Vick vs. Kolb: A Provocative, Passionate, Controversial, Polarizing Opinion

It seems like everyone in the country, with or without ties to Philadelphia, has some sort of opinion on the Eagles quarterback situation right now, so I guess it’s only fair if I chime in with mine, considering I try and run a website devoted to Philadelphia sports. 

So, here it is:

Q:  Who should be the Eagles quarterback right now?
A:  I have absolutely no idea.  No, really, I don’t know.

Have you heard? There's a QB controversy in Philly

I know that opinions like this aren’t exactly going to get me far in the business of modern sports journalism.  I know that the only real successful sports personalities are those that spew brash, polarizing, shocking opinions on every single event across the sports landscape regardless of whether or not they have any knowledge of the issue or any basis for the notions they fervently espouse.  I know that Skip Bayless, Colin Cowherd, and Angelo Cataldi (unadmittedly, but undoubtably, following the trail blazed by Jim Rome) are the guys that ultimately succeed in this profession, whereas pensive, analytical, and rational personalities, like Jody MacDonald, get pushed right out the door.  But, fortunately, I am not doing this as a profession, so I have the liberty to say, once in a while, “I don’t know” when, in fact, I actually don’t know.

So, with the understanding that I am really glad that I don’t have to make the decision on a starting quarterback, let’s take a look at the pros and cons of each decision:

Naming Michael Vick as the starting quarterback:

• PRO:  Vick has played six consecutive quarters at an elite level.
• PRO:  Vick is a former #1 overall draft pick, who is only 30 years old, so he, arguably, has as much natural ability as anyone in the league.
• PRO:  The offensive line is in shambles.  They are at least a full season away from any sort of prolonged continuity on the line, which means that whoever is under center for this team is going to face a good deal of pressure.  It’s pretty clear that Vick is better suited for a shoddy offensive line than Kolb–at least right now.
• PRO:  All that Vick has gone through has humbled him, which means that the things that held him back in Atlanta (e.g. being ill-prepared for games; slacking off in the weight room, film room, and

  

  Randall? Is that you?

  practice field; not caring about being a strong leader or a good teammate) may have been corrected by Leavenworth Correctional Facility.  In fact, I believe that there is an outside chance that Michael Vick could become one of the top 3-5 quarterbacks in this league.  Before you laugh that off, think about how dominant he was in Atlanta (3 Pro Bowls, multiple playoff victories, a trip to the NFC Championship Game), and then think of the fact that he flat-out admitted that he didn’t really watch any film or scout his opponents and that he didn’t care at all about practice.  Now that he may be rehabilitated mentally, he has a chance of realizing the full potential of his talents–and no one can deny his natural abilities (I would even argue that he is among the handful of greatest pure athletes this country has ever produced).

• CON:  It’s Michael Vick.  Can we really hitch our wagon to Michael Vick?  I heard a quote from Bill Walsh that went something like this:  “Coaches who get enamored with athleticism are doomed to fall victim to its inherent inconsistency.  And inconsistency is the one thing that inevitably derails any coach, no matter how brilliant he may be.”  I’m not sure to whom this was in reference, but it sure smacks of Michael Vick.
• CON:  A lot of this Vick craze has been created because of his play in the last 6 quarters–2 of which were against the Packers in a prevent defense and the other 4 were against a really bad Lions secondary.  It’s not like he put up monster numbers against the Steelers or Jets.
• CON:  The Eagles just traded the best quarterback in the history of their organization and handed $10 million to Kevin Kolb because they believe that he is the future.
• CON:  Andy Reid offense relies on short drops, precision passing, and consistent play from the quarterback position.  This is not exactly a system tailored for Vick’s skill set.
• CON:  Vick is 30 years old and plays a reckless style that has proven to lead to injuries.  Any long-term plans for this team that rely upon Michael Vick as the starting quarterback are inherently risky.

Naming Kevin Kolb the starting quarterback:

• PRO:  There must be something there that makes the coaching staff believe–to the point of trading a franchise quarterback to a division rival–that Kevin Kolb is a future star in this league.  And, honestly, this coaching staff has built up enough capital for me to trust that opinion.

• 

  The future?

  PRO:  Kolb is younger, more suited for this offense, and the safer bet, long-term.

• CON:  Did you see the first half of the season?  That concussion may have saved him from an epically bad full-game performance.
• CON:  The way Michael Vick played against Green Bay and Detroit means that, if Kolb were to play against Jacksonville and then against McNabb’s Redskins next week, the pressure will be enormous.  Are we sure he’s ready to handle that and might it be too much for him at this point in his career?
• CON:  Is he really fully healthy?  It has only been two weeks since a major concussion, and the way this offensive line is playing, is it smart to throw him out there so soon when we have a more than capable backup ready to play?  I know that Reid claims that Kolb is perfectly healthy, but no one seems to know anything about the science of concussions right now, so as long as there is a viable second option, why take a chance?

[Quick Tangent:  There is another real, distinct possibility, and I’ve been saying it on this website for 6 months now.  It’s a little crazy, but not out of the question if you really think about it.  What are the chances that Andy Reid (who has proven in the past to spit in the face of convention and act like he’s the smartest guy in the sport), behind closed doors, is trying to revolutionalize the position of quarterback?  What if the “starting quarterback” is nothing more than the guy who takes the first snap?  What if his plan all along has been to experiment with a two-quarterback system?  It sounds crazy, but ten years ago everyone scoffed at dual running back systems and now every team either has or wants to have two good running backs to share the load.  You have to admit with two guys with such opposite skill sets, a cruel schedule in a brutal division, and the youngest team in the NFL, this is the perfect season to do it.  Now, I’m not saying that I think it will work, and I’m not even saying that Andy Reid thinks it will work.  I’m just saying that I think we both think that it’s worth a shot, and now is a good time to do it.  Just throwing it out there…]

Okay, now, I still have absolutely no idea what is the right call in this situation.  My initial reaction was “there is no way that Kolb should lose his spot to an injury, especially with the big unknown of Michael Vick.”  But, to be honest, the more I’ve thought about it (and I’ve thought way too much about it), I have come around and now I believe that starting Vick is the right move, for a couple reasons:

1. It’s really hard to turn your back on a guy with that kind of talent.  He is, without a doubt, a once-in-a-lifetime talent.  Now, whether he has the makeup, intelligence, and drive to become a once-in-a-lifetime quarterback is a whole other matter, but it’s really hard not to give him the opportunity to do it Eagle green.
2. As young as they are (the youngest team in the league), I still believe that this team has a legit shot to win right now, and Vick is pretty clearly the better option for September 26, 2010.  Whether he is the best option for December 26, 2010, or November 26, 2012, is another question, but we can cross that bridge when we come to it.
3. And, this is the one that, when I thought of it, finally convinced me that Vick is the right decision:  Whichever quarterback starts Week Three will have a boatload of pressure on him, and has a legitimate probability of wilting under that pressure and failing at some point this season. 

If Vick is the guy and fails, then he goes back to being a backup quarterback this year, Kolb rides in on a white horse to try and save the day, and whether he does or not, there is no question that he is the guy for the future because we tried Vick and that didn’t work.  We then cut ties with Vick at the end of the year, wish him well, and turn everything over to Kevin Kolb with a young, talented set of weapons around him, an improving O-line, and a backup named Kafka who is no threat to the job security of our young franchise quarterback.  2010 is just chalked up as a rebuilding year, and we’re ready to compete again in 2011 and beyond.  BUT…

…If Kolb is named the starter and he fails, then what?  Do we go to Vick in Week Ten to try and save the season?  What if he does?  What if he doesn’t?  Is Kolb’s confidence ruined?  Worse yet, do even have any clue whether he can play or not, considering the only shot he got was with another guy breathing down his neck on a team with a shoddy O-line and a struggling defense?  And, do we sign Vick and trade Kolb?  If he fails, does he even have any value, at that point?

Basically, here it is.  If Vick plays and fails, we’re no worse off than we were before Kolb’s concussion.  We’ve got, what we believe to be, a franchise quarterback ready to step in and play when the team is ready to compete in 2011.  But, if Kolb plays and fails, we have an absolute cluster-f#*& of a quarterback situation.  In what seems to be counter-intuitive, going with the older quarterback is probably the best decision for the long-run.  Sounds weird, but I think it’s probably true

The moral of the story…it’s hard to be an NFL head coach.  I’m glad we’ve got one of the best.