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By now you know that Michael Vick will be the starting quarterback for the Philadelphia Eagles this Sunday against Jacksonville.
“I was surprised,” Vick said. “But at the same time, I’m grateful for the opportunity and very humbled by the opportunity.”
The decision to start Vick over Kevin Kolb by head coach coach Andy Reid, after he had originally stated that Kolb would be the starter, is causing some to question whether Reid was honest with the media and Kolb to begin with.
“If I’m the bad guy, I’m OK with that,” Reid said. “I think it’s important the players know I’m going to do what I think is right for them. How I’m perceived outside of them, that’s not my concern.”
Kevin Kolb, the now benched QB, says Reid has been straight with him.
“I want to be out there, but Andy always does what he feels is best for the team and so far to this point he’s done what’s best for my career, and I trust him,” Kolb said. “I still have faith it’ll work out here.”
Reid flatly denied suggestions by conspiracy theorists that someone higher up in the organization told him to start Vick.
“There was nobody that influenced this call,” Reid said. “I made the decision, and then I clued in the other people involved with it.”
With Vick leading the way, the Eagles have scored 62 points in six quarters. Kolb and the rest of the offense were awful in the first half of a 27-20 loss to Green Bay in Week 1. Vick came in after Kolb got hurt, threw for 175 yards and one touchdown and ran for 103 yards, nearly rallying the Eagles from a 17-point deficit.
Then Vick was spectacular in a 35-32 win at Detroit. He had 284 yards passing and two TDs, ran for 37 yards and had to escape a relentless blitz throughout the game.
Though Reid denied it, Vick’s remarkable ability to escape pressure could be a factor in this switch because Philadelphia’s offensive line is struggling. Kolb is less mobile and putting him behind a poor line right now could be dangerous since he’s already sustained one concussion.
In just two days, Kolb went from starter to someone who could be on the trading block. There were reports that Cleveland already inquired about Kolb, and Reid wouldn’t commit to him being in Philly beyond the Oct. 19 trade deadline.
New Redskins QB McNabb Eager to get Revenge on Eagles. It could be argued that two earthquakes took place yesterday evening – one along the California/Mexico border, the other in the NFC East. After weeks of speculation as to where Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Donovan McNabb would be traded, news broke Sunday night that the veteran QB is headed to the Washington Redskins for a pair of draft picks. According to reports, the Eagles will receive a second-round pick (37th overall) in this month’s NFL draft and either a third- or fourth-round pick next year. “I’m really excited about my future with the Washington Redskins,” McNabb said in a statement Sunday night. “I’m eager to work with Coach [Mike] Shanahan. He’s been a very successful coach with a couple of Super Bowl victories on his resume. While it has been my goal to win a Super Bowl in Philadelphia, we came up short. I enjoyed my 11 years, and know we shared a lot more good times than bad.” Former Redskins and Eagles player Brian Mitchell of Comcast SportsNet says he spoke with McNabb on the phone, and his former teammate seemed energetic about his new destination. “In his voice I heard a lot of enthusiasm,” Mitchell reported on Comcast SportsNet. “And you know, he may not be exactly like me, but I could hear he had a little revenge in that voice, too. And he wants to go to the Eagles and show them that they made a mistake.” League sources told Schefter that McNabb wanted to play for the Redskins and not the Raiders or the Bills, which is why the trade happened. “Donovan McNabb was more than a franchise quarterback for this team,” Eagles chairman Jeffrey Lurie said. “He truly embodied all of the attributes of a great quarterback and of a great person. He has been an excellent representative of this organization and the entire National Football League both on and off the field. I look forward to honoring him as one of the greatest Eagles of all-time and hopefully see him enshrined in the Pro Football Hall of Fame in Canton one day.”