Philadelphia Eagles head coach Andy Reid met with the media late Tuesday afternoon and started his press conference with a simple, yet stunning sentence: "Michael Vick is the starting quarterback of the Philadelphia Eagles. Vick's play has exceeded expectations."
What makes this announcement and Reid’s decision so shocking is what took place last Sunday.
Before the Eagles took to the field against the Lions, Reid has already declared that Kevin Kolb would be back as his starting quarterback for next week’s game against the Jacksonville Jaguars. But then Vick went out and had an outstanding game as he led the Eagles to a win over the Lions. Vick’s numbers were impressive to say the least: 284 yards passing, two touchdowns and no interceptions.
In other words, Vick looked like a starting quarterback in the NFL.
It was obvious from the media conference Tuesday that the more Reid looked at the film of the Eagles’ win over the Lions, the more he became convinced that he had no choice but to name Vick his starter.
Reid said that as he watched Vick in action on Sunday his first thought was, "Wow. He's back and maybe even a little bit better."
While the rabid throngs of Eagles fans and the cut-throat Philadelphia press corps will like this decision, I don’t think Kolb is quite so happy. Reid went to great lengths to point out that, "Kevin Kolb is fine. This is not an injury related issue."
Reid feels that this decision will end up doing Kolb a lot of good in the long run.
"The future is bright for Kevin Kolb," he said. "This will help Kolb's maturation process."
To Reid's credit, he said that the first person he called after making the decision was Kolb.
This is the same Kolb that Reid and the coaching staff was so confident in that they traded Donovan McNabb to the Redskins in the off-season. Then they signed Kolb to a one-year, $12.25 contract extension. Then they spent all training camp giving him the majority of reps with the first-team offence. And then after one-half of football, Kolb is a back up. If that sounds cruel and grossly unfair, well, then it is. But that is also how they do things in the NFL.
Remember what happened to Drew Bledsoe in New England? Feelings don’t matter. Winning matters.
Reid tried to smooth the waters by claiming, "I'm lucky to have two quarterbacks like Michael Vick and Kevin Kolb."
But everyone in Philadelphia knows that the Eagles have only one starting quarterback, and his name is Michael Vick.
That other guy Kevin Kolb? He’s a backup until further notice.
This week, Vick and the Eagles will be in Jacksonville to face the Jaguars. The following week, Vick and the Eagles will be back at Lincoln Financial Field to face none other than Donovan McNabb and the Redskins.
