rebuild/restock/replenish movement with 2 1st round picks next year, both focused on the offensive line. Next year, they go quality instead of quantity.— Bleue
- honestly we have to go with Vick, he only needs practice time with the 1's and we have a playoff team. Kolb was way to tentative when he should have been assertive and then when he tries to assert himself he thrown near picks. Counting the pre season Kolb has thrown more near picks than any Qb in NFL history, I wanted to give the kid a chance but it sure doesnt help when you get sick on your 1st day of school, and that was before the Clay Mathews textbook hit.— GardenGuru
Comment removed.- Controversy? I'd rather have this (Kolb vs Vick) than McNabb. Anyone notice that McNOT still has not scored an offensive touchdown with his new team tonight? Same old McNabb.— hobie_coop
- KK = kevin kolb = kyle kendrick. (admittedly trolling...)
- McNabb had a lousy night. I was rooting for Dallas on the last drive (hard thing to do). TOUCHDOWN Dallas, but wait...holding call. And there's McNOT pumping his fists up in the air like HE led the team to the win. What a JOKE! Trust me - we are sooooo much better off WITHOUT McNabb...— hobie_coop
- Kolb stinks. this was a Super Bowl contending team we were up against and Vick was taking it to 'em. Kolb looked like a deer in headlights the entire time he was in there. Ried and the rest of his cronies in the front office have to realize that they made a mistake in selecting Kolb. Vick gives us a way better chance to win !— GSEaglesFan
i wanted to give kolb a shot. i have seen enough. yes, one half of play has convinced me that our best chances are not with kolb. i want to win now and vick gives us the better shot. it is what it is. proof is in the pudding. i mean, kolb wasnt just so-so, he was the definition of putrid.- You people sound like idiots. How does McNabb stink but continue to win. I seen at least 8 dropped passes!! How are you better off by not winning? You sound like 10 yr old school girls.— Birdman411
- Philly_Mike, did you actually watch the game? McNabb wasn't great but he didn't stink. How many passes did the receivers drop? You probably watched for five minutes and then passed judgment.— phillyinsd
- 10yr school girls? Call me when McNabb scores a touchdown for the Redskins. Then call me when he gets them to the playoffs. Then call me when he chokes (different uniform, same player). Moving on into the future is still the right move for the Eagles - regardless of whether it's Vick or Kolb (both good QBs). McNap, McUpChuck, McLean is very unlikely to take any team all the way...ever.— hobie_coop
- And neither Kolb nor Vick will take the Eagles to even a conference finals game. So dis Donovan all you like, this team is in for a long, long mediocre stretch.— JonKap
- The Birds want to win NOW! Andy Reid does not have the luxury of "hoping" BABYARM develops into the Franchise QB. I think because of #7's past, Andy is hesitant on making Mike Vick the NEW Franchise QB known to the ignorant.— BooDuhBud
- It's a controversy because the media says it is.
Well well well,lol. Look how the tables have turned. Eagles fans: "Get vick out oof here and get Garcia" "Vick can't eun the offense" etc etc etc, what a bunch of BS. I TOLD YOU VICK WAS THE BETTER QB AND HE PROVED IT AFTER ONE WEEK. Kolb is a good guy, and I felt a little bad for him getting pulled back and forth, but as you can see, it was for a reason. Vick is a once in a lifetime talent. You cannot keep a player like him on the sideline, and Kolb is the perfect QB to have in front of him because Kolb won't complain (McNabb). If Vick puts it all together (run and pass balance) and keeps his accuracy up, he is unstoppable. Vick is the better QB.— elijah29- Can't judge Kolb by one game. Especially behind what we all know to be a suspect offensive line. If you protect him and give him time, I think he'll end up being a very good quarterback. That being said, thank god we have Vick as a backup. But why don't we all just ignore that and become some knee-jerk panicking fools?— esesjay
- Some eagles fans are the reason for the bad karma around this team. Hate McNabb all you want to. The guy you say is a better QB was getting booed out there. All things looked grim until Vick took over. Continue to mask that Philly's SB drought was #5s fault. Andy Reid has given away the team's heart and soul, mismanaged time outs, poor play calling in crucial moments and has drafted for the most part poorly. Kolb will be the starter cause Reid and the rest of the management hates to look like they are wrong. Well they are wrong and we will lose more games because of it. Trading away Sheldon Brown & McNabb was a mistake. It will become more evident as the season progresses.— Philly1973
- After watching the 2nd half it should be obvious to anyone who isn't a moron that if we stick with Vick as the started this will be the year that the Eagles finally win their first Superbowl. Korn On The Kolb had his chance and he blew it, enough already! they should trade him or release him and sign Matt Leinart as Vick's backup, he might not be NFL starting quarterback material but at least he can throw a touchdown now and then, unlike KK. If Reid refuses to admit he made a mistake with Kolb then he should be fired and replaced by John Gruden, who unlike Reid, knows how to win a Superbowl as head coach!!!— hammerfist406
- Well Reid is the same ole terrible gameday coach. Blown timeouts, not calling plays to get his young happy feet qb {with good reason) comfortable, puting Bradley back in the game after he staggered around just minutes earlier, common sense shouldv'e taken over regardless if the player said he was fine keep him out! not using Mike Bell, not using Mccoy enough, thankfully Vick almost saved the day. If this line doesn't improve Vick should be the starter for the remainder of the season because if Kolb plays all season with this line he'll be another David Carr---JOURNEYMAN. The blood pressure medicine is on standby— philsfan417
- Kolb was horrible, he can't play.— valorius
- jon,i picked the Birds over the Packers and the Deadskins over the Cowboys so i had a split..the BIRDS fans are overreacting on Kevin Kolb,the NY giants fans did the same thing to ELI manning until he beat the undefeated patriots in the SB,,this team will bounce back next week hopefully Kevin will play thru a concussion and come back to beatdown the lions,i wouldn't want to be a lions fan next week,,we all know how horrible the giants fans were to ELI,we don't need to go down that road,have some patience look at the BIG picture,,mr conVick played well in a comeback game,but that happens alot with back up QB's in games like this one(garcia-feeley-detmer-detmer).....BIRDS-2012......wolf.— wolf 4
- It's gonna be fun to see how this all plays out. Kolb was horrible, but we have to find out if he can play. But patience is not something we have around here. So, it's gonna be interesting, especially if Kolb continues to stink.— Gary_Philly
- 10 passes, running for your life behind a terrible Oline that had a false start on the first play, constitutes a controversy? Mike Vick played great, but at this point the Packers went into a nickel scheme to play a cushion. Classic taking your foot off the gas pedal. Even then, the most damage was due to Mike running for his life. Every Oline player was overwhelmed and made Clay Matthews look like Lawrence Taylor.— 1st and goal
- All you McNabb haters need to look at two sets of numbers: Skins 1-0, Eagles 0-1. McNabb didn't have a great game, but the receivers dropped a lot of easy passes, including two fades in the end zone that were right in their hands. Football is a team game; the Skins won because they outplayed the Cowboys on both sides of the ball. Blaming one player for a team loss is ridiculous, dozens of players play for each team.— mjc1
- I love how everyone is so quick to judge Kolb's first game against a team many have picked to go to the superbowl. Any pocket passer, I mean any, would have had his head on a swivel. The offensive line was swiss cheese. Vick looked better because he could get out of the middle of the field (I would call it the pocket if there was one) with his head still attached to his body. This is going to be a long season. The offensive line was a question mark and they showed us why. Kolb had less than a second to go through his progressions before he was getting hit. Pretty tough to read defences if you have to keep an eye on the line for self preservation. I do have to say that Vick will be better with this offensive line. If the line could give Kolb a little time, I believe that Kolb will be better long term.— chrisrr
- The McNabb trade will go down as the worst trade in pro football, ever.— allen_jones
- Kolb is not a professional QB, he just isn't. As the leader of the offense, he showed nothing to inspire confidence in his teammates, coaches, or fans. McNabb struggled in his first starts as an Eagle, but you could see that he was good. Kolb does not look like he has "it".— allen_jones
- I'm still an fan and always will be, but the Eagles got what they deserve. Trading away a proven QB for someone unknown. Kolb may have the skill set, but after yesterday, you have to question if he has the presence to play in a real game when teams have prepared for him.— PhillyFanSouth
- The entire offense's first half was pathetic and embarrasing. I can't believe there are still McNabb haters on here saying that he stinks. Give it up! The Eagles made the big mistake and traded him, and he's gone. Stop bashing him and his winning team! Kolb was mediocre at best during the preseason, and got worse in the opener. He'd better show some improvement soon. He may not get the chance if Vick comes through and gives us some wins while Kolb is recuperating. So it "raised some eyebrows" when he said the Eagles might have won if he'd been in there the whole game? Why? He was only telling the truth.— dlscholt
- Quarterback! Horse Attack! What the "H" ever happened to the Eagles FEARED DEFENSE? Is it me or have the Eagles seriously lost a humongous chunk of their defensive swagger over the last couple of years. Teams used to tremble at the thought of playing in Philly. Now it's like "Hey buddy, you wearing no. XO, what's going on in Philly after the game? I'm buying." I don't like the defensive situation at all. No disrespect to the current roster because they were drafted and trained to do exactly what they do. However, we need to get back to the beefy teethy, game-changing, bone rattlin', hide your wives and your daughters, give me gas cuz I don't drink water, hit masters out there. That is front office stuff. I mean come on, man. It just doesn't seem like smash-mouthed old school defense out there anymore. I need to know, I really need to know, that when things start to get out of hand that the defense can huddle up and say "Come on y'all, we gotta hold it down for (pointing to the sidelines) you know who, again!" OK OK OK, I will just come out and say it, the defensive coordinator sucks.— WantToKnow
- Kolb looked much like Milton-the-Monster in Kelly Green out there. Rather, he looked just about as nimble as Milton Street on the grid iron. He had better get his Bojangles workin' in the pocket if he expects to get any mileage out of his 15 minutes. He is in the NFL and he is expected to deal with the line. He took the position so do the dang job. He better not pull an Andrews Sisters on us. Am I being too rough? "H" no! This is Philly! This ain't Mr. Roger's neighborhood. Deal with it!— WantToKnow
- @Birdman411 you sound like a guy who did not see the Dallas games from last years when Mcnabb laid an egg in all three games. Get a clue.— I-am-a-realist
- @Birdman411 you sound like a guy who did not see the Dallas games from last years when Mcnabb laid an egg in all three games. Get a clue.— I-am-a-realist
- Love the "deperate" Kolb SPIN...FIND ANYTHING to JUSTIFY KEEPING this STIFF as the STARTER....LAME!!!— RoastedBird
- The Kolb era could not get off to a worse start. I don't know how long players like DJ will continue to have his back when he looks over and sees Vick ready to come in and make plays like he did yesterday. KK cannot be effective with poor pocket protection, unlike Mcnabb and Vick. Reid will have to adjust the offensive philosophy if he wants to succeed with Kolb with the O-line he has. Otherwise he could lose the locker room, and eventually his job. Reid probably wishes Vick did not play so well. Remember back to the Ravens game at halftime, that could have been the beginning of the Kolb era if he had played a half decent 2nd half and not put Ed Reed in the record books. Well Vick did the exact opposite and almost pulled out the game, but for the bonehead play call on 4th and 1. Now they possibly need to make an ex convict the face of the franchise this year if they want to win. Then what? Is Vick your QB of the future? His contract is up, so you know he will be looking for the biggest payday when the season is over.
- Realist: Reid LOST those game LAST year; Reid is a LAME coach that persists on badge judgment.... THE TRUE COLORS ARE STARTING TO SHINE and IT's ABOUT TIME....Can't BLAME #5 NOW.....— RoastedBird
- The only difference there would have been if McNabb was here is that he would have the concussion and Kolb would have stepped in. McNabb can not win it for the Eagles. With washington, he has the vaunted running game, but was still unable to score a touchdown. McNabb's numbers are very average hardly worth the caterwauling that he is the answer.— chrisrr
- Wait until you see what happens to Vick when the opposing team has a week to game plan for him as starting quarterback. The guy almost never looks off his primary receiver. Follows him from line of scrimmage to pass. That and scrambling are only going to work for so long.— bwb123
- Kolb hasn't scored a TD in the preseason or the first half. McNabb didn't play great, but he did lead the skins to two FGs.— palmyra21
- A QB sneak out of the shotgun! Really! Everyone in the stadium knew it was coming and knew it would fail, except for Marty and Andy. Can you say LONG SEASON?— lostInPhilly
- Cant judge a QB by 1 bad half.... if that was the case Mcnabb would have never started here.... he had plenty of them.... all 1st year QBs with a few exceptions, Mcnabb NOT being one of them have struggled, Manning(s) have, Elway did, Aikman Etc. Etc.— kramer65
- I like Kolb, but also remember Bobby Hoying being touted as a franchise QB. Need I say I'm concerned right now??? I also like Vick but think if we have to depend on him as a starter we're in trouble. Once teams start game planning for him, his effectivness decrease alot. Either way, we may be alot of trouble ....— RocketC
- Comment removed.
- Have to admit Vick played well and I was in Kolbs corner. There is a difference however coming into a game when it looks like its out of hand. The defense thats ahead plays different, they allow more throws underneath, but I'm not taking anything away from him. BUT - what was that last play. I know not his fault, Reid made a terrible call, cementing his reputation in Philadelphia as a bad game day coach. That call was unbelievable.— watsonmr
There is no controversary because Reid was very clear in his statement that Kolb is the starter if healthy. Regardless of that, Vick should be in there. Kolb has shown no ability whatsoever to play the position. I'm not talking about first-year starter jitters or growings pains - those issues are understandable and acceptable. But he cannot make the throws that an NFL quarterback needs to make to be successful. That throw to Celek downt he seem in the 4th quarter - if Kolb is in the game he throws an intercpetion in that spot. Vick will struggle more as teams have time to prepare for him being the QB, as was not the case with the Packers, but even with that the Eagles are so much more better off because Kolb is not an NFL quarterback, its that simple.— CosmoK- Most first-year quarterbacks stuggle - true - but those guys show flashes at least. Watching Sam Bradford yesterday - he was absolutely dreadful - BUT he showed flashes, making crisp and good throws occassionally, but making bad decisions at times that cost his team the game. I can tolerate that stuff with Kolb as we go through the growth process, but he has not shown any flashes of talent that lead anyone to believe he is a player. Vick is NOT the answer, but for now he has to be the quarterback if this team is going to win any games this year.— CosmoK
- There's no real future with Vick. Just look at his career stats. He's a runner who can throw a bit. The fact that he was better yesterday was more about his overall experience. Kolb has shown he can throw so he has to be given a realistic shot, not half a game. Kolb may sit next week due to the concussion but he'll be starting again week 3. One good thing about getting Vick some playing time is it increases his trade value. Kolb really looked awful though. If he shows nothing better than that by game 4 or 5 then this would appear to be one of the biggest mistakes the Eagles have made. I suspect he'll turn it around. Anyone expecting a shot at the playoffs this year is delusional. This is all about getting a young team some experience and a young QB some reps.— s
- WATSONMR wrote: "Have to admit Vick played well and I was in Kolbs corner. There is a difference however coming into a game when it looks like its out of hand. The defense thats ahead plays different, they allow more throws underneath." Unfortunately, then you have to discount Kolb entirely because that is exactly the type of game where he had those 300 yard days last year.— jimmyj
- Comment removed.
Aint nothing wrong with Kolb or Bradley,just got knocked a little silly,boxer get knock silly all the time,Kolb got all week to recuperate,make no excuses,dude aint ready,he's been here how long,sanchez started his first year,bradford starting and Mcnabb aint got nothing to do with this,kolb aint no rookie— dmac6419- If they continue to put Kolb behind this line, his goose will be cooked. He has, as Vince McMahon's theme song goes, "No Chance!!!". Kolb was a mistake, and if Reid really cared about him, he'd sit him until he HAS no other choice but to play him. What Vick did yesterday and his comments after the game was "Michael being Michael". When you're THAT GOOD, it's okay to be yourself at all times.— XmarksTheSpot
- Thankfully, I've watched other new QBs and Andy Reid teams in years past. I'll go out on a limb and say that Kolb wasn't as bad as he appeared in this game. Same goes for the offense. And we can be sure to be saying that they aren't as good as they appear at some point later this season. They have lots of talent. They will play better and Kolb's learning curve should be shorter than a typical rookie because of all his preparation over the years. We don't have to worry about him getting the offense. He doesn't have experience and he got lots of it yesterday. What the team and the city needs to do is rally around him. I don't see any value in changing QBs at any point this season. If we keep losing, play Kafka some. He'll be the back up next year and could use some experience. Vick is gone after this year for sure. Running backs: Please continue to work on your blocking and picking up the blitz. It's a huge problem that must be fixed.— MikeP
- McNabb was not dreadful in the skins game. If you idiots saw the game you would see that he had 2 passes dropped in the end enzone and a nice bomb dropped by his best receiver. Don't forget that the skins Oline was equally dreadful when #5 dropped back, but he was able to make positive plays and avoided mistakes. Oh, and yes, he did not play in the last 2 Skins pre-season games and the offense is new to him. The MCNABB TRADE WAS A DISGRACE AND A SLAP IN THE FACES OF EAGLES FANS!!!! IF WE HAD #5 WE WOULD HAVE BEEN 1-0 AFTER LAST NIGHT. The Eagles made a huge blunder in the McNabb trade. Where were the bombs to DeJack??— Bigbadrookie
- McNabb was not dreadful in the skins game. If you idiots saw the game you would see that he had 2 passes dropped in the end enzone and a nice bomb dropped by his best receiver. Don't forget that the skins Oline was equally dreadful when #5 dropped back, but he was able to make positive plays and avoided mistakes. Oh, and yes, he did not play in the last 2 Skins pre-season games and the offense is new to him. The MCNABB TRADE WAS A DISGRACE AND A SLAP IN THE FACES OF EAGLES FANS!!!! IF WE HAD #5 WE WOULD HAVE BEEN 1-0 AFTER LAST NIGHT. The Eagles made a huge blunder in the McNabb trade. Where were the bombs to DeJack??— Bigbadrookie
- McNabb was not dreadful in the skins game. If you idiots saw the game you would see that he had 2 passes dropped in the end enzone and a nice bomb dropped by his best receiver. Don't forget that the skins Oline was equally dreadful when #5 dropped back, but he was able to make positive plays and avoided mistakes. Oh, and yes, he did not play in the last 2 Skins pre-season games and the offense is new to him. The MCNABB TRADE WAS A DISGRACE AND A SLAP IN THE FACES OF EAGLES FANS!!!! IF WE HAD #5 WE WOULD HAVE BEEN 1-0 AFTER LAST NIGHT. The Eagles made a huge blunder in the McNabb trade. Where were the bombs to DeJack??— Bigbadrookie
- McNabb was not dreadful in the skins game. If you idiots saw the game you would see that he had 2 passes dropped in the end enzone and a nice bomb dropped by his best receiver. Don't forget that the skins Oline was equally dreadful when #5 dropped back, but he was able to make positive plays and avoided mistakes. Oh, and yes, he did not play in the last 2 Skins pre-season games and the offense is new to him. The MCNABB TRADE WAS A DISGRACE AND A SLAP IN THE FACES OF EAGLES FANS!!!! IF WE HAD #5 WE WOULD HAVE BEEN 1-0 AFTER LAST NIGHT. The Eagles made a huge blunder in the McNabb trade. Where were the bombs to DeJack??— Bigbadrookie
- Bigbadrookie, McNabb's lucky he wasn't here. Matthews would have got him also.— watsonmr
- Kolb is a fraud!!— Eaglesfan804
- Kolb certainly needs to be better than he was against the Pack or his era will be shorter than Pope John Paul I's.— dasher
- No they don't, Kolb stinks. Vick is the way to go.— kozykoz26
Let's go Sixers!— Leegles- KK is goning to get Djax or Maclin hurt tring to find his game let vick move the chains.If he is as good as people think he should have made some better choices with the ball bad o-line and all. KK might end up more like Matt Leinart rather then A. Rogers— pott27
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