When Kevin Kolb had to be removed from the Philadelphia Eagles‘ week one game against the Packers with a concussion, Michael Vick stepped in and gave the Eagles a chance to win. They came up short in that particular game, but Vick proceeded to tear it up when he was given a chance to start the following two. Given the level Vick was playing at, there was no way Andy Reid could give Kolb his starting job back when he was cleared to play.
However, these things have a way of working themselves out. Or do they? The exact same situation arose again for the Eagles in their week four game against the Redskins, only this time it was Vick with the injury and Kolb filling in for him. Like Vick, Kolb played effectively but came up just short of a victory. Also like Vick, Kolb went on to lead the Eagles to wins the following two games. In a win over the 49ers, Kolb threw for 253 yards and a touchdown with a passer rating of 103.3. On Sunday, he threw for 326 yards and 3 touchdowns in a dominating 31-17 win over Atlanta, posting a passer rating of 133.6.
With Vick inching closer to being cleared to play, what does Reid do now? The Eagles are winning with Kolb. Oh yeah, they were winning with Vick, too. The Eagles’ quarterback play is a huge reason they’ve been able to win with Kolb. Oh yeahhh, that was a huge reason they were winning with Vick, too. Despite Kolb’s success the past two games, Reid insists Vick still has his starting job locked down.
What we can’t figure out is why Andy Reid doesn’t just take the Bill Belichick approach and not say anything. Not being able to decide which quarterback to start because you have two that are playing at such a high level is a problem every head coach would like to have. Not to mention, Vick’s status for next week remains up in the air. Chances are, the Eagles will take advantage of the way Kolb has played and not rush Vick back from his injury. There’s no need to tell us that, however.
Rather than screw with Kolb’s confidence and put pressure on him to retain his starting job, Reid should just call the situation one that will work itself out. That’s likely the way it will go down, so why create more headaches for your team? Vick’s hurt, Kolb’s balling. Andy Reid should just let it be.
Then there’s always the chance that the Eagles are showcasing Kolb to trade him before the fast-approaching deadline. If that were the case, wouldn’t they be weakening their position by admitting Vick has their starting job on lock? Consider it another tidbit in this strange situation that I’ve yet to comprehend.
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