The Butterfly Effect: How One Decision Two Years Ago Continues To Shape The Philadelphia Eagles Today

The Butterfly Effect (noun): The phenomenon whereby a minute localized change in a complex system can have large effects elsewhere.

Think about this. Sometime in the summer of 2009, the Philadelphia Eagles made a very crucial decision, that as small in the grand scheme of things as it may have seemed then, has impacted the roster more than anyone could have ever fathomed back then.

The Philadelphia Eagles decided they wanted to take a flyer on Michael Vick upon his release from prison. The Eagles followed their decision to sign him by actually landing him. As controversial as the move was, no one could have predicted what happened next.

Signing Michael Vick led to the Eagles having three quarterbacks on their team. Someone had to go.

Having no more use to them, the Eagles traded one of those QBs, Donovan McNabb, to Washington for a 2010 2nd round pick (Nate Allen) and a 2011 4th round pick (The Eagles traded this pick to Tampa in exchange for Tampa's 2011 4th rounder (Casey Matthews) and a 2012 4th rounder.)

Then after Kevin Kolb got injured in the first game of the season, Michael Vick came in and never looked back. He took the job away from Kolb, and that allowed Kolb to be expandable.

The Eagles traded Kevin Kolb, another QB no longer of any use to them, to Arizona for a former first round draft pick and Pro Bowl CB Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie and a 2012 2nd round pick.

To summarize, the decision to sign Michael Vick has given the Eagles the following things:

Michael Vick
Nate Allen (2nd round pick)
Casey Matthews (4th round pick)
Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie
2012 2nd round pick
2012 4th round pick.

All of those guys are penciled in to be starters on this year's team, with the exception of Casey Matthews, who may yet win a starting job in training camp.

That, ladies and gentlemen, is The Butterfly Effect.

Eagles Wild Card Weekend Recap: Defensive Failings Make Me Want Asomugha

• "Asomugha’s deal included a little-known clause that said his contract would void if he didn’t achieve his not-likely-to-be-earned incentives in 2010 -- and he didn'’t. His contract also contained a stipulation that if he didn’t achieve his incentives, the Raiders would agree not to designate him their franchise or transition player."
• The Eagles inept defense cost them this game.  That is all.
• I said at the beginning of the year that I expected a seven to nine win team.  I certainly did not expect them to win the NFC East.  But that is indeed what they did in a year that was seen as a rebuilding year.  Instead of Kolb, though, the Eagles did it with Vick who hopefully will sign an extension to keep him in Philadelphia.  He should be back, but if it is too long, I will pull my hair out.  Vick takes a beating game after game so his durability is definitely a question mark, especially at his age of 30, turning 31 in June.  Eagles in all likelihood will give him the extension but hopefully it is not backloaded and hopefully it is not for more than 4-5 years.  The Eagles do not get to where they were without Michael Vick.
• I said at the beginning that if the difference between Vick and Kolb was a 1st round playoff loss versus not making the playoffs at all, the better option would be develop Kolb and miss the playoffs.  Little did I realize at the time that Vick would emerge as a franchise QB and likely NFL MVP runner-up.  So yeah, the Eagles have a QB, his name is Vick, and he should be back.
• I would expect at least a 2nd round pick for Kevin Kolb.  If the Eagles are lucky, maybe a 1st rounder.  Andrew Luck staying at Stanford will do nothing but increase Kolb's value a bit. 
• I want to be mad at Akers.  I really want to.  He missed 2 FGs costing the Eagles 6 points and the Eagles lost by 5.  But I know that the Eagles defense and McDermott are the real goats here.  Sure they only gave up 21 points, but the Packers dinked and dunked their way all game against them with relative ease.  It was not until the 4th quarter when the Packers got real conservative that they got their stops.  Their slow and methodical drives prevented the Eagles offense from getting on the field in the 1st half and establishing rhythm.  Basically the Packers ran the gameplan I wanted the Eagles to run. Fire McDermott.  I'm done with him.  Bring in John Fox if he is willing to take a defensive coordinator job.  Akers made his kicks all year and had one bad day.  One player can't be the sole reason the team loses.  On the other hand, an entire defensive unit coming up small in big situations is a very easy way to lose football games.  Unfortunately, Akers contract is up this year and he is talking post-game like the Eagles will not re-sign him.  Such a shame because even in spite of his bad game, he's still better than most kickers in the NFL, even at his age.
• Eagles need offensive linemen.  Many ones.  Many good ones.  Need them.  Now.  Mankins is available, try to go after him.  Or Tyson Clabo.  Or Carl Nicks.  Or Jared Gaither.  Someone.  Anyone.  Vick is getting creamed over here!
• Who am I rooting in the NFC now?  Fuck Atlanta.  Fuck Chicago.  Go Packers.  Go Seahawks.  If it is a Green Bay-Seattle NFC Championship game, I'll have to see how I'm feeling that day towards the Packers.
• What about in the AFC?  Fuck Pittsburgh.  Fuck New England.  Go Jets.  Go Ravens.  If it is a Jets-Ravens AFC Title game, I will be happy with either winning.  Jets for the Ryan family, Ravens for John Harbaugh, who I always liked (unlike a certain Vikings head coach who got fired this season).
• People will cry "Fire Reid!" over this, they always do when the Eagles lose.  But Reid's model of winning consistently just makes it a futile cry anymore.  Plus on top of that, he has made Mike Vick better than he has ever been.  The dude deserves some credit.  Who are you going to get that's better?
• I expect Marty Mornhinweg will be a head coach next year (I'm guessing he'll take the Stanford job; his son just committed there).  If so, the Eagles are high on their QB coach, James Urban.  He would probably be the next OC should Marty leave.
• This may have been a disappointing end to the season, but Philadelphia sports will continue:  Villanova will be making a run for the NCAA Tournament, the Flyers will be making a run at the NHL Playoffs, Spring Training will commence in  a little over month, the Sixers have a 1st round playoff loss and/or a decent draft pick to look forward to, and the Union will be entering their 2nd season with a lot of young players and promise.  If you are fans of multiple Philadelphia teams, there really is a lot to look forward to right now.
• Win probability graph.  This is painful to look at. (advancednflstats.com)

•  Lastly, a sad and somber rest in peace to Christina-Taylor Green, granddaughter of former Phillies manager Dallas Green.  Christina-Taylor was the 9 year old girl killed in yesterday's Tucson shootings.  Her birthday was 9/11/01.  She was born on the day of a tragic event, and ultimately, she died in a shooting equally as tragic.  RIP Christina-Taylor Green.  2001-2011.

Top 10 Philadelphia Sports Games In 2010

Now that everyone has annoyed me to death by airing out their grievances on this so-called holiday stemming from a TV show that has been canceled for 12 and a half years (I was forced to do this), I say it's time to celebrate the year that was! And by doing so, I will post after the jump my list of the Top 10 games Philadelphia sports teams played in 2010. Not that this needs to be re-stated, but this is just one man's opinion on how they should be ranked and this is by no means anything authoritative. Feel free to disagree in the comments.

Honorable Mentions

The Capital Mud Bowl: January 1. Playing on a football field that most high schools would call inadequate, Penn State battled the always entertaining Les Miles and his LSU Tigers on a New Years Day Bowl, winning it on a last minute field goal. Penn State 19, LSU 17. (click here for highlights)

Michael Vick Starts His 1st Game Since Release From Prison; Throttles Lions: September 19. Even though it was the Lions, they have been more of a hard luck team not quite as bad as their record indicates. Regardless of that, Vick tore apart the Lions defense in this game, not really remarkable in anyway other than for the resurgence of Michael Vick's career as a starter. Eagles 35, Lions 32. (click here for highlights)

Old Man Pitches Historic Gem: May 7. To Jamie Moyer, age is only this random annoying number. At the age of 47, the old man became the oldest pitcher to ever throw a shutout in MLB history when he allowed only two hits against the Atlanta Braves. Phillies 7, Braves 0. (click here for highlights)

Follow the jump for the list of the Top 10 list.

Eagles Week 15 Recap: Miracle At The New Meadowlands

The perfect Christmas card for Giants fans.

On to the bullet points of one of the greatest comebacks I've ever seen in football.

• That just happened.
• Joe Pisarcik/Herm Edwards.  Jeff Feagles/Brian Westbrook.  Matt Dodge/DeSean Jackson.  The last of the three may be the most improbable of all.
• But for all the talk about the Jackson punt return, the Eagles were trailing 24-10 in the 4th quarter when DeSean Jackson caught a pass and took it to the 40 yard line.  After being touched by Goff, Jackson fell down, the ground caused a fumble, and the Giants recovered.  Clearly, Goff had touched Jackson and before he hit the ground and the ball came out after Jackson hit the ground, but for reasons of pure idiocy, Andy Reid did not challenge.  The Giants proceed to drive down the field for a touchdown.  8 minutes left, 31-10 Eagles.  Game over, right?
• Wrong.  Next drive, Vick to Celek.  One of the best onside kicks ever executed.  Vick making plays with his legs.  QB draw.  QB touchdown.  Just like that it's 31-24 with the Giants having never touched the ball.  Giants get the ball.  Eagles get a stop.  With the ball at their own 88 yard line, Vick makes plays with his legs and his feet again.  Eventually, inside the Giants 20 Vick finds Maclin who breaks a tackle and scores a TD to incredibly tie the game with less than 2 minutes left.  Giants get the ball back.  They go 3 and out.  The last play of the drive was a sack.  Clock ticking.  Giants call timeout with 12 seconds left, right before the play clock expired.  Then Matt Dodge punted the ball.  DeSean Jackson bobbled it, picked it up, and the rest is history.
• So, how did this happen?  How does a team that is completely dominated for 52 minutes, come back and win the game in 8 minutes?  And how does a team up 21 with 52 minutes left completely collapse in the last 8?  I'll give my take on the Jackson return in a second, but the comeback in general was started because of one man, Michael Vick.  All game long the Giants had been blitzing and getting to Vick, largely taken advantage of the astoundingly awful King Dunlap.  To counter said blitz, you need two things:  a).  a screen game.  Or b). an athletic QB who can run.  The Eagles opted for option b.  For the first 52 minutes, no QB draws were called and for the most part, Vick was not taking off and running with the ball.  In the final 8 minutes, that changed.  Vick eluded pressure and took off when he saw daylight in front of him.  Outside of make shift scrambles, QB draws were called as well.  Vick had 94 rushing yards in the 4th quarter!  There were other factors, but if you are searching for an anatomy of this comeback, it was Mike Vick running the ball.  That's what changed.  The Giants never adjusted.  And that's how the Eagles scored 21 points in 7 minutes.
•  To the 8th minute and the final 7 points.  I may have a screen-by-screen breakdown later, but for now, I'll just describe what happened and what I saw.  Tom Coughin reportedly told Matt Dodge to punt it out of bounds, the smart move.  It would not kill all 12 seconds, but it would force either a hail mary attempt or the Eagles would just take a knee, satisfied to take it into overtime.  Instead, the snap was high, Dodge believed that because of that, he did not have enough time to angle his punt out of bounds as needed.  His hurried punt forced a line drive that went right to DeSean Jackson.  What happened next was the key to everything.  DeSean Jackson bobbled the punt.  While an accident, this allowed for two things to happen.  The Giants defense collapsed around Jackson and the Eagles special teams unit were given 1 or 2 more seconds to set up their blocks, including Omar Gaither blocking a Giant into two other Giants causing a domino effect taking them all out.  This allowed Jackson to find a seam up the middle.  A block from Jason Avant at the 45 cemented the return from the speedy Jackson.
• Before Jackson crossed the goalline, he ran diagonal into the endzone, in what was a feeble effort to kill the clock.  I say feeble because the clock had already expired, but Jackson may not have been aware of it as he was reading the defense and running full speed on a game-winning punt return touchdown, the first ever in NFL history.  Because of the unnecessary nature of the extra running, many will see what DeSean Jackson did as show-boating.  But trust me, when DeSean Jackson showboats (a.k.a. last Sunday in Dallas), you know it.  That was intended as a heads-up football play that ultimately was not needed.
• Most media outlets have already named this the "Miracle At The New Meadowlands."  Seeing as it's the last Sunday before Christmas, I was hoping someone would name it after the street New Meadowlands Stadium is on, a la Miracle On 34th Street.   But good luck with "Miracle On New Jersey Route 120" ever catching on.
• Not to be a Debbie Downer now, but 52 other minutes were played in this game.  And during those minutes, the Eagles lost 2nd round draft pick Nate Allen to a petallar tendon injury, effectively ending his season.  And in the span of less than a week, the Eagles have lost their top 2 draft picks from the 2010 draft.  Your starting full safety will now be 7th round draft pick Kurt Coleman.
• BREAKING NEWS:  King Dunlap is terrible.
• Dimitri Patterson had a nightmare.  Eli Manning picked on him all game long.  The re-addition of Samuel was a boost, but it can only help so much if other QBs continually pick apart Patterson like Manning did today.
• Enough negative nancy shit, that was one of the greatest comebacks in Philadelphia Eagles history, and perhaps even one of the top 10 in NFL history.  Seriously, amazing.  The Miracle At The New Meadowlands.  And Giant fans thought Herm Edwards and Brian Westbrook were bad.  And this was less than a week after the Phillies came out of nowhere to sign Cliff Lee out from under the noses of the New York Yankees, and a day removed from the Flyers putting a solid 4-1 beatdown of the New York Rangers.  Now not every Yankee fan is a Giants and/or Rangers fan, but to steal and modify a joke Grant from McCovery Chronicles made on Twitter a month or so ago when FC Dallas lost the MLS Cup off the heals of the Rangers losing the World Series:  there must be some guy in the New York metropolitan area who is a Yankees, Giants, and Rangers fan.  And he's in a dark, dark place right now.
• At the end of the game, Tom Coughlin went haywire on his punter Matt Dodge.  While Dodge had no business ever kicking that to Jackson regardless of how high the snap was, Matt Dodge did not blow a 21-point lead with 8 minutes left.  That burden should belong to Perry Fewell and Tom Coughlin for not making adjustments, and for the Giants players for being out of position and/or whiffing while trying to tackle Vick.
• I am working all day tomorrow, so either tomorrow night or Tuesday, I will have more on this game and this comeback.  
• Lastly, the epic win probability graph. (advancednflstats.com)

Eagles Week 13 Recap: Cheek-y

Big win for the Eagles, now on to the bullets!

• On a key 3rd down with the Keagles up by 3 in the 3rd quarter, Vick found Brent Celek on a pass with Celek 5 yards short of the marker.  However, how he was being brought to the ground, he rolled over the defender, reached out, and by the time his left butt cheek hit the ground, he had gotten a first down.  Joe Theismann, in his infinite wisdom, encouraged to us to watch Brent Celek's left cheek (even though it is where the ball is when Celek's cheek hits the ground that counts; another thing: unless it is Riley Cooper and his infinite dreaminess we are talking about, I'd rather not watch a football player's butt cheeks).  Matt Millen then retorted by calling it a "one cheek sneak."  If you combine the 2 idiots' comments, a left cheek sneak set up the Eagles game-clinching touchdown, a short pass to Owen Schmitt.
• Brent Celek had a very interesting game today.  The left cheek sneak may have been the biggest play in the game, but Celek dropped a sure-fire touchdown pass in the 2nd quarter in addition to committing a key penalty.  That being said, at least Celek is making some plays now, something he had not been doing earlier in the season.  Unfortunately for Celek, is blocking is very suspect, so when he is not making plays in the receiving game, he is pretty much useless.  2009 was a great year for Celek.  2010....not so much.
• There is no way around it, the Eagles defense was terrible tonight.  The scoreboard says only 24 points, but it felt so much worse.  In part, that may be because the Texans had 2 long sustained drives for touchdowns in the 3rd quarter to take a 24-20 lead over the Eagles after the Eagles jumped out 17-3 early in the game.  But regardless, the Texans offense seemed to have their way with the Eagles secondary.  Dimitri Patterson who had been solid the past few games did not have one of his better performances.  The combination of Joselio Hanson and Trevard Lindley on the other side was once again gruesome to watch.  Asante Samuel can't return soon enough.  The good news is that despite not playing tonight, he did practice a bit this week, so December 12 at Dallas looks like a good possibility for Samuel to play.
• The bright spot for the Eagles defense is that Arian Foster, who averages 5.1 yards a carry was held to 3.9 yards a carry this game.  Stewart Bradley was one of the few bright spots for the Eagles defensively in his tackling of Foster.
• Opposing QBs have a QB rating of under 30 when throwing to a receiver that Asante Samuel is covering.  Think I am over-exaggerating the impact Samuel has on this Eagles secondary?  Think again.
• The Eagles just finished a stretch of 4 games in 17 days, a stretch of games where they went 3-1.  Given that their opponents during said stretch was the Redskins, Giants, Bears, and Texans, 3-1 is quite good.
• Michael Vick is a freakin' warrior.  He took shot after shot after shot after shot in this game, often coming up slowly or limping, and still hung in there and made plays.  The guy is good, the guy is tough, and the guy is a changed man, both on the field and off the field.  
• It seems like every week some network has an "exclusive" interview with Michael Vick.  At what point are these interviews no longer exclusive, and just flat out redundant? 
• Michael Vick on the set of NFL Network after the game:  "Coming to Philly has changed my entire life. I hate to even think about leaving here. Hopefully things will get worked out. When time is right hopefully I stay here."  At the very least, it seems like almost a sure thing that the Eagles will give him the franchise tag, if not a long-term deal.  The Kevin Kolb era will have to commence elsewhere.  Minnesota or Arizona, maybe?  Both will need a QB.  Badly.
• Kevin Kolb is under contract for next season, so if he goes anywhere, it will have to be via trade.  That being said, Michael Vick is injury prone just by the way he plays the game and having Kolb on the sidelines is good re-assurance in case something happens.  That being said, I am not sure if that is the ideal situation for Kolb, a guy who seems ready to be a starting QB in this league.  As valuable as he can be to the Eagles as a back-up, I think they might be able to capitalize on a desperate team and get a 2nd rounder or even a 1st rounder for Kolb.  I'd approve of that deal in a heartbeat.
• LeSean McCoy had a hell of a game.  12 rushes for 44 yards, but more importantly, 8 catches for 86 yards.  The Texans tried to employ a similar scheme to what the Bears ran last week by keeping their safeties deep.  One difference:  The Bears have the talent to be able to effectively employ that scheme.  The Texans do not.  The Eagles knew that coming in, and screened the high hell out of the Texans with McCoy being the big recipient of those screens.
• For reasons I will never understand, the Eagles lined up Chad Hall, a wide receiver out of the Air Force, a running back in the 1st quarter for a play and in the wildcat down at the goalline in the 1st quarter.  For the first one, I am yet to figure out what Chad Hall brings to the table that Jerome Harrison and Eldra Buckley do not, you know, the 2nd and 3rd string running backs for the Eagles.  Secondly, the wildcat?  Hasn't that been ineffective enough for Reid the past year and a half?  Unsurprisingly, that Chad Hall wildcat play ran deep in the redzone on 2nd and goal did not pan out and Hall, who took the ball up the middle, was stopped short of the goalline.
• The Eagles will have 9 days to rest up and prepare for their Sunday Night Football meeting at Dallas.  Despite its apparent lob-sidedness, NBC and the NFL sees the Eagles against their biggest rival, and in turn, sees ratings.  Look at the highest rated games this season.  5 of the top 15 highest rated games on all networks are Eagles games, with #1 being last Sunday's Eagles-Bears game.  It's not 13-1 vs. 2-12.  NBC and the NFL sees Eagles vs. Cowboys, the Eagles good ratings this year, and are sticking with the tentatively scheduled game of Eagles vs. Cowboys.
• Lastly, the win probability graph. (advancednflstats.com)

Eagles Week 11 Recap: How To Lose A Football Game By The New York Giants And The Philadelphia Eagles

On to the bullet points:

• Over the past few years, the Eagles have played some close and very ugly games against division rivals.  I don't recall many of them being wins.  They won this one.
• The Eagles game-winning TD was scored on a TD where Vick bobbled the snap, somehow got the ball to McCoy on the toss, who proceeded to go untouched into the endzone.  Whether or not the toss was planned or impromptu because of the bobbled snap may never be known, but the result was incredible regardless (VIDEO).
• While this was not the greatest reffed game I've ever seen (Ron Winter, ladies and gents!), if the Eagles lost, they would have had no one to blame but themselves.  It should have been a blowout by the end of the first half, and the only thing that prevented that was 2 drops in the endzone, with one of those (the Avant one), being one of the worst drops I have ever seen in an NFL football game.  Like seriously.  I think he is making the not top-10 for this one.  The ironic part:  Jason Avant is known for his sure-handed hands.
• Michael Vick committed his 1st regular season turnover since December 24, 2006 when he fumbled a ball in the 2nd half that was recovered by the Giants.  He still has not thrown an interception since that December 24, 2006 game against the Panthers.  He had 2 INTs that day.
• The Giants game-planned for Vick as well as they could.  They got pressure, they got in his face, they used their speed and were aggressive and it sort of worked.  Well comparatively speaking, it worked.  I mean, Vick did not set a bunch of records with one of the single greatest individual performances tonight.  That being said, they came in the best defense in the NFL averaging 270 yards given upper game, and the Eagles torched them for 400.
• The Bears employ a similar defense and will likely employ a similar strategy next week.
• Asante Samuel had an interesting night in New York.  2 INTs, a fumble, and a helmet-to-helmet hit that will almost assuredly see him receiving mail and a bill from Roger Goddell sometime this week.
• Odd stat:  Asante Samuel has 4 combined INTs this season against QBs named Manning.  That's a record.  And he still has 1 game to go this season.
• Teams the Giants have beaten:  Panthers, Bears, Texans, Lions, Cowboys, Seahawks.  Teams the Giants have lost to:  Colts, Titans, Cowboys, Eagles.  The only team the Giants beat with a winning record is the Bears.  The Bears are 7-3, yet I have not heard anyone say how they are a threat in the NFC.  Flying under the radar a bit?  Yeah, but I do not think their record is indicative of how good I think they are.  As far as the Giants, the Giants are not a bad team, but they are yet to prove themselves by beating a quality opponent.  Like I said, they are not bad, but I can't consider them one of the best until they beat a real quality game.
• Ellis Hobbs got knocked out with a helmet-to-helmet hit by Tollefson on the opening kick.  It knocked him out cold on the field for a full 10 minutes.  That helmet-to-helmet contact was in a situation though where it is not a penalty, and the refs were right by not throwing a flag.  X-rays were negative and he was moving around a bit in the locker room, so that is very good news.
• Not Eagles-Giants related, but a quick buy or sell from me on some NFL teams.  Buy the Patriots.  Buy the Jets (they may be lucky, but they are also very good, even Sanchez, who was great on that last drive today).  Buy the Packers.  Sell the Bears.  Buy the Falcons.  Sell the Buccaneers.  Sell the entire NFC West and toss it in a gigantic shit hole.  As funny as NFC West jokes are, one of those four piss poor excuses of a football team are going to play in the playoffs.  And that's a shame.
• How the referee could tell that Ahmad Bradshaw's forearm or wrist, and not his hand was down is beyond me?  Keep in mind, it must be conclusive to overturn.  What was conclusive about that?
• The end of game Eli Manning fumble was (shockingly) called correctly by Ron Winter.  Manning dove (not slid), Samuel never touched him, and the ball came out before any Eagle touched him.  Eli Manning committed a similar turnover in a similar situation against the Eagles last year.
• The Eagles are now alone in 1st place in the NFC East, 1 game ahead of the Giants, 2 games ahead of the Redskins, and 4 games ahead of the Cowboys.  The Eagles have 1 remaining game against the Giants to play and both Cowboys games still to play this season.
• I really can't stand Shawn Andrews.  The guy is lazy, plays on Twitter all day when not practicing (a frequent occurrence for him), and constantly throws the Eagles under the bus for reasons I still don't get.  The Eagles did everything they could to help him with his situation here, including bringing in his horrible brother Stacy to play with him, paying him big money to recover from his issues, and all he does is trashes the Eagles organization.  They stuck with him longer than most other teams would have, and this is how he shows his thanks.  It has nothing to do with the fact that he is a Giant now, just everything to do with the fact that he has proven himself to be an all-round lazy and terrible human being.
• Both teams tried to beat themselves tonight.  The one that did it slightly less in less critical times was the team that won.
•  And lastly, the win probability chart. (advancednflstats.com)

Eagles Week 10 Recap: One For The Record Books

Onto the bullet points.

• I was born in 1989.  I have not watched every single NFL football game.  No one has.  But, what we just witnessed may have just been the best NFL quarterbacking performance in the history of the league.  Before you scoff and label me a blind homer who doesn't know shit, listen to some of the facts here.  Michael Vick became the 1st quarterback in NFL history history to have 300+ passing yards, 50+ rushing yards, 4+ passing TDs, and 2+ rushing TDs in a single football game.  In addition, Michael Vick compiled more fantasy points in one game than any quarterback has ever had post NFL/AFL merger.  Yes, people keep track of this.  Yes, this is a legitimate broken record.  Adam Caplan called it the best he has ever seen.  Steve Young claimed in the ESPN post game show it was "one of the most defining games at quarterback I've ever seen.".  Again, you can say I am blinded by homerism, but there is a reasonable argument to be made that this was the best single-game QB performance of all time.
• The pre-game featured the Eagles and the Redskins getting in a skirmish reportedly because Laron Landry and DeAngelo Hall mocked DeSean Jackson getting concussed and knocked out cold.  Landry reportedly made "pillow gestures" saying "night, night" to DeSean before the game, again referencing him getting knocked out by Dunta Robinson's hit.  How did the Eagles respond?  First play from scrimmage, Vick throws a deep bomb to DeSean Jackson who was 1-on-1 with Landry.  Caught.  Touchdown.  (VIDEO).  That would certainly explain why DeSean Jackson turned around and waltzed into the endzone the way he did.  When he turned around, he was staring  right at Landry.  DeSean Jackson 1, Laron Landry 0.
• Laron Landry's less than respectful behavior did not end with that.  Reportedly he spit in the face of Eagles center Mike McGlynn twice during the game.  Just remember Laron:  Eagles 59, Redskins 28.
• As much as I want to list every record that was broken in this game, I can't.  Go read the live blog.  As they kept coming in, I made a note of it there.  I will highlight though that 59 ties an MNF record and 59 is the 2nd most in Eagles history, behind the 63 they put up against the Cincinnati Reds  in 1934.  The Reds folded the following the day.
• The Redskins signed Donovan McNabb to a ridiculous 5-year extension worth $78M with $40M being guaranteed.  Donovan McNabb will play quarterback while 39-years old.  I hold no beef with McNabb (outside of the fact he did not fit the Eagles direction anymore and his drama was becoming tiresome), but I just don't see how this is possible.  He is not Peyton Manning.  McNabb is injury prone and McNabb seems to be well past his prime as it is.  He is evidently not the same QB he was 5 years ago and if he ages like most normal human beings, he will not reach that level again.  Without a doubt this is a mind-boggling move that screws the Redskins, screws McNabb, and screws the Vikings or Cardinals who may have signed McNabb this off-season, presumably to a shorter contract.
• If that's the contract McNabb got, I now have to wonder what contract Vick will get.  At this point, I am just hoping he signs it with the Eagles.
• A lot was made about whether or not Wisconsin "ran up the score" against Indiana.  In this game, I don't think such an argument can be made.  Sure it was an ugly blow out, but 42 of the Eagles 59 points came in the first half.  The first of the Eagles 2 2nd half TDs came on the drive immediately following a Redskins TD while the other was a pick 6 by Dimitri Patterson.  The 2nd half offensive play-calling was a bunch of running plays to back-up running back Jerome Harrison mixed with some short passes.  Then again, I don't whine about teams running up the score.  But even still, I am having trouble finding arguments that the Eagles "ran up the score" in this game.  The final margin of victory was 31-points, for what it's worth.
• I think it is safe to say that Dimitri Patterson has taken Ellis Hobbs's as starting CB opposite Asante Samuel.  Hobbs has been injured the past couple weeks and Patterson has come in and played better than Hobbs ever has.  To check out some of Ellis Hobbs' best work, check out the Tennessee game earlier this year.  Remember all those Kenny Britt plays?  Yep.  He made a complete mockery out of Ellis Hobbs that game.  While Hobbs has not played a snap since then because of injury, I don't think he has many to look forward to after injury, unless he wants to be a kick returner because......
• Jorrick Calvin is all sorts of awful as a returner.  End of story.  I now trust Nick Cole more with that job more than I trust Calvin at this point.
• The Washington Redskins did not convert a 3rd down this game.
• I admit, I was a tad worried when the Redskins cut the 35-0 lead to a 35-14 one early in the 3rd quarter.  Just a tad.  
• As historic as it was, a win is just a win.  The result of the standings would be just the same if the Eagles won 3-0.  They are now tied for 1st with the Giants, and will face them in a huge showdown on Sunday Night Football in their next game.
• On a more personal note, massive changes are coming to the blog later this week.  And by massive, I mean hugely incredibly massive that goes beyond just changing the design.
• Lastly, here is a right angle the win probability graph. (advancednflstats.com)

Michael Vick: A Closer Look At The Improved Passer

Remember when Michael Vick was coming out of college and getting drafted to Atlanta? He was supposed to be the ultimate quarterback. Powerful arm, amazing ability to escape, he was the entire package. However, there was a small problem regarding Vick: accuracy. At Virginia Tech, he had a below 60% passer completion and he never improved on it once he got to the NFL. He always had the lead, but Michael Vick the passer quickly became one of the NFL's most popular punchlines. But not many people are laughing now.

Granted he has only played in 6 games this year so the numbers could change, but as of now, Vick's completion percentage is the highest it has ever been in his NFL career at 60.8% (his career average is 54.2% for some perspective), his quarterback rating is the highest it has ever been in his NFL career at 105.3 (77.9 is the QB rating he has in his career), his touchdown percentage is at a rate higher than at any point in his career, his yards per game is higher than it has ever been in his career, he has not thrown an interception all season, and all of his advanced stats are higher than they have ever been in his career.  And this is on top of the fact that he is still a very elusive quarterback whose running skills is just about back to where they were in his pre-prison days.

But I don't want to focus much more on his running on this post.  Instead, I want to break down 2 pass plays to show you how impressive Michael Vick is today as a quarterback.  Follow the jump for the breakdown!

Eagles Week 9 Recap: Eagles Win Game, Refs Win Money

• The Vegas point spread in the game was Eagles favored by 3.  The Eagles won by 2.  Carl Cheffers has to be absolutely giddy about that, for 2 of his ticky-tack calls wiped out 2 Colt turnovers in drives that would ultimately end with an Indianapolis touchdown.
• Michael Vick certainly adds a dynamic to the Eagles that Kevin Kolb does not.  I like Kolb, but at this point, Michael Vick is the man for the Eagles.  Andy Reid is going with a merit system, and based on that, he is right with going with Vick.  He is in win-now mode, and with the NFC as bad as it is, I can't say that I blame him.  Before, I did.  But this putrid NFC changes everything.  It also helps that Kolb did get to play in a few games after all because of Vick's injury.
• The question of the future now.  You can't keep both QBs next season, so do you work out a new contract with Vick and trade Kolb, or let Vick walk and keep Kolb?  At this point, I would say extend Vick and trade Kolb, but, that is something that could change multiple times as the season nears a conclusion.  
• Coming into this game, the Eagles were 11-0 in the game after the bye week under Andy Reid, while Peyton Manning was 3-0 all time against the Eagles, in games that were not even close.  The more impressive streak held up.  Eagles are now 12-0 after the bye week, the longest such streak in NFL history.
• Before this game, Peyton Manning had been sacked 7 times all season.  The Eagles got him twice tonight.
• Before this game, Peyton Manning threw 2 INTs all season.  The Eagles, more specifically, Asante Samuel, intercepted him twice tonight.
• The Eagles 1st 4 red zone possessions resulted in 1 TD and 3 FGs.  For all the talk about the refs that you will see below, if they lost that game, that would have been the reason.  When facing Peyton Manning, touchdowns are imperative in red zone situations.  The Eagles were seemingly the better team all night long, and it should not have been as close as it was.  After all, the Colts had over 40 seconds at the end of the game to drive into field goal range and kick a game-winning field goal.  Luckily, Manning overthrows and an Asante Samuel interception prevented that.
• Ellis Hobbs was injured this week and did not play.  2 weeks ago, he was the guy who got beat  time and time again by Kenny Britt.  In his plate this week was Dimitri Patterson who had a fantastic game against a fantastic opposition.  Patterson was not beaten for the big play at all, something Ellis Hobbs has not been able to boast.  If Andy Reid makes Patterson a regular starting CB alongside Asante Samuel, I would be quite happy.  From what I've seen, Dimitri Patterson is a better cornerback than Ellis Hobbs.  Sure Patterson allowed lots of underneath completions, but in comparison to the deep completions given up by Ellis Hobbs on an alarmingly consistent basis, I'll take it.
• There were positives and negatives for Sean McDermott tonight.  The positives:  He beat Peyton Manning, something that Jim Johnson never did.  Also, his defense held Manning and the Colts offense to 7 points in the 2nd half, very impressive.  The negatives:  After the Collie hit, Sean McDermott kept calling plays and blitzes that were not working, allowing the Colts 10 easy points in the final 2:23 of the first half. 
• DeSean Jackson played his first game in 3 weeks after suffering a severe concussion.  If he missed a step, it sure as hell did not look it.
• Michael Vick played his first game since the start of the Redskins game 5 weeks ago.  If he missed a step, it sure as hell did not look it.
  
• I will use the next 3 bullets to address 3 things of importance that need to be said.  First of all, what happened to Austin Collie was an extremely scary incident.  Thankfully, reports indicate that Austin Collie is all right.  You never want to hear that a player has a concussion, but in this case, that is sort of good news, as the worst was definitely feared, especially seeing what happened to that Rutgers player a few weeks ago.  However, that hit on Collie was called a penalty, and a penalty it was not.  Before you get up and arms about this, learn the NFL rules.  Because if you think I'm wrong, then you don't know the NFL rules.  Once a player catches and establishes possession of the ball, as Austin Collie clearly did, the receiver can no longer be declared "defenseless."  Here is a description of the play, per Matt Mosley "Eagles safety Quintin Mikell unloaded on Collie after he appeared to make a catch with 2:23 left in the first half. Mikell led with his shoulder and it appeared to be a clean hit as he made contact with Collie, who then pin-balled into Eagles rookie safety Kurt Coleman. After watching several replays, I'm not sure how Coleman could have avoided the helmet-to-helmet contact, which appeared to cause Collie's injury."  Here's the video.  The catch was made and Collie established possession.  The receiver was not defenseless.  Therefore, there is no hit on the defenseless receiver, even though they called the penalty on Mikell, and not Coleman, the guy who administered the concussion-causing blow.  In situations like that, the helmet-to-helmet is not a penalty.  Unfortunate things can happen on perfectly clean plays. This is one of those situations.  Like it or not, Mikell's hit and Coleman's hit were clean football plays.  What has been stated above are not opinions.  They are facts.
• This is the explanation Carl Cheffers gave of his call. "Well, if he is completing the catch, his second foot is not down yet or it's just down, we still give the defenseless receiver protection. So if it is a bang-bang type play, with his second foot coming down, he still gets protection on that play. The fact of the matter is, is that ball was incomplete. So, he has protection throughout that entire process on that play because we don't even have a completion -- at no time did he have possession and become a runner to where he would have transitioned out of being a defenseless receiver."  If the mumbling and the jibbersih seem familiar, well, it should.
• Now whether or not it should or should not be a suspension has no bearing on whether it will be suspended.  Knowing Goddell, it will be suspended.  Les Bowen said it best, "This is Mr. Goodell's NFL: Guy is hurt, so it must be a penalty."  Given all that has happening, Goodell will damn the rules of football straight to hell and fine and/or suspend Quintin Mikell and/or Kurt Coleman for no valid reason.  And that's a shame.
• And lastly, a big hullaballo is being made of Eagles fans booing while Collie was motionless.  Let's set one thing straight.  They were booing the OFFICIAL.  They were not booing Austin Collie.  They were booing one of the WORST CALLS OF THE SEASON.  They were not booing a motionless man.  They were booing an INCOMPETENT OFFICIATING JOB.  They were not booing a guy who needed to be stretchered off the field.  They were booing the fact THE REFEREE COST THE EAGLES A FUMBLE RECOVERY.  They were CHEERING when Austin Collie was being wheeled off the field.  Wait, what?  That doesn't follow the script!  I challenge you to find another crowd in the NFL that would not have reacted in the same way.  Donovan McNabb got a standing ovation 5 weeks ago when he returned to Philly for the first time.  Why is that being forgotten about now?
• And lastly, the 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.

Eagles Week 3 Recap: Vick-tory

I came up with that pun all by myself.  Why do you ask?

Onto the bullet points...

• Good teams beat the shit out of bad teams.  The Eagles beat the shit out of the Jaguars.
• It's been awhile since I was this comfortable watching the 2nd half of an Eagles game.  I missed the feeling. 
• LeSean McCoy carried the ball a grand total of 11 times this game and was not injured.  In the middle of the 3rd quarter with the Eagles up 21-3 and driving, he had seen 6 carries, averaged 5 yards per carry, and was not featured on the drive.  That's unacceptable.
• On a 4th and 1 at the Jags 31, the Eagles decided to go for it on a pitch to the outside.  They gave the ball to power back Mike Bell.  Predictably, they did not get the 1st down.  Andy Reid apparently never heard of a "Vick option" or a "pitch to Shady McCoy,"  2 play calls that would have been much more ideal if you are going to the outside.
• Andy Reid, bad timeout management.  Bad timeout management, Andy Reid.  
• Ron Pitts has not done an Eagles game since the 2005 season.  If  it is another 5 years before he does another Eagles game, it will be too soon. From "Joseph Avant" to him calling Maclin a "sung hero," I about vomited from the patheticness.  And John Lynch needs to either speak up or show some enthusiasm.  I don't think I understood a word he said all game.
• Reading these last couple bullets you would think the Eagles lost or something.  It is always easier to write about the negatives than try to mention the positives, mainly because, but the latter makes you look like a homerific jerk.  But it was a 28-3 blowout, so here goes......
• I criticized the decision to bench Kolb.  And I still do.  While it will likely be 3 years til my questioning is validated or not, I gotta give major props to Vick.  Vick started out slow, but I would say this was his best performance of the year.  On the 2nd touchdown pass, he was able to ignore a gaping running lane and pass the ball to a wide open Jeremy Maclin.  The result would have been the same if he ran, but Vick is recognizing there are other options besides taking off and running every chance you get.  On the 3rd touchdown pass, Vick was able to successfully look off a safety before (once again) finding Jeremy Maclin who would run the catch in for a TD.  Mike Vick looking off a safety?  Is he becoming a polished passer?  On the 4th TD, well, Mike Vick needs to remind everyone that he is Mike Vick.  It is good he is becoming a better passer, but you always want to keep the running threat available and you always want to keep defenses honest.  Vick dropped back to pass, had a huge hole, and he waltzed into the endzone. for the easiest 17 yard touchdown run he has ever had.
• I have a paper to write for Tuesday so I don't have time to do it now or tomorrow, but perhaps in the middle of the week, I can illustrate with pictures and videos what I am talking about in the above bullet.
• The Eagles defense held the Jacksonville Jaguars to 3 points, MJD to 88 yards on 22 carries, Garrard to 13/30 passing for a miserable 105 yards.  In related news, Stewart Bradley returned and played the whole game at middle linebacker.
• Eagles defense sacked Garrard 6 times.  Playing in his 1st game of the year, Darryl Tapp dominated.  Juqua Parker lost his job as starting DE to 1st round draft pick Brandon Graham.  Parker leads the team in sacks.  Trevor Laws, who is finally coming around after a rough 1st 2 years, added a sack and was a beast all game.  And need I mention that the Eagles also have one of the best DEs in football?  That guy, Trent Cole, had 2 sacks of his own on the day.
• Fact:  The Eagles selected Trevor Laws ahead of DeSean Jackson in the 2008 NFL Draft.
• Donovan McNabb is so good he led his Redskins to a loss to the St. Louis Rams.  Wait, what?  McNabb's numbers were not deplorable, but they were not great either.  And against the St. Louis Rams, they should be better than meh.  19/32 for 236 yards, a TD, and an INT.  Should be better against the Rams, whose greatest improvement from last year has come on offense in the form of Sam Bradford.
• The New York Giants are an embarrassment to football.
• The Texans and the Cowboys exchanged places for a game.
• The Eagles are going to have to beat a good team before anyone can call them Super Bowl contenders, but if they continue to beat bad teams (Washington and San Francisco are next), they will set themselves up nicely for an opportunity.  And when they play Indianapolis later in the year, we will learn a whole heck of a lot more about the Eagles.
• The Phillies lost to the Mets, but as a result of the Padres losing to the Reds 3 hours later, the Philadelphia Phillies have officially clinched a playoff berth.  The Phillies magic number to clinch the NL East is 1.  It is worth noting it is supposed to rain non-stop in DC and Atlanta tomorrow. But if the Phillies get rained out and the Braves do play, then the Phillies could clinch both a playoff spot, the NL East, and the best record in the NL all by sitting on the couch after a rough loss.
• This is my 1st year playing fantasy football.  I am 3-0.  I am clearly a natural at this.
• Get ready for week long talk about McNabb coming back to the Linc.  I will tell you right now, half the crowd will cheer, half will boo, and the other half will be completely indifferent.  The Redskins defense is marginally better than the Jags' and the Lions', their offense is probably on par with that of the Jags, with a QB slightly better than Garrard, an RB lesser than MJD, and WRs about the same.  If the Eagles play like they did tonight, there is no reason they don't leave the Linc next Sunday 3-1 on the year.

Michael Vick's American Dream

There have been numerous things written about Michael Vick ever since the dog fighting scandal broke. That being said, there are very few that match up to the one published today by Andrew Sharp. To anyone who has looked down upon Vick for his past actions, this article puts everything into an amazing perspective and if you are still down on him and/or the Eagles organization for signing him, hopefully this new perspective will change how you feel and make you finally understand the other side. Here is a very small snippet with a link to the full article at the bottom.

Our understanding of animals is relative.

So that judging dogfighting has nothing to do with how you value the life of a dog. It's about sociology, and understanding that in different places, different animals mean different things. For someone like me, who grew up with two dogs and projected human qualities on them for my entire life, dogfighting is unimaginable. The thought of using them for sport and disposing of them afterward... It produces a physical shiver.

But if I'd grown up in a place where dogfighting was a regular occurrence, I suspect I'd feel that sensitivity would disappear. In the same way I see a cow and have no idea what to do or how to interact, but a midwestern farmer sees a cow and knows to feed it and care for it, so that one day that cow can be sold and brutally slaughtered.

We understand animals differently, and for someone like Vick, dogfighting wasn't foreign and barbaric. It's a disturbing notion, and indeed, the culture of dogfighting indicates a callous, ignorant slice of society. But it's ignorance, not evil. And for all the rhetoric we've heard about Vick's inhumanity and inhumanity of his crimes, it's sort of ass backwards.

Ultimately, demonizing Michael Vick demands a willful disregard for understanding humans. How we behave, and why in some places, that behavior deviates from the accepted norms of a sophisticated society. Dogs aren't meant to be fought, we say.

But in backwater Virginia, clearly, nobody got the memo about respecting animal rights. And a few hundred miles away, on the racetracks in Kentucky, they're still racing horses every weekend, euthanizing the ones that pull up lame. So wait a second: Who sets the standard? Why don't all these angry sportswriters have a problem with the Kentucky Derby?

I'm not advocating dogfighting here, but horse racing's mentioned as an instructive example. If we're going to talk about Vick's crimes, it's a conversation that requires a far more nuanced outlook than most of us are ready to dedicate to this.

CLICK HERE TO READ THE REST OF ANDREW SHARP'S ARTICLE!

Ed. Note.: I am hosting the NFL Week 3 live blog on Sunday. I will also be hosting a Mets-Phillies live blog tomorrow night if and only if the Nationals defeat the Braves earlier in the afternoon. Should that happen, then the Phillies will be a win away from clinching their 4th straight NL East pennant.

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.

Mike Vick Is Starting For The Eagles This Sunday.....So, Uh, Where Is The Outrage?

And no, I am not talking about my outrage. Kevin Kolb, though improving and looking at a possible Week 3 return, has not been medically cleared to play this Sunday. Therefore, the Eagles are starting their back-up quarterback, Michael Vick. You know, the Michael Vick that was convicted of dog-fighting and spent 2 years in prison for it? This will be the first time he started an NFL game since going to prison.

I wouldn't have blamed you if you've forgotten that fact about Vick for a moment, as quite honestly, it seems like everyone who exhibited some mindless outrage over the matter has in part gotten over the thing. Could it be that Vick has made several appearances for 1 play stints as Andy Reid's "wildcat toy" and has caused people to get used to seeing Vick in the NFL? Quite possible. But when the Eagles signed Vick over a year ago, did you ever think that the angry headlines would be.......this little?

Given the nature of the anger and the situation.......I can honestly say I am not surprised at all. Sure it was rampant when the Eagles first signed him, but Andy Reid's often mysterious ways of using him on the field in addition to the national media manufactured controversy over who should the Eagles start when both Kolb and Vick are healthy have turned what was once the one and only core story about Michael Vick into a secondary story put on the backburner only brought out by the PETA crazies when they are not sponsoring nudity or getting all bent out of shape and crying hysterically over something relatively mundane. And even PETA is yet to put something up on this, though I am sure that will change. But if PETA and a mere handful of other crazies are the only ones to be upset over Michael Vick starting, then I think it is safe to conclude that one of the biggest scandals in sports the past decade has reached to the point where it is practically a non-story regarding Vick.

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.)