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No punishment coming for Vick
For a change there is some good news regarding Michael Vick. According to an NFL spokesman, there will be no suspension forthcoming for Vick after his latest off-field issue.
Eagles coach Andy Reid is scheduled to have a press conference at 5 p.m. to provide further information.
Bellow is the Associated Press report:
An NFL spokesman says there has been no change in Michael Vick’s playing status, so the Eagles quarterback reported to training camp on Monday as expected.
When asked whether a league investigation of Vick has been completed, Greg Aiello tells The Associated Press in an e-mail the NFL would have no further comment on Vick at this time.
Vick reiterated on Monday that he has done nothing wrong.
The NFL and the Eagles have been looking into a shooting incident at a Virginia Beach, Va., nightclub, where Vick held his 30th birthday party on June 25th. Police say no charges will be filed in the incident because of a lack of cooperation by witnesses and the victim, who Vick’s attorney Larry Woodward identified as Quanis Phillips — a co-defendant in Vick’s federal dogfighting case.
Mixed Messages
The Philadelphia Eagles released a statement Saturday saying that they are not considering releasing quarterback Michael Vick at this time. The questions surrounded the star because he is in the midst of an investigation of a shooting. After signing with the Eagles following his two years in prison, Vick had seemingly stayed out of trouble, until June 25th.
On the eve of his 30th birthday, a former defendant on Vick’s dog fighting case was shot outside Vick’s restaurant, where he was out celebrating. Vick insists that he was long gone from the restaurant by the time of the shooing, but questions still remain.
This latest incident just adds to the controversy that surrounds Vick. The former Virginia Tech star, who was previously imprisoned for his famous involvement in a dog fighting ring, was given a second chance by the Eagles, but he does not seem to be making the best of his situation. While it is understandable that he can not have control over everything that goes on around him, it would be in his best interest to try to stay under the radar as much as possible.
It seems that Vick has put the Eagles in a difficult position. With the release of Donovan McNabb this off-season, the team showed they are committed to quarterback Kevin Kolb, with Vick backing him up. Now the team will have to decide whether Vick is worth the risk.
Donovan McNabb traded to Redskins
This time it’s not an April’s Fools joke.
According to espn.com, the Eagles have reached a deal to trade quarterback Donovan McNabb to the Redskins. That’s right, he’s staying in the NFC East.
Bellow is an excerpt:
The Philadelphia Eagles have reached agreement on a blockbuster intra-division trade that will send perennial Pro Bowl quarterback Donovan McNabb to the Washington Redskins according to multiple sources close to the situation.
The two sides still must finalize language, but McNabb is now headed to Washington. Sources said the deal involved the Redskins’ second-round pick in the 2010 draft and either a third- or fourth-round pick next year, depending on several factors.
The move means the Redskins now have a new starting quarterback and the Eagles have a new one as well in Kevin Kolb and Michael Vick is now in line as the team’s backup.
Read the whole story here:
The timing of the news is surreal as we are just hours away from the Phillies opening up their 2010 season. Boy is the city is going to be buzzing. Philly Sports Blogs will have much more reaction to McNabb going to a divisional rival once the story is officaly confirmed.
For now?
Wow. Just wow.
Loud writer has lost touch with city
To be quite honest I’m surprised it took this long to bring my next guest into the woodshed.
He’s loud, obnoxious, and quite often out of touch with the Philadelphia fans he writes for.
Welcome Stephen A. Smith.
Smith made a name for himself nationally once he joined ESPN but has been known for his hate-spewed ramblings in Philadelphia for much longer.
Today Smith offered this observation on the whole Donovan McNabb trade drama:
McNabb should have demanded a trade by now. Who cares if it’s to the Minnesota Vikings, Arizona Cardinals, or one of 13 other teams, by my count, that could desperately use McNabb’s services this season? With the Eagles having adopted their new and improved turncoat mentality, the biggest mistake McNabb appears to have made does not involve interceptions or NFC championship/Super Bowl losses.
His biggest mistake was not demanding a trade years ago.
The treatment McNabb has received year after year has been disgraceful. What has taken place this off-season has surpassed betrayal. And for what, exactly? One quarterback (Michael Vick) who’s still shaking off the rust of prison, and the other (Kolb) a bit rusty from riding the pine for three seasons.
You can read the story in it entirety here: Just be warned, you might have a headache before you are done.
He references the Eagles likely future quarterback as Kevin (Corn on the) Kolb. Really Smith? What are you seven?
He then goes back into the well about McNabb only having two quality receivers in his whole career of any quality in T.O. and DeSeasn Jackson. Seriously, how does that well have any water left?
It’s fine to argue that the Eagles would be making a mistake by trading McNabb, some people still feel that way. But in typical Smith fashion he offers nothing to explain why trading McNabb would hurt the franchise.
Of course when the trade does go down and if Kolb becomes a star overnight Smith will be the first one in line to tell you how he saw this coming a mile away.
He will do it in a loud, brash manner. That’s just his style.
Hey any chance that when McNabb gets traded, Smith can be thrown in the deal?
Reid says Eagles entertaining offers for all three quarterbacks
Andy Reid has finally come out and admitted what everyone in Philadelphia already knew: The Eagles are entertaining trade offers for all three of their quarterbacks.
You can read the report on espn.go.com
While the news is not a surprise, the fact that it came from Reid is. The Eagles’ coach has been steadfast in his statement that Donovan McNabb will be the team’s starting quarterback next season and they would like to keep all three of their signal callers.
The national media has not bought that for a second though, linking McNabb, Michael Vick and Kevin Kolb to different locations during the offseason. Someone is going somewhere.
Of course tightlipped Andy was not about to go into any further details on any possible deals, as the article states.
“This is the truth: Our three quarterbacks are Philadelphia Eagles,” Reid said Tuesday, according to the Philadelphia Inquirer. “People are entertaining us with offers. Nothing’s been done, but we’re evaluating all of them. That’s the truth. There’s not a lot really going on other than entertaining.”
So while we may not know more about the future of the Eagles quarterback position today than we did yesterday, at least Reid has come out and admitted the obvious.
For him, that’s a big step.
Eagles lock up Jason Avant
Julius Peppers and Aaron Kampman are not coming to town to help the Philadelphia Eagles.
However the team is taking care of its own.
The Eagles announced a contract extension with wide receiver Jason Avant. Avant, who was a restricted free agent, signed a five-year deal, but terms have yet to be disclosed.
The move comes on the heals of the team’s decision to pick up the $1.5 million bonus for Michael Vick. The bonus is part of the $5.25 salary Vick is set to earn this season. The move does not guarantee that the Eagles will keep Vick and it could just be a way to buy time for a trade.
The other news out of Philadelphia came on Friday when the Eagles inked fullback Leonard Weaver to a 3-year deal. The deal is worth $11 million and will keep the powerful back paving the way for LeSean McCoy for the foreseeable future.
While the moves have not jumped off the front pages of major sports publications, they are smart, sound football decisions. If the Eagles didn’t lock up Vick by Tuesday he would have become a free agent and the team would have been left with nothing in return. Now there are trade possibilities. Avant is young, tall and talented and has become Donovan McNabb’s favorite third down target. His upside is great.
And Weaver is everything you could want in a fullback. He’s a great blocker and he can run when given the opportunity. He is also said to be a great leader and teammate.
There are still holes that the team needs to fill, but by bringing back their own talent the Eagles have avoided creating new ones.
It’s the offseason of Donovan McNabb
In Philadelphia every offseason is about Donovan McNabb.
Only this time, Philadelphia is not alone.
ESPN’s Sal Paolantonio says that the drama around McNabb is the story off the offseason. Bellow is an excerpt:
Philadelphia is the only team in the NFL with all three quarterbacks on its roster going into the final year of their contracts. Teams are calling, wondering who’s available, who’s not and what the Eagles would want in any potential trade.
The Eagles’ front office is listening. But here’s the kicker: The Eagles, according to multiple league sources, have so far told teams that both McNabb and his primary backup, Kevin Kolb, are not available.
Now, does that mean the Eagles won’t trade McNabb? Definitely not. Most league insiders believe the Eagles are just posturing right now, trying to determine the market and how to proceed. If the team says publicly or privately McNabb is on the trading block, its bargaining position would tank.
You can read the complete article here.
The word sources has been thrown everywhere lately and none of it has been verified. On the same day a source told a Buffalo newspaper that McNabb would be open to a trade to the Bills, and a source told ESPN that he would not be open to a trade to Buffalo.
Sometimes I think sources are pulled from the thin air.
It seems set in stone that at least one member of the Eagles’ quarterback trio and maybe a second will be traded. Who that is and where he/they end up is anyone’s guess right now. The speculation will be endless and the Eagles front office has to be loving every second of it. The more their quarterbacks are pumped up, the more the Eagles can ask for in a trade. The trading game is all about having leverage and with three quarterbacks that teams believe can be starters, the Eagles are holding all of the bargaining chips.
Among the teams that have talked to the Eagles, according to multiple sources, are the Denver broncos, Cleveland Browns, St. Luis Rams and Buffalo Bills.
McNabb rumors swirl
Not even the Super Bowl can be free of Donovan McNabb trade rumors.
Les Bowen issued a piece in today’s issue of the Daily News talking about the latest speculation in on trades involving McNabb, as well as Vick and Kolb. He also stressed that as of now nothing is close to happening.
Bellow is Bowen’s article.
If there is one day in the NFL year when we ought to be free of worrying about Donovan McNabb and the Eagles , it should be Super Bowl Sunday. Alas, such is not the case.
We’ve had reports today from ESPN folk who apparently have too much time on their hands, with their network not doing the game. Adam Schefter says teams have asked the Birds about all three of their quarterbacks and three teams have called about Michael Vick. Sal Paolantonio added that three teams — Cleveland, Denver and Buffalo — have had multiple conversations with the Eagles about Donovan McNabb.
Don’t know the exact teams myself, but I understand there have been a lot of calls, many of them not about any QB in particular, just letting the Eagles know Team X is interested, should they look to deal any of their three. I’m also told nothing is anywhere close to happening, that all of the queries have been preliminary.
This last point canot be overemphasized. NOTHING IS ANYWHERE CLOSE TO HAPPENING.
As you know, Andy Reid has indicated McNabb will be the Eagles’ QB in 2010, and McNabb has said this is his strong understanding, as well. Vick has said he would like to go somewhere where he could start, and a few days ago down at South Beach, McNabb endorsed that idea. Kevin Kolb has said he’d like to start, but is a team player, and so forth.
The Vick-to-St. Louis speculation makes a lot of sense to me.
A scource close to the situation thinks at least half a dozen teams ultimately will inquire about Kolb — including Cleveland, where Tom Heckert, of course, is now the GM, working under Reid’s mentor, Mike Holmgren. Almost any team looking to draft a QB this season would be smart to look into Kolb, who presumably wouldn’t need several years of training to take over. This is not a great quarterback draft; if Kolb came out this year, he’d almost certainly be a first-rounder. Of course, with McNabb heading toward his 12th season and not under contract after 2010, trading Kolb would be quite a gamble for the Birds.
We now return you to your regularly scheduled Super Bowl XLIV hoopla.
Making the case: The final verdict at QB
Over the past few days phillysportsblogs has made a case for Michael Vick, Kevin Kolb and Donovan McNabb to be named the starter in 2010 for the Philadelphia Eagles.
Now it’s time to get serious.
Before I unveil the rightful choice for the job, it is time to look at one of the major factors in the decision that not yet been discused.
The last two weeks have been hard on Eagles fans young and old. Entering the final week of the season the Eagles had hopes of a NFC East title, No. 2 seed and first round bye in the playoffs. Instead they were presented with two tail-whippings at the hands of the rival Dallas Cowboys.
Over the course of those two games it became impossible for even the most stubborn Eagles fan to deny that the Cowboys have surpassed the Eagles in terms of talent and production.
Before the start of the season Eagles’ President and CEO Joe Banner announced to the media that his team was the most talented in the NFL.
Mr. Banner, you were wrong. Dead wrong.
While there is uncertainty for the future in Minnesota and Arizona due to possible retirements at the quarterback position, Dallas and New Orleans look set for the several years to come. Each team has a multi-layered running attack, a proven quarterback (Yes, it’s time to award Tony Romo that status) and tons of weapons at the tight end and receiver positions. The Cowboys are also stacked on defense, while the Saints have shown drastic improvement on that side of the ball from a year ago.
These teams aren’t going away so the only way for the Eagles to return to the Super Bowl — and maybe actually win it — is to improve to or above their competitions level.
With a solid draft — and health — the Eagles should be able to see improvements on both sides of the ball. Stewart Bradley will be back at the MLB position and DeSeasn Jackson, Jeremy Maclin and Brent Celek will each be a year wiser.
Is that enough?
No.
And that’s where the decision making comes to light.
Everyone has seen what McNabb can — and cannot — do leading the offense. It is true that if McNabb has three or four years of success at his current rate he will surpass the 40,000 yards passing mark and with that likely secure a ticket to the Hall of Fame. If he is elected to the Hall he will go in as an Eagle.
But even with that in mind, it is time for a change.
There are anywhere from 8-12 teams that will be looking for a new starting quarterback in the offseason and there isn’t a whole lot out there. There are not 8-12 quality quarterback out there. In fact there might not be two.
The market is led by Kyle Orton, Jason Campbell, Chad Pennington, Tavaris Jackson, and Kellen Clemens. Yhat’s it folks.
I mention this because if made available McNabb jumps to the top of that list. He could even bring back a late first rounder, or a combination of a second and a third. This would help the Eagles fill a couple of holes on the lines in a hurry.
So who then is the man to lead the offense in 2010?
Kevin Kolb.
If not now then it will be never for Kolb and the Eagles. He is a free agent to be next offseason and if the Birds do not commit to him next season there will be no reason for him to re-sign.
There is no guarantee that simply placing Kolb in the starting lineup will vault the Eagles into contention with the Saints and Cowboys next year and beyond, but it is almost certain that is the Eagles return with McNabb they will not.
As the saying goes “you are what you are.” The Eagles with McNabb at the helm have been a very, very good football team over the last decade. Yet at the end of the day the franchise has earned the same amount of Super Bowl rings as teams that are very, very bad.
What McNabb has done for this city and team should not soon be forgotten. He brought the team to heights it had not been since the early 80’s and turned Philadelphia back into a football town.
For that he should be thanked, and above all, appreciated. But the time has come to part ways.
McNabb is still very good.
It’s long past time for the Eagles to be great.
Kevin Kolb, the time is yours.
Making the case: Vick for starter in 2010
Michael Vick is a weapon, plain and simple. He can run, pass and he is capable of the big play at any time.
When the Eagles signed Vick last offseason they did so to give an athlete with a troubled past a chance to rebuild his reputation in the community and show that he could also still get the job done on the field.
I think most would agree that he went 2-for-2.
It is almost a certainty that the Eagles will not keep Vick around as a backup considering his contract calls or him to make 5.2 million next season. Reid has already come out and said that Donovan is his guy next year, but plenty can change in an offseson.
The Eagles have three options with “the original wildcat: They can decline his option leaving him to go free elsewhere; pick up the option and trade him; or trade McNabb and make Vick the starter.
While option three seems the most unlikely, let’s examine it.
It is hard to look too deep into Vick’s numbers this year considering he attempted only 13 passes during the regular season – completing six for 86 yards. He also ran the ball 24 times for 95 yards. Vick was used sparingly during the regular season and most of his plays were designed to set up this big moment on Saturday.
It was the one highlight in an otherwise miserable day for the Eagles and their fans.
For his career, Vick has been up and down. He has tons of highlight runs and has a cannon for an arm, but also lacks the consistency to be an accurate pocket-passer.
So how does it make sense for him to become the starter in Philadelphia?
I think it could be a good move for the franchise if they get an offer for McNabb that is too good to refuse – as in, above market value. The fans are clamoring for a change and starting Vick would certainly qualify. The team could keep both Vick and Kevin Kolb for next year and see how things transpire. If it becomes clear that Vick is not the guy, you have a young backup you can turn to. If it does work out you can negotiate an extension with Vick to keep him in Philadelphia. Either way, one of th two QBs would become the “man” in the future.
Is it likely? No. Could t work? Yes.
Fans have seen what the McNabb-Reid combo can do. They want a new look and this could be the one.
Check back on Wednesday when we make a case for Kevin Kolb to be the 2010 starter.
The end of the McNabb era may have arrived
The late Albert Einstein is known for many great pieces of knowledge. In the sports world there is one phrase he coined that seems to trump all else:
“The definition of insanity is doing something over and over again and expecting a different result.”
That phrase has been used by fans over the last few seasons to persuade the Eagles front office breaking up the duo of Donovan McNabb and Andy Reid. Of course the front office has not taken that route, keeping the pair together and hoping for different results.
As a result, the Eagles fan base has been driven insane.
The Birds made it clear earlier this season that Reid will be back, signing him to a contract extension after back-to-back wins over Washington and Atlanta. What we will soon find out is if McNabb will join him.
It’s not an easy call anyway you look at it. Few quarterbacks in the league have an arm as strong as McNabb’s. With DeSean Jackson on board McNabb got to show off that arm, throwing for over 3,5000 yards and 22 TDs. His 92.9 QB rating is well-above average.
But then there is the bounce passes and the mental lapses. And for all that he has accomplished (five NFC title games), he still has a reputation for failing to deliver in big games.
The Star-Telegram in Dallas has a good read on McNabb’s cloudy
“And while the blame for the Eagles’ 34-14 loss to Dallas on Saturday shouldn’t be laid solely at the feet of McNabb, the fact remains he is what he is — the Eagles quarterback and the face of the franchise. When things go right, he usually gets credit. When things go wrong, and wrong they did go on Saturday, McNabb must face the music and bear the brunt of the criticism, as he did Saturday.
But for how much longer?”
The rest can be read here: http://www.star-telegram.com/332/story/1881936.html
With Kevin Kolb’s contract will run out after next season and Michael Vick’s option only to be picked up if he is a starter (backups don’t make $5.2 million) there is clearly a decision to be made – a decision that will go a long way in determining the teams success over the next few years.
Over the next three days I will make the case for Vick, Kolb and McNabb to be the starters, before rendering a verdict on Friday. In the meantime, who do you want to captain the Eagles next season?
Athlete of the Decade #2 Donovan McNabb
Donovan McNabb was not a popular choice when he was selected in the 1999 draft with the #2 overall pick. He played in nearby Syracuse, but for some reason Eagles fans had their hearts set on Ricky Williams. It is somehow fitting that since that critical pick, the Eagles have ranked near the bottom of the league in average rush attempts per game, but have also been one of the most successful franchises in the league, largely in part to McNabb’s efforts from the quarterback position.
Andy Reid made no secret of the fact that he preferred a passing offense, as was evidenced when he introduced the West Coast Offense to this traditionally smash mouth, run it up the middle NFC East brawler of a franchise that had limited success under Rhodes, Kotite, Ryan, Campbell, Vermiel, and so forth, with the normal claim to fame being a dominant defense. This was a team that was in the top ten in scoring only 6 times over the thirty years prior to McNabb, but has been in the top ten in scoring 6 times in the 10 years WITH McNabb, including setting new records for point production in 2002, 2008 and 2009. Reid, with the help of defensive guru Jim Johnson did not abandon the teams defensive roots, and has ranked in the top 5 league wide in points allowed five of the past ten seasons as well while making this upgrade to the offense.
McNabb has become the franchise leader in career wins, pass attempts, pass completions, passing yards, and passing touchdowns, passing notables such as Ron Jaworski and Randall Cunningham in the process. Still, in this city, the toughest place on the planet to play professional sports, and being a starter at the toughest position, McNabb has never gotten the respect I feel he deserves. This year may be the year he gets his revenge as he has led the Eagles to a mid season 6 game winning streak and now holds the chance to win at Dallas this wekeend and clinch the 6th NFC East division title in his 10 years behind center.
Ricky Williams ? 11,000 yards and 69 touchdowns, in 114 games rushing and receiving, certainly not bad for a running back in this league.
But McNabb ?? 32,000+ yards passing with 240 touchdowns including passing and rushing, and the owner of the all time lowest interception ratio in league history. Even at 6′2″ and 240+ pounds, McNabb has been somewhat injury prone, only starting every game in 5 of his ten+ seasons, but this is not a conditioning issue, more his style of play. Simply put, McNabb leaves it all on the field.
Remember also, McNabb for the majority of his career has had little support. Until this year. Only Terrell Owens in 2004 and Kevin Curtis in 2007, have reached 1,000 yards in a season, and only Owens had more than 10 touchdowns in a single year. But McNabb still holds the yardage and touchdown records here. In his draft class, he is third best behind Manning and Brady who had top receivers like Marvin Harrison and Randy Moss to throw to for years.
He rushes less now but still has over 3,000 career rushing yards and 25 touchdowns which ranks him in the top ten of quarterbacks all time. More importantly, he led the team to 4 consecutive NFC East Championships and a Super Bowl.
He also created some of the most famous plays in Philadelphia sports history, including the now infamous 4th and 26 play against the Packers with 1:12 to play in the 2003 NFC championship game and no timeouts, when he scrambled for nearly 6 seconds before converting on a pass to Freddie Mitchell, and the nearly as famous 2002 game against the Cardinals that he finished with a broken leg and a 103.8 QB rating completing 20 of 25 for 255 yards and 4 touchdowns in the win.
McNabb has long been known to be as dangerous a passer when flushed from the pocket as anyone to play the game, and may actually be a better quarterback once he leaves the pocket, a fact that has frustrated and stymied many defenses since he arrived in the league. He also seems to possess a 6th sense that tells him at times when a defender is appproaching, allowing him to create plays outside of the regular playbook.
Even if he never wins a Super Bowl, he will leave the team as the leader in nearly every statistic possible.
This may be the year for McNabb to finally get his ring. He has 4 of the best recievers he has ever had playing at one time, DeSean Jackson has surpassed 1000 yards, has a league leading yards per catch average and could break the 10 touchdown barrier with one more long catch, Brent Celek is nearly as good with 875 yards and 8 touchdowns, and Jeremy Maclin and Jason Avant and Reggie Brown round out a very strong recieving corps. McNabb also has the best support on the line of scrimmage he has seen in his career, with Westbrook, McCoy and Weaver combining for a powerful 1-2-3 punch the likes of which the team has never seen. All three backs are also available for screens, which constitutes a large part of the Eagles playbook.
If the Eagles beat the Cowboys next week, they may carry the two seed in the NFC into the playoffs, get a bye, and a home game, and have only one real contest that will challenge them before going to the Super Bowl. This may be McNabb’s best shot to get it done. He is sore and has some hamstring pain and tightness, but overall, he is in the best shape of his career at this stage of a season with the strongest supporting cast behind him I can remember.
One thing is certain, if McNabb acheives the ultimate, bringing a Super Bowl trophy to Philadephia, the fans will have to finally accept his greatness and give him that respect he has sought since he entered the league. And maybe then we can forget about Ricky Williams, and Michael Vick and the wildcat, and all the other distractions, and just enjoy a great champion quarterback for a change !
Vick redeems himself in return to Atlanta
The Eagles finally broke out of their fall doldrums and thoroughly dominated todays opponent. They only led 13-0 at halftime, largely in part to penalties that called back several scores, and their own inability to finish drives. Only a determined goal-line stand to close out the first half and keep it from being a one score game provided them with needed momentum as they came out in the second half with the first possession.
Michael Vick was welcomed back to Atlanta with a combination of applause and boos, then proceeded to silence his detractors by scoring his first touchdown of the year on a 5 yard plunge in the third quarter to give the Eagles a 20-0 lead. Early in the fourth quarter he followed that up with his first long completion of the year with a 43 yard pass to Reggie Brown.
After contributing a mere 55 yards of offense through the first 9 games, he had 71 yards by early in the fourth quarter and then was handed the ball as the Eagles led 27-0 and Reid decided to sit McNabb for the remainder of the contest. Shortly after that Vick completed his first touchdown pass of the season on a 5 yard pass to Brent Celek to stretch the lead to 34-0 as McNabb cheered him on from the bench.
McNabb looked fairly sharp, buoyed by the superlative running and catching of fullback Leonard Weaver including a 4 yard touchdown he retrieved off his shoelaces and a 59 yard catch and gallop on the ensuing drive. The Eagles still had a little trouble putting it away, with 1 touchdown and 2 field goals on their first four possessions inside the 20, with Akers both setting a record for most consecutive field goals, followed by missing a field goal to break the Eagles consecutive streak of red zone possessions with a score this year.
The Eagles defense, particularly Trent Cole, harrassed Chris Redman all day long rendering him virtually ineffective. The majority of his balls were tipped, batted down or nearly picked off. Sheldon Brown put questions about his sore hamstring to rest with a 83 yard interception return for a touchdown on a 4th and 2 the Falcons tried after converting 2 of their first 3 fourth down attempts. Jones followed shortly thereafter with his own interception and tip toe down the side line to put the Eagles in scoring position once again.
McNabb ended the day going 14-25 for 238 yards and a touchdown completing passes to 6 receivers in his 3 plus quarters of play and having 2 rushes for 17 yards, earning a QB rating of just over 100.
Vick lost the chance to play nearly a full quarter as he injured a thumb on a running play and was replaced by the equally capable Kerry Kolb. The Eagles did not seem to care who was at quarterback position, just as they seemed not to care they were playing without many key players, including running back Brian Westbrook, Kevin Curtis, and DeSean Jackson.
4 Eagles shared running duty with a 4.0 or better yard per carry average, 3 guys suited up at QB, and Jeremy Maclin and Reggie Brown subbed for DeSean and Kevin catching the long balls and converting on third downs to keep drives alive. Macho Harris showed great promise taking on one on one pass coverage assignments against Falcons tight end Gonzalez with good results. McCoy did not see significant action for the first time in a few weeks, but it seems that that is the norm with these Eagles; anytime a player is down and out, another previously unsung athlete steps in to fill his shoes. It makes the Birds a truly tough team to scout, especially as the various players all bring a decidedly different playing style to the field.
I believe this all starts with the coaching staff, evident when McDonough stepped in to replace Jim Johnson after his unexpected and tragic death earlier this year. The defense showed little if any disruption at the change and have gotten to be more and more asolid as a group as the season has developed. The Eagles showed they understand the value in this coaching staff as well, announcing shortly before the game that they were very close to signing a significant contract extension with head coach Andy Reid; sources say this deal could be conclued within the week.
The Eagles defense nearly earned their first shutout of the season, before a late meaningless drive capped by a fluke double deflected pass resulted in a touchdown for the Falcons as time expired and they settled for a 34-7 victory. This ran their record to 8-4 and put them in position to work their way into a tie with the Cowboys for the NFC East, if the Giants beat them later today. Meanwhile the Redskins were beating the undefeated Saints with 2 minutes to go as the resiliant NFC East conference reared it’s head and showed why most years two or three of the best teams in the conference come from their ranks. The Saints came back to tie it up, and the game was undecided at the time of this post.
It looks like the final four weeks are going to be a lot of fun to watch, and fiercely competative as well !
Eagles control their own destiny, notch 2nd win in a row.
The Eagles dominated every single offensive and defensive category in todays game and in the process managed to just barely win. They had more total plays of offense, more yards passing, more yards rushing, had better yards per pass and rush attempt, had more time of possession, better 4th down efficiency, allowed fewer turnovers, and barely escaped with a win !!
Yes they were not as good on third down, thanks to the Redskins being unnaturally good at that, but they did everything they could to give the Redskins the game until the 4th quarter, from the initial onsides kick they misplayed, allowing Washington to have a 24 yard field, quickly shortened to a 19 yard field with the 5 yard penalty, to repeatedly being called for offensive penalties that negated many of their better plays.
They had a touchdown called back that turned into a field goal, they brought Vick in every time the offense gained any momentum and he promptly disrupted the rhythm of the game, they had countless passes dropped including three in a row by Brett Celek, they lost DeSean Jackson after another touchdown catch due to injuries, yet they won the game to go to 7-4 and put their fate in their own hands for the first time all season. Jackson’s catch was his shortest of the year, a mere 35 yards. This guy is clutch and the best reciever we have had in years, and I hope he is recovered in time for next weeks contest !
Simply put, if the Eagles win out, and beat the Giants and Cowboys in their final meetings, they win the division.
If they beat the Giants and Cowboys and win 1 of their other three remaining games, they will win at least the wild card.
A couple positive observations, the one two punch of McCoy and Weaver was productive for the second week in a row. The halfback/fullback tandem rushed for 120 yards on 23 carries and Buckley came through with the first touchdown of his NFL career to pull the Eagles within 2. Then McCoy performed a balancing act to tie the game up with the 2 point conversion allowing Akers to win it with his field goal on the ensuing drive as the Eagles scored 11 unanswered in the fourth quarter for the win. Assante Samual overcame an average first half with 2 interceptions to keep the Eagles in the game. And the Eagles finally appeared able to convert a third and short with their running game, a quality they had been seriously lacking over the past 6 weeks.
Through the first three quarters fans had to be worrying about the Eagles repeatedly driving the length of the field and having to settle for field goals. A 90 yard 10 play drive for the tying touchdown followed by a 10 play drive for the go ahead field goal hopefully put some of these qualms to bed, at least until next week.
One can only hope Reid won’t overplay Vick in the reunion next week with his former team, the Atlanta Falcons. I think enough has been seen this year to confirm the “Vick experiment” is a dismal failure, it is time to let McNabb run this team for the final 5 games, and if not satisfied with his judgement and performance, you have Kolb chomping at the bit to have a go at it next year, I repeat for the millionth time this year……WE DON’T NEED VICK !!!
OK, got it out of my system, for now, on to next week. We dodged a serious bullet against the Redskins, hopefully we will fare better against the Falcons.
Hey Mike, nobody cares….still !
This week Michael Vick came out to state he is not happy with his role as the “wildcat” option with the Philadelphia Eagles. Wow, is this a news flash. Maybe Vick needs to understand he is not ANY option with the team, and were it not for the respect McNabb has from team ownership and Andy Reid he probably would be not involved with professional football at all. I mean, this is a team with a proven winner in McNabb and his heir apparant in Kolb who said hello to the NFL with record back to back 300 yard passing games for his first two starts in relief of an injured McNabb.
I have been a Vick non-supporter since the signing, have waged my own personal wars with friends and readers regarding his skill set, his status, and his moral fiber and past choices. I have heard the “Everyone deserves a second chance” arguments, and listened to people try to make this about race, about heritage, and about upbringing. The bottom line is, this is a pro athlete, who is remarkably immature, and not really as good as he perceives himself to be. What we heard when he stepped up and mildly complained about his playing status and team role was the sound of reality hitting the “ex superman” from the Atlanta Falcons, and hitting him hard.
McNabb on the other hand, is mature, hard working, dedicated, and obviously a much bigger man as he did what he could to give a fellow athlete the chance to return to glory. All McNabb has done in his career is pass for 30,000 yards, 200 touchdowns, lead the team to parts of 4 NFC East titles, and a superbowl. His statistics are better than any Philadelphia quarterback in history, a list that includes the likes of Ron Jaworski and Randall Cunningham. But HE gets NO respect, after an ugly loss to the Cowboys, a game they should have won, I hear most of the criticism getting heaped on Reid’s decision to go for three late in the game, and McNabbs statistical performance.
During preseason, I said the Eagles were a 10-6 team, maybe 11-5 if they focused and beat the teams they were supposed to beat. Here at the halfway mark of their season they have proven to be exactly that; at 5-3 they are average for the NFC East, a division that will most likely require 11 wins to lead that may also field a wildcard team. Were it not for the Giants near total collapse, the Eagles would be in third place and so far back as to have no shot at either of those playoff spots. As it is, they have gotten some help and can still salvage the season. In order to do so, they need to stop worrying about the wildcat and Vick’s future, and get back to playing some NFC East football.
They have several new weapons in Weaver and McCoy, good young recievers in Jackson and Maclin, and a proven quarterback that can get it done, with a young replacement wating in the wings. It is time to end the “Vick experiment” and get back to playing football. With a 2-1 record in their division, they need to win 5 more games and then focus on some new plays and formations that will shake up the competition in the playoffs.
Now that the Phillies are near the top every year, and the Flyers show serious promise, the Eagles need to do more than just be perennial also rans. Reid has been here long enough and McNabb is in the twilight of his career. I feel both these men deserve a championship, and I believe they can still bring it home to Philadelphia. I just don’t think Vick is a needed piece to the puzzle. I never did.
Vick should take his 16 million he doesn’t deserve, and the 1.6 million or so he didn’t earn this year, and quietly retire.
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