By Ben Present
Who didn’t see that coming?
After just two weeks of football, the Kevin Kolb era had ended in Philadelphia. Or it has at least been put on hold.
Tuesday night, Eagles head coach Andy Reid named Vick starter for Sunday’s game against the Jaguars — a choice that clearly had nothing to do with Kolb’s week-1 concussion. That injury, which sidelined Andy Reid’s golden boy just two quarters into his long-awaited replacement of Donovan McNabb, may just have saved the Eagles their season.
A clearly under-slept Reid spoke to reporters in Philadelphia Tuesday night, speaking in his usual monotone but seemingly more selective with his words than usual.
“There is not a thing that changed with Kevin Kolb,” he managed to get out. “This is about Michael Vick and the way he played.”
Mike Vick, in vintage form, dodges a Lions pass rusher before scrambling for a first down. Vick will start Sunday for the Eagles against the Jaguars. Photo Courtesy of David Maialetti/Philly.com
Vick, 21-of-34 for 284 yards and two touchdowns, looked vintage against Detroit. If there was one play in particular that had everyone in Philadelphia convinced Vick was back, it comes 50 seconds in to this highlight reel, as he dodged a pass rusher and scrambles for a first down.
Perhaps just as impressive my opinion, and possibly indicative of improved throwing accuracy even by 2005 Vick standards, was the next play as Vick threads the needle to hit a well-covered Jeremy Maclin in the end zone.
All around, Vick just didn’t look like a backup. And before Kolb lost his job, he did.
So what does all this say about the Eagles season? First off, although we’re only two weeks into the season, the NFC has apparently turned itself upside down with the Cowboys at 0-2 and looking too confused to do anything about it.
The Giants are also 1-1, but after their week-2 loss to the Colts, they look shaky at best. Therefore, it currently looks like the Eagles biggest divisional competition comes from Washington, where their former 10-year starter is adjusting to a new home, a new coach and a new offense.
And much like Kevin Kolb was sidelined, so too is any sense of a rebuilding season. Instead, Vick puts the Eagles in position to win any given Sunday.
Flying under the radar throughout all this controversy is this: Vick’s contract with Philly was initially designed to give him a second chance. In 2007, he spent 21 months in prison for his involvement in an illegal dog-fighting ring in Virginia.
The three-time pro-bowler signed with the Eagles in 2009. At the time, an ostensibly genuine Vick had claims of changed views on animal cruelty and expectations he could once again start in the league.
He got his wish, but does Vick’s new job mean we are too quick to forgive and forget when our favorite athletes screw up?
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