One of the most interesting storylines going on around the league right now is the quarterback situation in Philadelphia.
Before last week, the transformed Michael Vick was the unquestioned starter. Now, we’ve see why the Eagles went with Kevin Kolb as the chosen starter over Donovan McNabb.
As long as things are going well, there is no problem in Philadelphia. Andy Reid is right when he says he’s in a “beautiful place.” He has two really good quarterbacks, and a great change up between the two in terms of style.
The interesting thing will be what happens when the Eagles hit the proverbial bump in the road.
What happens if one of the quarterbacks struggle? Do you make that change then, because you want to win one game? You have to consider what that decision does to the quarterback, and to the team.
One advantage for the Eagles is they have two different types of quarterbacks. If you have a drop-back pocket passer, and he’s struggling, if the next guy is also a pocket passer he probably isn’t going to do much better. The receivers might still have trouble getting off coverage, the pass rush is still there, and the entire rhythm of the offense is still disrupted.
But if you can insert a player like Vick, that’s a dramatic change. My thinking is that I would start Kolb. He’s obviously proven he can play. The Eagles are going to hit that game where things just aren’t working. When that day comes, what better than to have a guy who can move around and make something happen outside of the design of the offense?
To me, it’s the perfect combination to start Kolb and have Vick come off the bench.
If you do start Vick, what happens when he has that one game where he struggles and just isn’t making it happen? Is Vick then looking over his shoulder, and does Kolb come in? If Kolb comes in and looks good, then what do you do?
I don’t know that this has an impact in the locker room right now. If the Eagles struggle, and the locker room thinks the change will make the difference, then you have a problem. Everything looks good now, and even Kolb is saying the team has three great quarterbacks and he’ll just do what Reid says. Well, Kolb has already been paid. Vick hasn’t. Even though Vick will say the right thing, he knows he needs to play some more if he’s going to get that next big payday, whether it’s Philadelphia or somewhere else.
Although it feels good right now, there are problems and questions that will persist for the Eagles.
I don’t think this is a decision that Reid will have to put off. He can go with whoever he wants. There isn’t a price to pay right now, at least until the Eagles play poorly. Maybe it won’t get to that point.
– Brian Billick
Catch Brian on The Coaches Show every Monday on NFL Network at 6:30 p.m. ET. Follow The NFL Network on Twitter @nflnetwork.
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