Commentary by Birds Nest blogger Drew Magary.
By now, you know that Eagles coach Andy Reid has already announced that Michael Vick, despite putting on two very impressive performances over the past two weeks, will return to the bench next week against Jacksonville. Kevin Kolb and his achy head will return to the starting QB spot. Vick took his relegation with a great deal of class, but that doesn’t mean you or I have to.
Here is the argument for starting Kolb, if you believe Steve Mariucci or anyone else willing to defend Reid here: Kolb was groomed over the course of four years for this job. He barely played two quarters to open the season. You can’t simply throw the baby out with the bathwater. You have to stick with your young QB to show you believe in him, just as the Jets did with Mark Sanchez, who promptly rewarded them by beating New England yesterday. Start Kolb against a weak team like Jacksonville, let him grow in confidence, and go on from there.
That’s the argument for Kolb. Now, here is why that argument is dumb: Vick, right now, is a better fit for this team than Kolb. It’s clear. The o-line is a train wreck, but Vick eliminates that concern because of his quickness. There’s a reason Kolb was concussed, you know.
Furthermore, Kolb may have only played half a game, but he played badly, and he didn’t look all that great in the preseason. Why would you potentially derail your offense by sticking him back in there when Vick has clearly found a rhythm with the backs and wideouts? Anyone who says Kolb needs the job back because he needs the Eagles to believe in him is dumb. Quarterbacks aren’t made of china. Or, at least, they shouldn’t be. I thought Kolb was supposed to be all tough and Texan and what not. If it hurts his confidence when the Eagles stick with the hot hand, then what good is he playing in THIS town anyway?
Mooch praised Reid last night for announcing his decision right away, to diffuse the controversy, but doing it that early only serves to do two things: A) Make the whole town angry at Reid for the entire week, B) Make Reid look stubborn and pigheaded. Did he really have to decide that so quickly? Before even seeing Vick play against the Lions? Did that performance mean nothing to him?
IS HE FREAKIN’ BLIND?
It’s a prime example of a coach sticking to his plan despite a crying need to adjust on the fly. Because God forbid Reid switch to Vick and risk looking like he’s abandoning his master plan. It shows that Reid, as always, will stick to his little coaching rulebook without showing a hint of passion or spontaneity.
All this is happening just as the Eagles’ former QB threw for over 400 yards yesterday, and would have led his team to an upset win over Houston if Joey Galloway’s rotting skeleton could still catch a ball.
Andy Reid cast Donovan McNabb aside for Kevin Kolb, and now it appears he’s willing to cast a revitalized Vick aside in favor of his protégé as well. It’s a dumb move, and it may be the last important decision he makes as the head coach of this team.
