Eagles Week 7 Recap: I Cut Kenny

From my fantasy team.

It's late, during FNIA when I normally write these recaps, I was writing about baseball instead, so sorry for the shortness of this recap. Onto the bullets.

• Last week I praised Kevin Kolb's development, this week, we were reminded why Kevin Kolb should be getting playing time.  Today's game was probably the worst start of his career.  If you don't want to see the Eagles do well next season, you will want to see Andy Reid give Kevin Kolb more starts this season.
• Andy Reid has already named Michael Vick the starter for 2 weeks from now.  I guess he is going on a "win now" merit based system.  Bleh.
• I can't sit here and tell you that in the playing time, Kevin Kolb has drastically out-performed Vick, he has not, but you want a guy who you are planning on playing QB next season to be getting some regular season reps this season.  Of course, for all I know, the Eagles Front Office are targeting Vick as that man.
• I want to go to the brothel with Riley Cooper.
• David Akers redeemed himself rather nicely.  He was 4/4 on FGs.
• The Eagles secondary was absolutely, positively, 100%, without a shadow of a doubt, completely and utterly horrendous.  The only one whose game was worth a damn in that secondary was Quintin Mikell.  Everyone else, including my beloved Nate Allen, was past useless and into the category of harmful.  How on earth is Kenny Britt so open so many times?  It was ridiculous the pitch and catch that Kerry Collins was able to play with him.  I could have been QB and Britt would have ended the game with the exact same numbers.
• The shame of the secondary's letdown, the Eagles' front 7 had a good game.  Chris Johnson was held to 66 yards.  I will take that any day of the week.
• The Tennessee Titans might not be the team everyone talks about, but this is going to be a team  that will be in the playoff race at the end of the season.  Consider them the Jags of a few years ago, when the Jags were good and underrated.
• Can I confess that I have replayed Chooch's 8th inning line drive double play in my mind over and over and over again today?  Luck is a bitch, I tell you.
• I am glad I can look back at the 2008 World Series to hold me and keep me comfy.
• Hockey season has just slapped me right across the face.
• Eagles-Titans win probability chart. (advancednflstats.com)

Eagles Week 6 Recap: Injuries, Historically Bad Day For Akers, And Falcons No Match For Eagles

 Onto the bullet points.

• Trade Vick.  Trade Vick now.  Kevin Kolb is finally getting into a rhythm and establishing himself as a real NFL QB.  Stick with Kolb and trade Vick.  Vick's value has never been higher than it is now, and it will probably never be this high again.  Naming Vick the starter in the 1st place was a a dumb idea, and Reid needs to recognize it, even if he is still contending that Vick is his QB if he is able to go next week.
• As far as back-up QB goes, the Eagles can always pick up washed up veteran on the scrap heap (so long as his name is not JaMarcus) to play ahead of future back-up Mike Kafka.  But the fact of the matter is, the Eagles picked Vick up out of prison, transformed him back into a starting caliber QB, and can reap the benefits while sticking with the guy who should be QBing this team, Kevin Kolb.  Trade Michael Vick.
• DeSean Jackson is the next Eagle to go down with a concussion after taking an awful and dirty hit from Dunta Robinson.  For those that disagree about its dirtiness, watch this and listen to this.  It's a textbook illegal hit.
• The Eagles played the entire 2nd half with only 3 eligible WRs: Jeremy Maclin (who had a career day), Jason Avant, and Chad Hall, a rookie out of Air Force who was put on the practice squad to start the season.  Seeing as Jackson is unlikely to play next week given the NFL's strict concussion recovery program in place, I would be willing to bet that someone is getting added to the squad this week.
• Matt Ryan was a local boy returning home.  He'll be glad when he leaves.  The Eagles defense ate him alive today.
• Trent Cole and Darryl Tapp are beasts.  That is all.
• Shady McCoy did not have a great game, 21 carries for only 64 yards.  Jerome Harrison was inactive, as it takes more than 48 hours to learn an offense.
• David Akers missed his 1st 3 field goals of the game before connecting on the 4th.  This marks the 1st time in his great career that Akers missed 3 field goals in one day.  I guess if ever there is a good game to miss 3 field goals, it is a game where your team wins 31-17 where the game is even more of a blowout than the score indicates.
• Andy Reid takes a lot of heat from me with his play-calling, but he had a great game today.  No egregious timeout mismanagement, no dumb challenge, no bad clock management, and further more, the scheme both offensively and defensively was very successful and worked like a charm for a full 60 minutes of football.  You can't ask for anything more than that.
• Writing these recaps is a lot harder in an easy blowout win and there is not a whole heck of a lot to complain about.
• Jeremy Maclin's numbers:  7 receptions, 159 yards, 2 TDs.  I've mentioned this numerous times, but I loved watching Maclin at Mizzou, and I am loving him more and more as a NFL WR.  The guy is the real deal and will likely be around for quite some time in this league.
• Michael Turner's numbers:  15 carries, 45 yards.  Yeah.
• Lastly, the win probability graph. (advancednflstats.com)

Eagles Week 4 Recap: Cluster****

• Jason Avant is one of the most sure handed receivers the Eagles have had since the Andy Reid era started.  How he managed to drop this pass to clinch the game for the Redskins is something I will never know.
• Another Eagles late afternoon game called by Joe Buck and Troy Aikman, another Eagles starting QB is hurt.  Vick went down with a chest/rib injury.  X-rays were negative, an MRI is set for tomorrow, but no one really knows for sure what is wrong with him or how long he'll be out.
• The officiating was horrible.  No, scratch that.  The officiating in this game was the most atrociously officiated game since anything Scott Barry last umpired.  Awful awful awful.  Of the most notable blunders:  1).  3 missed illegal blocks in the back on the opening kickoff.   2.)  Missed pass interference on Brent Celek that would have given the Eagles a first down.  3).  Mishandling the play clock following a booth review and an Andy Reid timeout resulting somehow in an Eagles penalty, ensuring the Eagles could not score a touchdown on that drive and settling for a FG instead, something that proved to be the difference in the game because the Eagles would not have been forced to go for 2 on their 4th quarter TD, thus the 4-points the refs took away ultimately proved to be the final margin of victory for Washington.  4).  Not calling intentional grounding when Donovan McNabb threw a worm ball that did not reach the line of scrimmage.  5.) The number of flags thrown for a hold after a play was over was greatly disturbing.  The refs picked up the flag saying "#47 was in the area."  Fox showed a wide angle replay.  Chris Cooley was not in the shot.  No eligible receiver was in the area.  All around, Alberto Riveron and his crew were an embarrassment to football tonight.
• Kevin Kolb was not prepared to come in the game, and when he did, he was clearly gun shy.  He had wide open wide receivers down the field throughout the game and did not throw the ball to them, instead constantly settling for the check down.  I can't say he played awful (especially now that I watch Chicago and New York) but he was not great.  If he plays next week and has a week of practice, I would expect a lot more.
• If Andy Reid is truly going on a merit-based system of who should be QB this year, Kevin Kolb did not do enough to take the job away from a healthy Michael Vick.
• I still think Kolb should be starting to get him meaningful playing time and to help him develop.
• Donovan McNabb was a non-factor in McNabb Bowl I.  McNabb was 8/19 for 125 and 1 INT along with plenty of dead Philadelphia worms.
• McNabb was intercepted by Nate Allen.  The Redskins gave the Eagles a 2nd round draft pick in the trade, known as the McNabb Pick.  That guy drafted was Nate Allen, September's NFC Defensive Rookie of the Month and a guy who now has 3 career NFL INTs in 4 games.  Not too shabby.
• Riley Cooper and Asante Samuel are the latest Eagles to be concussed.
• The Eagles run defense was next to atrocious.  Stewart Bradley was not on his game and it showed, as some guy named Torrain and Clinton Portis ran rampant on the Eagles defense.
• Donovan McNabb got a standing ovation when introduced at Lincoln Financial Field.  Surprising?  If you listened to ESPN, yes.  But if you are a Philly fan who actually lives in the area, not surprising at all.  Once McNabb took the field as the QB looking to beat the hometown Eagles, he was booed, as most opposing QBs are or should be.  When everyone talks about Philly fans, this much hyped moment will be forgotten, but Santa Clause and people living in retirement homes as well as Angelo Cataldi's band of 15 idiots who were booing any 1st Round Draft Pick In 1999 Not Named Ricky Williams will be remembered.
• As bad as McNabb Bowl was, the Bears and Giants somehow topped that game in overall suckiness.
• Next week the Eagles play the hapless Niners on Sunday Night Football.  After saying the Eagles should have no problems with the Redskins, I'm not going to even bother trying to make a prediction.

I'm No Conspiracy Theorist, But Something Ain't Right here

"Rush out, out from the center, not like one side is any better. Stand up, as they bend reaching."

When the pre-season started back in 2009, laughing at how Chris Mortensen's son was an inept quarterback never did I once think that by Week 3 of the 2010, the Eagles starting QB would be Michael Vick. It's incredible. From being a starting NFL QB to a convicted felon to once again being a starting QB in the NFL. You couldn't write this.

But how did it happen? And why is it happening? And why did it come out the way it did? Andy Reid has, in typical Andy Reid fashion proclaimed again and again Kevin Kolb is his man at QB. Now all of a sudden that has changed. Now it's Vick. What changed? A game tearing apart one of the worst secondaries in football? And why did he make his decision on a Tuesday? If he was so wowed by Vick and his performance against a defense that employs CC Brown, why did he not make him the starter yesterday, after having reviewed the game film?

Andy Reid may be an idiot play caller, but he when it comes to personnel management, he is anything but. He may be stubborn, but he knows how to work players and a locker room. Think about this: when Vick was signed, half the people wanted no part of a formerly convicted dog-killer on their team. Now all of a sudden, the entire city has been clamoring for him to start for the Eagles over the past few weeks. I'll admit it, what I have been advocating over the past couple weeks in regards to Kolb has been the minority opinion of Eagles fans. Most people in Philly wanted a guy to start for their favorite team who they did not even want in their city a year ago. What does that say about the job Andy Reid and the Eagles organization have done in helping Vick and his 2nd chance, in addition to the work Vick has done to redeem for his past mistakes? Dare I say it, they've done too good of a job. PETA has not even ranted against the Eagles the past couple weeks. What does that say? To those who were anti-Vick because of the dog fighting, but have come around so much to support him and clamor for him as the Eagles QB, I salute you. Even the people at PETA. Perhaps the hardest thing to do in life is to forgive those who have wronged you.

I told you this post would be coherent, I didn't say it would be organized. I had no original intention of making a paragraph about morality on a football related post about what the fuck happened late in the afternoon on September 21, 2010. But that is what happens when you write about things that floor you. Andy Reid wavered and changed his mind in a way he never did before. He may have made surprising moves before, but there was always a plan in mind. When the Eagles traded McNabb, he knew what he was doing at the time. When the Eagles opted to not resign Brian Dawkins, him and the rest of the Eagles Front Office felt he was asking too much. Reid has always held steadfast along with the rest of the FO. Reid does not backstab players. The Eagles FO do not backstab players/QBs he claims he is sticking with. He is loyal to his players and he likes to see things through. He does not change the QB position because one guy had a bad 10 passes, got hurt, and the replacement had a strong 6 quarters. At least not before this.

People clamored for A.J. Feeley after the 2002 season, Reid stuck with McNabb, people clamored for Jeff Garcia after the 2006 season, Reid stuck with McNabb, people clamored for Kolb during the 2009 season, Reid stuck with McNabb. People clamor for Vick in the 2010 season when he has said time and again Kolb is his man…..and he goes with Vick? Most bizarre thing Reid has ever done. Ever.

So did Reid backstab Kolb? Who knew what and when? Maybe Kolb knew all along Reid was bullshitting the media before and after the game on Sunday when Reid said Kolb was starting against Jacksonville. But why be so adamant about it as he was? Surely when Reid declared Kolb was starting against Jacksonville before Vick lit up Detroit, he must have known that there was a chance Vick actually could light up Detroit. They are, after all, Detroit. It just does not add up.

Some suggest it is the weak offensive line and he wants to protect Kolb until the line improves. But wasn't this known, especially when Jamaal Jackson went down? Nothing on that front changed in the last day.

One of the writers of Bleeding Green Nation has some insider contacts and stated he heard a report that Kolb was experiencing some head pain in practice. While believable, why is not this getting published mainstream? Reid and the Eagles refute that this is not concussion/injury related. Everything else about his health over the past couple weeks seemingly has re: the concussion tests. If the report is true, why is it being kept secret?

Is Reid panicking? Highly unlikely. Reid just signed an extension last year. His job security should be safe with Kolb for at least past this year. If anything, this just turned a secure job into a potentially unsecure one. If anything, he put his job on the line when it was never there to begin with.

Donovan McNabb was Andy Reid's guy. The Front Office wanted to make the move to trade McNabb. Andy Reid was the last one on board with that. Is this Reid's revenge?

Reid said in his press conference that he was blown away by Michael Vick's rapid acceleration the past couple of weeks. Now that is something I believe. Small sample size or not, no one and their mother could have ever predicted that Vick would have been successful as he has been the 1st 2 games of this season. But while no doubt impressed, was it really that impressive to give a guy you promised the world to a big "fuck you?" 6 quarters of Vick and Kolb is riding the bench again.

Is there a trade going on here? A couple of months ago, former Philadelphia Eagles GM and current Cleveland Browns GM Tom Heckert said he would give 2 1st round picks to the Eagles for Kevin Kolb. Though they have been denied, reports have surfaced that the Browns have contacted the Eagles about Kolb. Is Heckert serious about giving up 2 1st round draft picks? If he is, Reid should make that trade pronto. This is the Cleveland Browns we are talking about. The probability that one of those 1st round draft picks is a top 5 overall pick is rather high. Andy Reid would have to be crazy not to say yes to that deal, if it even exists.

What is going untold here? What happened today was not Andy Reid. One thing we do know, the Eagles FO is very secretive. What happened and what changed may not be known in a while, if at all. Is it the offensive line theory? Is Reid panicking? Is it Kolb's health? Is Reid telling the truth and this is all about Vick? Is there a Vick extension in place? Is the potential of a work stoppage in 2011 clouding Andy's thoughts, causing him to think this is the Eagles last year and that it is all in or not at all? I don't know the answers to these questions. I want to know. But I don't. And I probably never will.

"My best theory? It's already in me."

The Eagles New Starting QB: Mike Vick

The Eagles only had a national media manufactured QB controversy before.  Now they have a real one.  I give you the stupidest thing Andy Reid has ever done.

Andy Reid has announced that Michael Vick is the Eagles starting quarterback

Has nothing to do with Kevin Kolb or his injury, his future is "not slighted one bit." Still says he can be a franchise quarterback.

Says it's all about Vick's "accelerated play." Calls Vick "the hottest quarterback in the NFL." Says Vick deserves to play, Kolb will be allowed to continue his maturation process.

Says it's his responsibility to continue evaluating and Vick's accelerated play prompted the decision to make a change.

Was asked whether one half of play was enough to evaluate Kolb. Andy says it wasn't about judging Kolb, he'll still be a Superbowl level QB. However, when you have a guy playing at the level that Vick is you have to let him play.

Reid says that this will help Kevin Kolb's maturation process and he will get to continue to learn.

Reid says he didn't expect the accelerated play of Vick when he made the decision to go with Kolb in preseason.

Says he's been meeting with Kolb over the past two days and that he wants to be the starter, but has accepted the decision. He says Kolb is unfortunately stuck behind an "Ex superstar that has now regained his abilities."

Reid says the team has seen the great play from Vick over the past two weeks and that has factored into the decision.

This team needs to win the Super Bowl now. If not, this move is a failure.

The entire franchise is set back a year now. The 1st rendition of the "Kevin Kolb era" lasted 10 passes. This year was always the developmental year. Now it's next year. I've defended Kolb on here for weeks. You know where I stand. I won't re-iterate my same talking points.

And, although I think this is the dumbest move Andy made in 10 years, maybe (read: I hope to fucking god) he sees something in Vick that includes more being able to tear up a defense unprepared for him and a defense that flat out sucks. It is absolutely unlike Andy to make a knee-jerk move like this. In a way that's encouraging. In another way, it reeks of desperation. I've always considered Reid very good if not great at player management. Maybe he thinks he is outsmarting everyone again. But, isn't this what everyone has been saying? JasonB of Bleeding Green Nation called this the "most Un-Andy move Andy has ever made." Can't say I disagree with him there. I've never been more shocked or surprised about a personnel move the Eagles have made since the start of Andy Reid's tenure. I admit, I did not see this coming at all. At all.

I've always seen Kolb as a 2-year plan. Reid's job was always safe through this year into last year. If this bombs, I think this could be the last big move he makes.

I hope Reid is right. I want Andy to be right. I want him to be right about this more than he has ever been right about anything in his life. I've always wanted Vick to succeed after prison and I am glad he is being given an opportunity he has probably earned (though I always thought that opportunity would be cashed in elsewhere). Michael Vick is now my quarterback and he has my undying support. If everything I said about Mike Vick and Kolb from the past few weeks is wrong, I will be the happiest Eagles fan ever. Happy not only to have witnessed the most successful reclamation project in football history, but this move being a success means Michael Vick would have accomplished something the Eagles have not done since 1960.

Mike Vick: A Statistical Explanation Of Why He Should Not Be The Eagles Starter This Year

Over the past week, I have made several arguments about why Vick should not be the starter, most of them dealing with team chemistry, locker room management, and common sense. But, those are not the only reasons. In arguing with a bunch of nitwits over at Bleeding Green Nation, I stumbled upon another argument for why Mike Vick should not be the starting QB for the Eagles, this one being rooted in statistics. Unlike Kevin Kolb, who in his career has only made sporadic appearances in addition to starting 2 games in 2009, Mike Vick has been a QB in the NFL since 2001, playing in 88 games since being drafted. Granted that includes the 12 games he appeared in last year as Andy Reid's toy, but his role was so limited that the effect they had on his passing averages, if any, are minimal, as Vick only threw 13 passes all season.

Michael Vick's 2010 passing stats after 2 games:

Completion percentage: 63.79%.
Passing yards per game: 229.5 yards
Passer rating: 101.5
TD-INT ratio: 3-0

Michael Vick's career numbers:

Completion percentage: 53.9%
Passing yards per game: 135.2 yares.
Passer rating: 76.2.
TD-INT ratio: 76-52 (simplified as 1.46-1, or 1.46 TDs for every 1 INT)

The contrast is startling.

While the uninformed fan may point out that this means Mike Vick is better than ever, it is important to ignore him/her and focus on rationality and look at what exactly has happened. Vick was forced to enter the game after Kevin Kolb went down Week 1 with a concussion. The Green Bay Packers had prepared mostly for Kolb, and while I am sure they talked about Vick and had some plans for him, he was not the vocal point of Dom Capers' preparation. Give a playmaker like Vick a team not expecting him in large doses for a full half of football, and the numbers are naturally going to be inflated provided there is no fuck up (which there wasn't). Week 2 against the Detroit Lions, Vick faced a team with one of the worst secondaries in football. The Lions strength this year is their offense and maybe an emerging D-line with Suh. Their secondary is weak. Need further proof? They started CC Brown at safety. Vick did as most QBs should do and picked apart a bad secondary. Well done, Michael.

But even if this was against 2 good and prepared defenses, the stats need to be re-examined. Michael Vick's completion percentage is up nearly 10% from his career. His TD-INT ratio is perfect. His QB rating is 25.3 points higher than his career average. His yards/game is up over 100, and that is without playing a full half against the Green Bay Packers. These "great" numbers are based on 6 quarters. Just like Kevin Kolb's career consists of nothing but small sample sizes, the same can be said with Mike Vick's 2010 season. 6+ quarters does not erase a career of mediocrity throwing the football.

It is important to recognize that Mike Vick spent 2 years rotting away in a prison in Kansas. When released, not only was he out of shape, he was out of football shape. It was painful watching him come in his first few games last season. Now, after sporadic appearances in 2009, an off-season of working out and partying, a full 2010 training camp spent as the back up QB, sporadic appearances in the pre-season with mostly 2nd teamers, Kolb-haters now believe that this man is now the rightful starter of the 2010 season. By all accounts, Mike Vick is playing well over his head and putting up numbers that are unsustainable for him when compared to his career numbers. If Vick were to start more games for this season for whatever the reason, there is no way people can expect Vick to keep up and continue to outperform his career numbers in such an emphatic manner, especially when he comes up against fully prepared defenses with decent to very good secondaries. It is almost impossible for someone to have gone through what Vick has and be a better passing QB now than he was then, especially given what little time has elapsed since his release.

It is one thing if he were putting up his career averages these past 2 games, but these numbers are so far above the mean that a painful regression is only inevitable should Michael Vick start more games for the Philadelphia Eagles.

Jason Whitlock Is An Ignoramus On Kolb/Vick "Controversy"

Surprisingly, the Philadelphia media did not get into a major Michael Vick frenzy, instead focusing on blaming Andy Reid for putting Kolb and Bradley back in the game, although are forgetting the annoying little fact that Andy Reid is not a doctor and is not in charge of determining whether or not a player is healthy to play). Andy Reid may not be a bad play caller and may not be great at game management, but as much shit as he is fairly given, he is given just as much unfairly. Anyway, I digress. The main focus of this post is the incredibly bad column written by Jason Whitlock written on the media-manufactured controversy between Kevin Kolb and Michael Vick. The title of this article, is "Don't Be Thick, Go With Vick." That alone should be enough to suggest it is barely worth a read, but because I have been dying to do this all day, I shall proceed.

The teflon coach is now on the clock.

With Donovan McNabb banished to our nation's capital, Philadelphia football fans have no choice but to examine the work of the man wearing the headsets.

Why is Whitlock bringing up Donovan McNabb here? This is supposed to be (and is) a column about Kolb and Vick. What on earth does a QB who threw for less than 50% completion percentage in the first game of the season have anything to do with anything? The answer: Jason Whitlock is Donovan McNabb's biggest fan. He loves him like none other. So when the Eagles traded McNabb (never mind that the Eagles got a much needed starting safety out of the deal), he has been upset and determined to go after the Eagles ever since. Anything to take down the man who replaced his boy, he will do.

Andy Reid is 0-1 today largely because he still can't manage the clock, committed to Kevin Kolb as his starting quarterback with little supporting evidence and allowed an atrocious fourth-and-1 play-call late in Philly's 27-20 loss to Green Bay.

Andy Reid is 0-1 because a bad 4th and 1 play call had worse blocking. But little evidence that Kolb should have been the starter? I've made my point about McNabb enough both here and in yesterday's live blogs, I won't re-make them, but let's see this "little supporting evidence" of Kolb as the starter.

First of all, there was a consensus on the part of everyone that Kolb outperformed Vick in Training Camp, and no one had been clamoring for Vick to start after watching him Training camp. Secondly, here are the pre-season stats for both Kolb and Vick. Sure the sample size here is not great, but it is better than one that will be brought up later.

Kolb combined in 3 pre-season games: 28/53 for 324 yards, 0 TD, 1 INT
Vick combined in 4 pre-season games: 16/28 for 189 yards, 0 TD, 3 INT

None of them put up flashy numbers, but it is painfully obvious that Kolb put up the better numbers in pre-season. Though Vick's completion percentage was marginally (57% to Kolb's 53%), and the yards per completion is equal at 11, there is one glaring stat that says Kolb is the better option. In 53 throws, Kolb threw only 1 INT. In nearly half as many throws, Vick through 3 interceptions. Yikes. Couple that with the overall better performance by Kolb over Vick per every Eagles beat writer out there, and the evidence was clearly there that Kolb should be the Eagles starter.

Making matters worse is Reid watched Michael Vick's electrifying second-half performance and concluded Kevin Kolb is still the Eagles' starting quarterback (if he's healthy).

Andy Reid is either clueless or blind.

Andy Reid's biggest mistake (at the time) early in the game was using Vick as often as he did. It certainly did not help Kolb any, though it may have let Vick get into the game. Also, the Green Bay defense prepared fully for Kevin Kolb with only marginal time for Vick. There was hardly no blitz when Vick entered the game (it had gotten to a 17-point game) and they had not prepared extensively for Vick like the Lions will if Kolb is forced to sit next week due to medical reasons. Dom Capers can't flip a switch in 5 minutes and go from the Kolb scheme to a scheme for Vick playing every play. You wanna find an explainable reason why Vick lit the world on fire last night? The Packers were unprepared and because of his over-usage early in the game, Vick had a rhythm and had gotten into the game already.

In an NFL opening weekend filled with interesting twists and turns, nothing tops the unveiling of Michael Vick 2.0.

The Cowboys' coaching blunders, the Texans' thumping of the Colts and Calvin Johnson's stolen game-winning catch all take a backseat to the finest performance we've ever seen from Michael Vick.

What is Whitlock smoking? The biggest talking point nationally has been the Calvin Johnson play. It has been the main story on pretty much every NFL related show thus far. And Vick 2.0? What has Vick done now that he has not done before? Michael Vick has always been an overrated, inconsistent passer who makes throws, misses others badly, but has incredible mobility that makes up for his iffy passing enough to make him serviceable on most teams.

I'm no Vick fan. Even during his Pro Bowl years in Atlanta, I contended Vick was a wide receiver masquerading as a quarterback. When he took over Sunday after Kolb suffered a concussion, I anticipated an interception, a fumble and a 41-10 Green Bay runaway.

I was shocked. I still am.

Get out of shock and think about things rationally. I said it before and I will say it again, how many back-up QBs in the NFL are better than Michael Vick? Put another way, who would you rather have as your back-up (focusing purely on a skill perspective)? Michael Vick or Max Hall? Michael Vick or J.T. O'Sullivan? How about Michael Vick or Jordan Palmer? Michael Vick or any of the McCown brothers? What about Jim Sorgi or Michael Vick? If that is what Whitlock expected when Vick enters the game, I shutter to think what kind of prediction he will have the next time Luke McCown enters a game. Like I said, Vick is an at best average passer with incredible speed, mobility, and athleticism, all of which it seems is close to being what he used to have in his pre-prison days. He rushed for 100 yards last night. It is impressive for a guy who had it all and lost it all for 2 years, but Vick did not do anything last night that he did not do earlier in his career.

Vick looked like Steve Young, a real authentic quarterback, on Sunday. As best I could tell, Vick made one serious mistake. Down around the goal line, he forced a pass into the end zone when he could've pump faked and made a dash for the goal line. But that's just nitpicking.

Nitpicking??? IT WAS ONE OF THE BIGGEST MISTAKES OF THE WHOLE DAMN GAME! Vick had 3 wide open receivers and a running lane more gaping than Lindsay Lohan's legs, and what does he choose? Throw it to the one player Green Bay actually accounted for. That's not a nitpick, that is a game-changing error. Who knows how different the strategy is for the Eagles on their final drive if they only need a FG to tie the game instead of a TD to tie?

Vick completed 16 of 24 passes for 175 yards and one touchdown. He ran for 103 yards on 11 carries.

Philly was down 20-3 when Vick took control of the game.

Kolb, The Anointed One, picked up right where he left off in the preseason, connecting on half of his 10 passes for 24 yards and running for a yard. DeSean Jackson, Philly's big-play receiver, didn't catch a pass in the first half. Philadelphia's offense went nowhere with Kolb.

Are all opening day starters "anointed," or just ones that replace his boy?

Vick turned the momentum of the game on Philly's second possession of the second half, hitting Jackson for 12 yards on third and five and setting up the Eagles for first and goal with a 31-yard scramble.

Vick put 17 points on the board in the second half and had a shot at 24 until Reid and offensive coordinator Marty Mornhinweg settled for a super-conservative QB isolation run on fourth and one at the Green Bay 42 with two minutes to play. The Packers stuffed Vick for no gain. As sharp as Vick was throwing and running Sunday, Philly should've spread the field, emptied the backfield and given Vick the freedom to improvise.

Vick made some sharp passes, but he missed some as well. And the 4th down play call from Andy Reid would have picked up a 1st down if Brent Celek bothered to do his job and block Clay Matthews.

Green Bay simply kneeled on three straight plays, running out the clock, because Reid had burned all three of his timeouts on a Packers' possession that started with 5:43 to play.

Yep. The best way to help a backup QB shaking off three years of rust is to send him on a potential game-tying drive with no timeouts.

Vick had over 4 minutes on that drive to work with. He may have had no timeouts, but it was not like he had 1:30 and no timeouts. Even with no timeouts, over 4 minutes is plenty of time and no cause for panic or alarm at all. It was a mistake to burn the timeouts, but it did not lead to a no win situation as Whitlock is sarcastically suggesting.

Andy Reid coaches like he's won three Super Bowls. And we, the media, talk about him like he's won four.

Huh? Since when does Andy Reid act like he has won 3 Super Bowls? Again, Andy takes a lot of unnecessary shit. He does not carry himself with that kind of complex. Ever. And he does not coach like someone who has won it all countless times. The only thing more non-sensical is Whitlock's assertion that the media treats him like he has won 4. When is he compared to the only coach who has ever done that, Chuck Noll? When? Reid takes a ton of media heat, especially locally. Whitlock has no idea what he is talking about. Absolutely none.

What's the difference between Andy Reid and Marty Schottenheimer? A hundred pounds, Ernest Byner's fumble and different coaching specialties.

Late in Schottenheimer's Kansas City tenure he had a choice between Rich Gannon and Elvis Grbac. Schottenheimer chose Grbac.

Elvis quit football at age 31. Between the ages of 34-38, Gannon earned four Pro Bowl berths, one league MVP and led the Raiders to the Super Bowl.

Michael Vick is nowhere near the kind of QB Rich Gannon is. Vick can't throw consistently. He's never had that ability. He probably never will have that ability. Are you really telling me that after an iffy pre-prison passing career, a horrendous passing career up to last Saturday in the post-prison era including by what was all accounts an abysmal training camp is suddenly erased and Michael Vick is capable of leading a team to the Super Bowl? Whitlock could not be more delusional.

Reid has an easier decision between Kolb and Vick. One guy has an on-field resume and the other is just a draft-day theory.

Performance in brief regular season appearances and 3 years in training camp and practice is more than just a "draft-day theory." And that "guy with the on-field resume" is not a great passing QB.

I haven't forgotten Vick's past. He's capable of doing something totally stupid off the field. Cross that bridge when it comes. He's on the Philly roster. If Vick gets in trouble off the field, the Eagles are going to take the same public-relations hit whether he's the starter or the backup. Reid might as well play Vick and justify the risk of signing him.

The signing was intended to make Vick Reid's toy while Vick got back into football shape, not to be the starter of the Philadelphia Eagles. He was essentially 3rd on the depth chart of long-term solutions when brought in. Just like Donovan McNabb, the starting QB of the Philadelphia Eagles is just not the job or the fit for Michael Vick.

Vick's teammates responded to his energy and big-play capability. The Eagles were clearly a more confident offense and defense with Vick in the lineup.

Yeah....cause Vick made people who were quiet in the 1st half show up in the 2nd half. It was all Mike Vick. He got the defensive stops in the 2nd half and he woke up DeSean Jackson. Yeah. Right. Everyone in that Eagles locker room knows Kolb is the starter and they have the utmost respect for him. To suggest otherwise is to have not followed the Eagles for the past several months.

Andy Reid would be a fool to enter the Eagles locker room and tell 53 players Kolb is the starting quarterback. Reid had the guts to permanently dump McNabb. Why not bench Kolb (or use his concussion as an excuse) and let the Vick situation play out for at least another week?

No. No. No. No. No. No. And no. Kolb may not be medically cleared, and if that is the case, Vick should start. That is the job of the back-up, to fill in when the starter is not healthy to start. But what kind of message does it send if you give up on your starting QB after only 10 passes, 3 of which he threw while thinking that the capital of the United States was somewhere in Montana? What message does that send to the locker room? What message does it send to Kolb? Not only does it create turmoil, but you do not bench someone after 10 passes? 10 PASSES! TEN! PASSES! Bench your QB after 10 passes! That is what Whitlock is suggesting. I will say it again to get it through the incredibly thick skulls of people who think Vick should start next week regardless, to bench a healthy Kolb after only 10 passes for Mike Vick is to throw your future out the door. Goodbye, future Eagles, it was nice knowing you! By benching Kolb you are hindering his development. He can't become and effective QB if all he does is take minimal snaps in practice and ride the bench on Sundays. It is unheard of, unethical, and down right stupid given the nature of things. Not only is 10 passes the smallest of sample sizes, but Kevin Kolb is deemed the future. Michael Vick is a free agent in 6 months who wants to start elsewhere. Vick is not the Eagles starter. Vick is not going to lead the Eagles to the Super Bowl. In the future, Kolb has that ability. Vick does not have that ability now and he has no future with this team. But luckily, Andy Reid is not Jason Whitlock. He knows he cannot bench his healthy starter after 10 passes. If Kolb is cleared medically, he will play against Detroit. Reid understands that his QB can only go up from here. It was a bad 10 passes, but it was 10 passes. How many QBs can have had a bad half consisting of 10 bad passes? I would be willing to bet all of them. Give it time. Let your player develop. The Eagles are not winning the Super Bowl this year. Get over it and let your proper QB, Kevin Kolb, develop so he can win the Super Bowl in the years to come. And if anyone suggests otherwise, that Vick should be the starter from here on out regardless of Kolb, then they are just as much of an ignoramus and know as much about the situation and the proper way to handle it as does Whitlock. Which is to suggest, they know nothing.

(For a collection of similarly stupid articles, please check out this post at Bleeding Green Nation, which has been collecting and posting snippets from these hilariously uninformed articles all day.)

2010 Philadelphia Eagles Preview

Seeing as I am about to get into some seriously heavy packing and preparation to go to college in the next week, I figured now would be the time to put up an Eagles preview and write the NFL one once I am settled in at school next weekend.

The Philadelphia Eagles are coming into the 2010 season as an incredibly young and different team. Donovan McNabb is a Washington Redskin. Sheldon Brown has been exiled to Cleveland. Brian Westbrook is going to attempt to play a game he thinks is football in San Francisco. Kevin Curtis is off the team. Jeremiah Trotter is yet to sign his yearly contract with the Eagles. In their place, Kevin Kolb is the unquestioned starting QB. Unless Kelley Washington does the unlikely and survives the final cuts, Jason Avant and Hank Baskett, the first of whom was drafted in 2006 and the second of whom signed as an undrafted free agent in 2006 are the oldest WRs on the team. LeSean McCoy is the unquestioned starting running back. Brandon Graham will complement Trent Cole nicely at DE.

They Are Young, But How Good Are They? Even though I mentioned young players in general in the last paragraph, this section is going to focus the Eagles WRs. DeSean Jackson is entering his 3rd year with the Eagles and has already proven he is one of the quickets WRs in the NFL. Jeremy Maclin took a few weeks to get going, but once he did, he proved he can be a starting WR. Jason Avant is the team's most polished WR and arguably the best WR; underrated does not begin to describe Jason Avant. Tim Tebow's former roommate Riley Cooper has been the hands down Eagles Training Camp darling (and not just because he is incredibly good looking). The question can they stay healthy throughout the season? If they do, these WRs, combined with underrated TE Brent Celek, will be a menace to opposing defenses everywhere.

Corn On The Kolb: When Andy Reid drafted Kevin Kolb in the 2nd round of the 2007 Draft, every draft pundit and their brother thought that Andy Reid and the Eagles FO were idiots on crack for selecting not just selecting a QB, but for a selecting this QB, Kevin Kolb, with the likes of John Beck and Trent Edwards still on the board. I have already discussed this QB draft class at length and won't get into it again, but the fact of the matter is Kevin Kolb's passes are crisp and accurate. He may have only started 2 games and came in relief in a close game once, but Kolb has loads and loads of promise. If he plays in the regular season like he has in Training Camp this year and thus far in the pre-season, Kolb is going to be mentioned among the league's top QBs in a short time.

D-FENCE!: Last year the Eagles defense was their major weakness. The Eagles realized that in the off-season and made considerable changes, including trading Sheldon Brown, drafting Brandon Graham with their top pick in the draft, drafting Nate Allen to replace Brian Dawkins, and finding loads of other potential defensive playmakers in the later rounds. Sean McDermott is also entering his 2nd year as defensive coordinator. McDermott took over following the tragic passing of the great Jim Johnson shortly before Training Camp began. To make matters worse for McDermott, the defense was ravaged with injury, with the most notable one being Stewart Bradley injuring his knee at last year's inaugural Flight Night, placing him on the shelf for the entire season. Now that the Eagles have their middle linebacker back, things can only go up from last year. Granted injuries could happen elsewhere, but I really can't stress how key it is to have Stewart Bradley back in the line up.

Wild Dog: Michael Vick is the uncontested back-up QB and will once again likely be asked to contribute to "wildcat" formations and other Andy Reid gadget plays. Last year, the Vick experiment was not a rousing success. This year, Vick is back in football shape. When the Eagles signed Vick, it has become doubtless that this is the year they wanted him for, not 2009. This is the year Vick will have a chance to be an effective part of the offense with gadget plays. He is looking more and more like the pre-prison Mike Vick with each passing day and if Andy Reid uses him right (big if, by the way), he can be a menace for opposing sides.

Is This "The Year?": No. This year is not "The Year." The Eagles will not win a Super Bowl this year. 365 days from now, Andy Reid will still be the head coach of the Philadelphia Eagles. I expect this year to have ups and downs. Kevin Kolb will do a fine job but at the same time he will be prone to rookie mistakes. After all, he has only started 2 NFL regular season games before. Mistakes will happen. This Eagles team is young, but I fear they are too young to compete with the likes of Indianapolis and New Orleans. Get back to me in a year, and the answer will likely be yes, yes they can compete for the whole thing. But this year, while I think the playoffs are a possibility, I am not putting my eggs in a championship basket.

(Coming up sometime in the next 2 weeks: Full NFL picks, including my pre-season stab at a Super Bowl champion)

Is Kevin Kolb Going To Be The Exception Of The 2007 NFL Draft?

By most accounts, the Quarterback class of the 2007 NFL Draft was one of the worst in recent memory.  After all, JaMarcus Russell was the #1 pick in that draft.  But there is possibly one exception.  Taken in that very same draft was a quarterback who most thought would be the luckiest guy on earth if he was taken in the 4th round, but was unfathomably chosen in the 2nd round with the #36 overall pick by Andy Reid.  That quarterback, Kevin Kolb, may the lone glimmer in a class of QBs filled with unfathomable failure.  Now I am sure some are thinking that even if the top pick was a bust, surely there was some gem taken late, right?  After all, that is where you find some of the league's best.  Let's take a look, why don't we, at the QBs in the 2007 draft not named Kevin Kolb and see how they fared, where they are now, and if Kevin Kolb really is the last remaining glimmer in a draft class getting more and more infamous by the day.

1. JaMarcus Russell (1st round, Oakland Raiders):  I am pretty sure that from here on out every high profile bust will be looked upon as, "well, at least he was better as JaMarcus."  Either that or they will just call him a JaMarcus.  Russell is currently a free agent, and while I would not rule out a return completely, said return would have to be from a desperate team plagued by injuries at the QB position looking for a body so they can adequately field a team on Sunday. The Hamilton Tiger Cats currently hold his rights. For realz.

22. Brady Quinn (1st Round, Cleveland Browns):  Currently with the Denver Broncos, Brady Quinn is yet to find any consistency as a QB in the NFL.  With Kyle Orton and Tim Tebow as the other alternatives, there is a good chance that Brady Quinn could get some playing time in Denver.  If he does and plays well, his career could be salvagable.  If he does and does not play well or if he does not get any playing time, he could find himself somewhere next to JaMarcus.

36. Kevin Kolb (2nd Round, Philadelphia Eagles):  The lone star of this list?

40. John Beck (2nd Round, Miami Dolphins):  John Beck played some games his rookie year, led the Dolphins to their lone win of the 2007 season, and is now sitting behind Joe Flacco and Troy Smith in Baltimore.  He may have a year or 2 more of being a journeyman bench warmer before being totally forgotten about by all of football.

43. Drew Stanton (2nd Round, Detroit Lions): His 1st career pass was a touchdown! Sadly, that does not equate to his success. When not injured, he has been the back-up/3rd string QB in Detroit. Now being that it is Detroit, that job has yielded a start or 2 for Stanton, but that does not mean he is any good. He's not. At all.

92. Trent Edwards (3rd Round, Buffalo Bills): Projected as the 3rd best QB in the 2007 draft behind Russell and Quinn, Edwards spent the 1st 2 years of his career locked in a constant battle with J.P. Losman for the role of starting QB in Buffalo for the 1st 2 years of career, which proved that Edwards is better than a truly terrible quarterback now in the UFL. Edwards has been constantly injured throughout his short career. When he has played, he has shown some flashes of being a reliable QB, but he is as inconsistent as the day is long. With Ryan Fitzpatrick, Brian Brohm, and Levi Brown as his competition, Trent Edwards (if healthy) would likely somehow still start in Buffalo. Suffice to say, the Buffalo Bills are not considered a playoff contender this year.

103. Isaiah Stanbeck (4th Round, Dallas Cowboys): Drafted as a quarterback by the Cowboys, he has not played the QB position since then. He was recently claimed off waivers by Seattle, who will likely be like Dallas and New England, and use him as a depth WR.

151. Jeff Rowe (5th Round, Cincinnati Bengals): Number of snaps taken as an NFL QB: 0. Number of overall appearances: 0.

174. Troy Smith (5th Round, Baltimore Ravens): The good news: Troy Smith has played an NFL games, even starting some! The bad news: He is currently Joe Flacco's back-up. The good news: Unlike Jeff Rowe, Troy Smith actually has a job!

205. Jordan Palmer (6th Round, Washington Redskins): Carson Palmer's little brother!.....is now his back-up in Cincinnati! Good news for Jordan: the only other QB currently on the Bengals' roster is J.T. O'Sullivan.

217. Tyler Thigpen (7th Round, Minnesota Vikings): The last QB chosen in the 2007 draft can boast with pride he had a better NFL career than the 1st QB chosen in the 2007 draft. Then again, if Jeff Rowe had played 1 play and made some sort of positive contribution in said play, he could boast the same thing.

I Repeat: Donovan McNabb Is A Washington Redskin

Now that I am over the initial shock of this deal, I think I can try to break this down and communicate my opinions in words, bearing in mind that I am still experiencing secondary shock that the Eagles quarterback I grew up with is now gone.

I am shocked. I am not sad. I am not angry. I will not miss McNabb.

On the outset of things, I said that a fair deal for the Eagles would be a 2nd rounder for McNabb. That's what they got and a 3rd or 4th rounder in 2011. For a 30+ year old quarterback past his prime, that's not bad at all. Value wise, it's actually a very good deal. The Eagles now have 11 draft picks, which include 4 of the first 82 and 5 of the first 87. Andy Reid likes draft picks and I will certainly take that, especially this year, because by most accounts, this is a deep draft in the top rounds.

Making this puzzling, it is being reported now by ESPN's Adam Schefter that the Raiders are a bit miffed because they wanted McNabb as well. Now the million dollar question is what price were they willing to pay? If the answer is Nnamdi Asomugha, I'll be a bit pissed because the Eagles need a corner. If not, then value wise, I don't see the Raiders giving us much more than the Redskins did.

Forget about the team that did not get him, now let's talk about the team the Eagles traded McNabb to: the Washington Redskins. Like the move or hate the move, one thing is for sure: trading one of the greatest QBs in Eagles history within your division takes a lot of balls. Lucky for the Eagles FO, they are cocky, arrogant, and have more balls than you can ever imagine. Sometimes it pans out, other times it doesn't, but the Eagles are cocky.

A lot of Eagles fans are angry. Outraged. Upset. And completely overreacting. We all remember Donovan McNabb right? You know, the injury prone quarterback who constantly overthrew wide open receivers, underthrew wide open receivers, and flat out missed wide open receivers. Just because he is wearing different colors, he has not turned into the next Joe Montana. Going back to being injury prone, the Redskins do not have a real good offensive lineman. If they were smart, they would pick an O-lineman with their #4 overall pick. Now if they are geniuses, they can identify a guy that they want and if they think he can fall, they can trade their #4 overall pick to Denver for Brandon Marshall and get their much needed O-lineman at #11 because let's face it, Devin Thomas and Santana Moss are not DeSean Jackson and Jeremy Maclin, although it can be said that Chris Cooley is as good as if not better than Brent Celek. As far as McNabb's other favorite pass option goes, the running back, well, the Redskins certainly have the best running backs that 2006 has to offer!

And now the little snafu that comes with trading a QB within your own division...the twice a year meetings that we all love. Donovan McNabb will (likely barring a typical McNabb injury) play a game at the Linc next year in a Redskins uniform. In other words, there will be a complete media circus for 2 games of the year and the whole world will get to witness McNabb play his former teams on national TV not once but twice. It will be like Favre vs. Rodgers, only the Eagles traded McNabb to Washington to "do him right" whereas Green Bay screwed Brett Favre over and he went to Minnesota for revenge.

As far as who got the better of this deal, well, time will certainly tell. Is McNabb an upgrade to Jason Campbell? Likely, he is. Does he the last piece of the puzzle? I say work on those WRs, Offensive linemen, and tweak the defense (especially the secondary) in the draft and then we will talk. However, I won't forget what Shanahan did to Elway in his first couple years at Denver. Is McNabb the new Elway? But here is the other question. What if McNabb regresses like most older QBs do? What if McNabb is not Elway? What if his overthrows, underthrows, and flatout misses are worse? Even if the Skins get Marshall, he still can't catch balls 6 feet in front of him. If that turns out to be the case, then this move could be genius. Draft pick wise, we got the right value. The Eagles now have 11 (11!) picks in the 2010 draft as mentioned above and you can certainly expect them to be wheeling and dealing on draft day as they still have needs on the defensive side of the football and offensive line, and frankly, I don't think you can plug all those needs with rookies and expect to go far, even if your offense is dynamite. But still, if McNabb falters, then we just screwed the Redskins beyond belief. All Kolb needs to do is continue to improve and lead an offense filled with dynamite weapons and we'll be good to go on that side of the ball. The Eagles don't need McNabb anymore. The defense is my biggest concern, and that what needs to be looked at through the draft and trading draft picks. I hope you guys like hearing the Eagles talked about on TV because you can expect a lot more wheeling and dealing in the next few weeks leading up to and culminating with the 2010 NFL Draft.

It goes without say now that barring injury or a complete bombshell that the Eagles 2010 starting QB will be Kevin Kolb and the back up will be Michael Vick. On this Easter Sunday, April 4, 2010, Kevin Kolb has risen!!!......up on the Eagles depth chart!

Now For A Whole Post Dedicated To Donovan McNabb

When it comes to these McNabb trades, I think I have a tendency to throw around nuts and bolts of things without giving you all the necessary background information on the deal. Seeing as the seemingly impending McNabb deal as so many nooks and crannies to it, I figured I would put up an article on here that explains everything really well as to what McNabb's contract is like, why the Raiders are the current front-runners, and why a deal may not get done until after this year's draft. From the National Football Post.

Why would the Eagles trade Donovan McNabb?

Although this is a major organizational decision to move on from the team’s signature player for the past decade, it appears to be more about Kevin Kolb than McNabb.

The Eagles, like the Packers two years ago with Aaron Rodgers, have identified their future at the position and are prepared to move on with that player. Kolb has the confidence of the coaches and management that he’s ready to assume the role of leading the team.

Like the Packers two years ago, the team would not be prepared to move on from their longtime fixture at quarterback if there was not a strong option. It’s not like the Packers or the Eagles would have to resort to a stopgap veteran while they looked for a successor. The successors were/are already in the building.

Teams evolve, and it’s hard to know the right time to make a change. The Eagles have apparently decided the time is now.

Why is McNabb’s contract a big part of any trade negotiations?

For the Eagles to consummate a trade, there will be two negotiations in play simultaneously. As with the Jason Peters negotiations mentioned on Monday, there are two parts to the deal.

First will be the negotiations between the Eagles and the acquiring club over the compensation for McNabb. Related to that, however, is the financial compensation for McNabb beyond 2010. Were a team to acquire him without a contract extension, it would, in effect, be renting him for the season while preparing another player for the future.

Acquiring McNabb without an accompanying contract extension would (or should) merit far less in trade compensation to the Eagles than acquiring him with an extension, thereby securing McNabb as a long-term solution at quarterback. That is, of course, unless the acquiring team is the Raiders.

Why would the Raiders acquire McNabb without a contract extension?

As we know, the Raiders tend to do things a bit differently, perhaps for that reason alone. Prior to last season, they acquired defensive end Richard Seymour from the Patriots in the last year of his contract and did not secure, or even attempt to secure, a contract extension. Rather, they placed an exclusive franchise tag on Seymour for 2010 and now have Seymour’s services for at least two years – 2009 and 2010 – and about $16 million in exchange for the 2011 first-round pick they surrendered. Using that as a guide, the Raiders might be the one team that would trade for McNabb without an extension.

With JaMarcus Russell due $9.45M this year and McNabb due $11.2M, the Raiders would have $20.65M in cash expense to two quarterbacks, along with the second-round tender signed by Bruce Gradkowski of $1.76M. If they decide to part ways with Russell, they would be on the hook for $3M of his contract, the amount guaranteed for this year, after having paid Russell $36.35M since he arrived in 2007. There may never have been so much paid for so little in the history of the NFL.

Why is McNabb’s roster bonus the defining date for any trade from the Eagles?

As part of a renegotiation last year, the Eagles gave McNabb significant raises from what was due for 2009 and 2010 without any additional years added. Here are some particulars from McNabb’s contract adjustment (it was not an extension) in June of last year:

• McNabb’s 2009 salary of $9.2M was guaranteed, and $3.5M of his 2010 salary of $5M was guaranteed.

• $500,000 ($31,250 per game) of 45-man active roster bonuses were added for both 2009 and 2010.

• $1M ($500,000 per season) of potential Super Bowl incentives were added.

• A $2.8M roster bonus in 2009 was added.

• A $6.2M roster bonus in 2010 was added.

Unlike many large roster bonuses, which are due on or around the first day of the new league year – usually in early March – McNabb’s bonus is due on an express date two months after the start of the 2010 league year, May 5. Obviously, this date was put in to allow the Eagles to evaluate their options and situation after the 2010 draft. Simply, the later the date for the earning of the roster bonus, the more options they may have, or so they would think.

The quid pro quo of the June adjustment was that McNabb was able to have raises in both years with no strings attached in terms of commitment beyond 2010, while the Eagles have maintained the flexibility of paying-as-they-go to McNabb, keeping options open for a future where all of their quarterbacks have expiring contracts.

The May date – as opposed to early March, as in the Michael Vick contract -- was a benefit for the team, allowing the flashpoint timing of the draft to sort out their situation. The issue will take on greater meaning if the draft passes with May 5 hot on its heels. Writing a check for $6.2M raises the stakes, and that must happen if McNabb is still an Eagle on Cinco de Mayo.

Again, we will see, with a date now certain by which McNabb’s home team for the upcoming season will be known.

I hope that clears up a lot of questions that you may have had regarding this situation. It's like I said before, in years before this I did not think there was a chance in hell that the Eagles would ever trade McNabb, even as recently as last off-season. Now I think they are at a point where there is no turning back. Kolb is untouchable. Teams saw Michael Vick throw this off-season. The Eagles can't enter training camp with 3 QBs in the last year of their contract. In years past, I would have been shocked if the Eagles did trade McNabb. This year, I'll be beyond shocked and stunned if they don't.

Assessing The Eagles Quarterback Situation

I wanted to wait a while after that playoff loss before doing a post on this, but with the dawn of free agency just around the corner and with a cool head on my shoulders, now is as good a time as any to break down the Eagles situation, what is likely with each situation, and who is likely to suit up in midnight green next season.

First we will take a look at the starter, Donovan McNabb. I am officially meh on McNabb. If he comes back, great. If the Eagles trade him, great if the haul is semi-decent. As for will he come back, if there is one thing the Eagles organization has showed is that they are completely loyal to Donovan McNabb. They may not be that way with other players, but they are with McNabb. Reid said that McNabb would be back next season and at this stage, I have no reason to not believe it. If they were keeping mum on McNabb, then I think you could legitimately talk trade speculation, but given Reid's statement over a month ago and the Eagles' past history in dealing with #5, it would be shocking if there was trade. The way I see it, if the Eagles trade McNabb this off-season, chances are I'll be giddy because I think that Lurie, Roseman, Reid, and co. would need to be floored with a team's offer in order to pull the trigger. There seems to be a new team everyday added to the list of teams that want him, so the market is there, the question is, what is Reid's price and are teams willing to pay it?

Kevin Kolb: The great unknown. When the Eagles drafted Kevin Kolb, a QB out of Houston, I thought it was a dumber move than trying to divide by 0. Now I can legitimately see him as the starting QB of this franchise. For what it's worth, he has already gained the respect of the locker room and he has proven himself competent in first 2 NFL starts where he had something called a full week of practice taking all the snaps. Whenever Reid had used him before in regular season situations, it was always because either McNabb was hurt or McNabb was benched and Kolb was forced into action. Granted whenever you breakdown Kolb's stats, you are looking at an unreasonably small sample not adequate to make a judgment about his potential as an every week starter, but the kid has the tutelage, the potential, and the respect of his team to make it all happen. Kolb is also the Eagle the least likely to be traded. Andy Reid has seen something in this kid since day 1 and who knows, maybe he is right. Heck, the schmuck that said Tyler Thigpen was the best QB in the 2007 NFL Draft is looking pretty darn good right about now. While my feelings for a McNabb trade would solely depend on the haul in return, I will be disappointed if the Eagles gave up Kolb, someone they have long-touted as the future of their franchise. The kid has potential and when given the opportunity to start after a full week of practice, has gotten the job done. When he has not been starting, he only done everything ever asked of him.

Michael Vick: Oh boy. Here we go. Certainly the QB that is most likely to be traded by the Eagles. The good news for the team that trades him is that the Eagles took the big PR bullet, even if it was not as big a bullet as many feared it would be when the Eagles announced the signing last pre-season. The bad news is that we are talking about a QB who has not started a football game in 3 years. Toward the end of last year, he showed flashes of what he is able to do and what he might be, but the ultimate question is what will the Eagles get for him? If the Eagles can trade him to a team and get a 2nd or a 3rd round draft pick, it will be a huge success for them. They would have taken a QB out of jail, played him a few times with very little effect either way, and then traded him for a darn good draft pick. That would be flat-out awesome maneuvering and would make the whole Vick fiasco look like a big win for the team. And if the draft pick they get for him turns into somebody, it will be a big win for the team. Let's face facts here, Michael Vick was not the reason the Eagles ended up a #6 seed and he was not the reason they lost in the wildcard playoff. The Eagles would essentially trade nothing for a great big something. If they keep Vick, then surely we will see the same shenanigans as last year, most of which were ineffective, although as Vick spent sometime with the Eagles and as he slowly got back into football shape, he could see the improvement in his game.

My prediction: Vick gets traded for a 3rd round draft pick. McNabb starts the year and plays his last snap ever as an Eagle when he suffers a season-ending injury. Kevin Kolb then steps in and does his Kevin Kolb thing to end the year and take the Super Bowl in Big D. Okay, maybe the Super Bowl depends on a lot other factors, but I am being serious when I say I think this year will be McNabb's last in Philly.

Update: You can use this as your Eagles and NFL Free Agency Commencement open thread

Kevin Kolb Is Hungry For A Second Chance

For all the Kevin Kolb bashing that goes on around here, it must be said that the kid really is a good guy who does everything right and does what he is told. That being said, even though Reid has said that McNabb might play on Sunday (more on that in just a bit), there's a darn good chance that Kolb will be under center next Sunday. And Kolb is very hungry for a second chance, according to the Philadelphia Inquirer.

McNabb gave a vague update of his condition yesterday through the team's media relations department, saying he "felt better than" he did a week ago, but he didn't know if he'd be ready for the game against the Chiefs.

"I wish I had an answer, but I don't," McNabb said. "Hopefully, things will continue to get better and I'll have one for you later. Hopefully, it will be quicker than later. I'm looking forward to being back out on the field."

So is Kolb, especially after crash-landing on the wrong end of a lopsided loss to quarterback Drew Brees and the high-powered New Orleans Saints' offense Sunday at the Linc. Some of Kolb's numbers – 391 passing yards and two touchdowns – looked good, but he was still beating himself up yesterday for throwing three interceptions.

"It hacks you off that there's this negative attitude, and you realize that maybe there is eight plays in there, and if we just do one little thing different, the game could have been different," Kolb said.

Being 9 yards shy of becoming the fifth quarterback in franchise history to throw for 400 yards in a game was no consolation to Kolb.

"When you're in our complex and this circle, it's all wins and losses," Kolb said. "That's what it all boils down to."

Kolb was still thinking about the turnovers, especially the interceptions. During his senior season at the University of Houston, he threw 30 touchdowns and just four interceptions. He always said he felt ball security was the strength of his game.

I can't believe I'm saying this, but after his performance in the Saints game, I'd be willing to give him a second chance, especially considering the opponent, the Kansas City Chiefs. It's not like we are throwing him in against the Steelers or the Ravens or anything. When McNabb went down, my first thought was, okay, let's not pull a massive choke away this big lead to these Panthers (mission accomplished) and then take at least 1 of the next 2 against the Saints and the Chiefs and then re-group during the Week 4 bye-week. I had no expectations against the Saints, so while it was initially depressing to see the Eagles getting shallacked like that, it was mostly what I expected, and the fact that the ass-raping did not come until the 2nd half was somewhat of a pleasant surprise (although with the way Kolb played, I expected better from our defense). This KC game is the big game, and not just because of the return of Vick. I fully expect us to win this game and will be much more disappointed if we don't than I was a couple of days ago.