Eagles Week 1 Recap: It's Beginning To Feel Like 1990

The game that opened the year to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the last Eagles NFL championship more resembled a game to commemorate the 20th anniversary of the Body Bag Game. Leonard Weaver tore his ACL on this gruesome play, Jamaal Jackson is done for the year with a torn bicep, Kevin Kolb suffered a concussion, Stewart Bradley suffered a concussion, Jason Peters got nicked and missed a few series, Ryan Grant hopped off the field on 1-leg, Justin Harnell suffered a significant injury, Nick Collins got dinged up. I could go on but I think you get the point. Here are the rest of my thoughts on this game in bullet form. I find that I can cover most of my random and assorted thoughts the best with this format.

• Kevin Kolb went 5/10 for 24 yards (5/7 for 24 yards before suffering a concussion) and while the yardage could be better, the completion percentage is not wholly discouraging.  But, Kevin Kolb played 30 minutes of football, threw only 10 passes, 3 of which he threw concussed (more on that in a moment), and all of a sudden people are saying he should not be the QB of the Eagles.  Wait, what?  A guy whom you have groomed for 3 years as McNabb's successor and a guy who you named the starter months in advance should be benched (when he is 100%) after 30 minutes and 10 passes?  Are you people who think that fucking high?  Not to mention Vick was not exactly a picture of great QBing (more on that in a moment).  Kolb is and should be the starter of this team when he is healthy.  End of story.  And yes, if he is cleared by the doctors, Kevin Kolb will start Week 2.  Start Vick over a healthy Kevin Kolb and your franchise has no future.
• Because tomorrow will be a "EAGLES SHOULD HAVE NEVER TRADED DONOVAN MCNABB WAHHHHHHHH!" day, I need to say that the Eagles absolutely did the right thing in trading McNabb.  It is right then.  It is right now.  And it will be right 5 years in the future.  Donovan McNabb was no longer fit with the Eagles.  He had lost that locker room, he is not a leader like the Eagles and their fans wanted in their QB.  Heck, McNabb is not a leader period.  The fans were tired of him, and I think most importantly, he was tired of Philadelphia.  He may have had a great relationship in Reid, but is it a coincidence that he dropped some weight and looks re-invigorated now that he is in Washington?  McNabb is McNabb.  He is an above average QB who throws bullets, makes some, misses badly on others, and keeps his INT total low.  Kolb may or may not pan out, but Donovan McNabb was never leading this Eagles team to a Super Bowl. (Update:  Even if you include passes after the concussion, Kolb finished with a better completion percentage than Donovan McNabb, who was 15/32 for 171 yards; typical McNabb, though he does look in better shape and a bit re-invigorated since the trade).
• I make a note of the first 2 things because the counter to them will be heard all over Philly tomorrow.  It will be embarrassing.
• Andy Reid used Vick far too often early in the game.  Using Vick that often that early in Kolb's 1st game as a Day 1 starter surely did nothing but hinder Kolb and contribute to his lackluster beginning.
• Michael Vick made the biggest mistake of the game.  Down 27-17 and in a 3rd and goal situation, Michael Vick dropped back to pass, avoided pressure, and got free.  He had 5 options:  Throw the ball to a wide open Jeremy Maclin for a sure fire touchdown, throw the ball to a wide open Brent Celek for a sure fire touchdown, throw the ball to a wide open (and incredibly dreamy) Riley Cooper for a touchdown, run straight ahead for a sure fire touchdown, and force the ball to a double covered DeSean Jackson flailing his arms aimlessly cause he simply thinks he is open.  Guess which option Vick chose?  If you said the last option, the only option where the play would not have resulted in a touchdown, you guessed correct.  It arguably cost the Eagles the game.
• The Eagles had 0 injuries heading into this week's game.  I think that is the last time we'll be saying that about this team.
• Bobby April is supposed to be one of the best special teams coaches in the league.  You wouldn't know it by watching the Eagles special teams performance tonight.  Beyond atrocious.
• This Eagle team was ravaged by injury.  They were down 27-10.  It looked hopeless.  But they fought back both offensively and defensively and nearly tied a game they had no business being in.  This team showed an incredible amount of heart.  That can take them places in future games.
• As bad as this game was, I do not think it is a stretch to suggest that given the Giants game and the 1st 3 quarters of the Dallas-Washington game that the Eagles played the best football of the 4 NFC East teams.
• Then again, losing Weaver and Jamaal Jackson for the year and Bradley and Kolb for an unknown period of time will make it hard for them to be the best of the 4 for a continued amount of time.  Those are some key players for this team.  Bradley's role on this defense cannot be underscored.  If I was in a corner and could only choose 1 of Bradley and Kolb to be back next week and play the Detroit Lions, I would choose Bradley.
• Outside of the aforementioned bad play, Mike Vick did have a really impressive game in the 2nd half.  He looked competent, put up good numbers, and his running ability has improved immensely.  His arm has never been anything to brag about and in typical Vick passion, did miss some throws he could have easily made, but given what he showed in pre-season, you can color me surprised.  All that being said, you are absolutely crazy if you think he should start over a healthy and medically cleared Kevin Kolb.
• While a healthy Kolb should never be benched for Vick, take a moment to think about this.  How many back-up QBs are there in this league that are better than Mike Vick?
• Kevin Kolb and Stewart Bradley both suffered concussions.  After the hits that caused their concussions, both were looked at by the training staff and both were subsequently allowed to re-enter the game.  Whomever looked at 2 clearly concussed men and said it was okay for them to re-enter the game should be fired.  If it happens once, it is bad but forgivable as no one is perfect.  But twice?  It reeks of incompetence and an inability to diagnose concussions.  And that's dangerous.  Someone needs to lose their job over this.
• What was Andy thinking with that last play call?  A Vick QB draw up the middle out of the shotgun on a 4th and 1?  Talk about predictable.   If Weaver was healthy, he should have gotten the ball there.  Sure that is predictable as well, but who is going to stop a guy like Church Van from getting 1 yard?
• If you must have Vick on that play, it needs to be to the outside on an option.
• Clay Matthews is a beast.  End of story.
• Mike Vick likes controversy!  This is him after the game:  ""I feel like if I had been out there for four quarters, maybe we would have had a chance to win the game."  You had a chance to win this game.  You and your coach blew it.  Kolb had a good pre-season.  Vick had a horrible one.  Kolb has been named the starter since Day 1 post-McNabb trade.  Vick has been Andy Reid's toy.  Vick believes he can still be a starter in the NFL.  Vick does not realize that as good as his legs may be, his arm is far too inconsistent for any contending team to ever consider starting him.
• Even with the injuries, I would step away from the panic button.  The Eagles next 2 games are against the Detroit Lions and the Jacksonville Jaguars.  They have the time and the place to work out the kinks and get adjusted to playing without Jamaal Jackson and Leonard Weaver and time to find out what works and what doesn't.   The injuries are bad, but the position they find themselves in is not the worst in the world.  There is a tendency in Philadelphia to overreact.  Let's all take a breath and step away from the panic button and reflect on what really happened.  A young Eagles team played a Super Bowl contender, suffered injuries on an unprecedented level, and only lost by 7 points.  That's not terrible.