NFL GridIron Gab Daily Digest

In a shocking and quite bizarre change of events, Philadelphia Eagles head coach Andy Reid did a total 360-degree about face by naming comebacking quarterback Michael Vick to be his starter for he rest of the 2010 season.  Reid said in a September 21^st press conference to announce the change, "Michael Vick will be the starting quarterback for the Philadelphia Eagles. I think his play has even exceeded expectations over the last two weeks."

Of course in naming Vick the starter, Reid who has notoriously been quite stubborn over his 12 years in Philadelphia –- see former receivers that he told us were good enough…when we all knew they weren't (i.e. Pinkston, Thrash, Mitchell) — definitely had to back track on his anointing of former starter, Kevin Kolb, who had been the team's face since an Easter Sunday 2010 trade of 11-year veteran Donovan McNabb.

The 4^th year quarterback and first-time starter had been given a lucrative extension on April 29^th with the terms 1-year, 12.26 million through 2011 with all of it guaranteed and $10.7 million in a signing bonus.  Reid even said when Kolb signed his new deal, "When given the chance, Kevin has proven to have good command of this offense and we're looking forward to having him operate as the number one quarterback for the Philadelphia Eagles".

I guess the coach misremembered his comments from April and a couple of days prior, because now Vick is his guy.  Reid tried to soften the blow to Kolb by saying, "This has nothing to do with Kevin Kolb's injury. Kevin Kolb has done a phenomenal job for us here and the future of Kevin Kolb is not slighted by this one bit.

He has an opportunity, obviously, to be, what I would consider, a franchise quarterback and deserving of so."  In trying to further justify his decision Reid added, "Again, this is more about Michael Vick and his accelerated play.

He's sitting there as possibly the hottest quarterback in the National Football League at this time and deserves an opportunity to play. It also allows Kevin to continue as a young quarterback in the National Football League, his maturation process, and, again, to become a franchise quarterback in the future."

Alright before we try to get in the mind of Coach Reid and understand why he flip-flopped in a matter of 3 Days, we have to first jump in the hot tub time machine and go over the events that led to the firestorm of activity around the Birds' quarterbacks.

Let's go back to Sunday September 19^th around 5:00 PM EST; the Eagles had pulled off a hard-earned 35-32 win over the scrappy Detroit Lions.  Where backup quarterback Michael Vick, who was making his first NFL start since December 31, 2006, for the second week in a row had given the Eagles a noticeable spark as Kolb recovered from a concussion suffered against the Green Bay Packers in Week 1.  The former 3-time Pro Bowl player was sensational as he made something out of nothing several times, both in and out of the pocket, in the win over the Lions.

Vick finished with numbers 21-for-34 for 284 yards passing and two TD tosses, with 37 yards rushing plus he withstood being sacked 6 times behind a porous Eagles' offensive line.

Almost immediately after my hometown Eagles put the final touches on a good win that put them at 1-1 and we later learned a tie for first place in the NFC East, my cell phone started going crazy.  I didn't even need to answer a single call or read one text message.

Because I knew the "vocal" majority of the Birds' fan base –- the same ones that wanted McNabb gone and for Kevin Kolb to take over… but I digress — had now switched their allegiance to Vick.  However almost immediately into his post-game press conference, Reid tried to squelch any Vick talk by saying that his now-healthy Week 1 starter, Kolb (concussion), would be returning as the team's starting quarterback next week against the Jacksonville Jaguars in Week 3.

Can you say, "Quarterback Controversy"? The move was both lauded and loudly questioned on post-game radio, television and Twitter in the Philadelphia area and nationally.

To Vick's credit, he showed that he had moved on from his former selfish ways that plagued him during his time with the Atlanta Falcons by supporting his teammate.  Of the whole Kolb-Vick quarterback controversy brewing in Philly, Vick stepped away from the grenade by humbly saying, "This is Kevin's team". Vick added, "All I wanted to do was come out and get the momentum going.

I'm sure Kevin will be back next week."  But you had to think that deep down after all he had been through that even Vick -– career passing numbers 973-1801, 54.0%, 12050 yards, 75 TDs, and 52 INTs with additional rushing numbers of 4094 yards, 7.2 ypr, and 23 TDs — knew that he "deserved" to get his shot back in the spotlight. As incredibly as it sounds, the player once described as "Public Enemy No. 1" in the minds of many NFL fans had done the unthinkable, going from a hated reputed dogfighter to a playmaker.

C'mon not even Hollywood could have written a better script. The long redemption road that the former Virginia Tech star had traveled since his last start in December 2006 has been a well-documented rollercoaster, to say the least.

Vick's road back to NFL glory included an 18-month stay in Leavenworth Prison for his role in a dogfighting ring and a getting-to-know-you 2009 season where he served as a spare part Eagles' third-stringer –- only threw 13 passes, completing 6 for 86 yards and 1 TD. But now he was back to the player that once had the NFL buzzing back when he led the Falcons to a mission-impossible 27-7 win over the Green Bay Packers at snowy Lambeau Field in the Wildcard round of the 2002 NFL Playoffs.

Surprisingly 8 years later, his 4.3 speed was back and he also added another piece to his repertoire by showing the vision needed to make passes downfield from the pocket. Even Reid couldn't help talking about Vick's eye-opening effort in the win over the Lions, which unfortunately for Kolb, probably forced his hand in naming Vick the starter.  Reid said after the Lions win about Vick, "You're talking about a phenomenal football player who's had another chance to prove himself…To see the sparkle in his eye is amazing."

Call me "crazy", but Vick –- salary of $3.75 million in 2010 plus an already paid $1.5 million roster bonus — has bought into Reid and offensive coordinator Marty Mornhinweg's coaching enough that now he looks like Donovan McNabb circa 2000.  That season the Eagles made the playoffs for the first time under Reid by finishing 11-5 even though they were a very young team.

Back then the Eagles relied heavily on their dual-threat quarterback and McNabb produced passing (over 3,000 yards), and rushing (over 600 yards) while accounting for 27 touchdowns (21 passing and 6 rushing)…Does any of this sound familiar.  In two weeks of play in 2010, Vick –-passing numbers through 2 weeks of 37-58, 63.8%, 459 yards, 3 TDs, and 0 INTs with a career-high passer rating of 105.5 plus 140 rushing yards — has knocked off several years of rust to become Reid's type of starting quarterback.

He no longer is settling for his first read then taking off to make spectacular running plays only, Vick is a passer first…if you can believe it. The exciting thing is that the Eagles have responded under Vick's leadership by putting up 52 points in six quarters.

Reid recently said in a press conference that he now is in the enviable spot of having "Two Quality" quarterbacks.  But give me break coach…you can spin it anyway you want, the reality of the situation is that Kolb -– career passing numbers of 84-140, 60.0%, 909 yards, 4 TDs, and 7 INTs with a 1-2 starting record –- was not the "right" guy for the 2010 Philadelphia Eagles.

I know that sounds harsh after Kolb has only played in basically one half of football -– passing numbers of 5-for-10 for only 24 yards and produced only 3 first downs before the concussion knocked him out against the Packers.  But today's NFL is a "Win Now" league.  Everyone from fans to the media to the team's management are not content with having a rebuilding season when the NFC East is there for the taking. Fox Sports analyst Terry Bradshaw also believes now is the time for Vick.

Bradshaw said on the network's pregame show of the situation, "With Kolb, you're looking at a guy who really doesn't have a resume".  The Hall of Fame quarterback added, "He's only started three games. I would find it very difficult for Kolb to win with the Eagles offensive line being in shambles. Vick is better suited right now to win football games than Kevin."

The division-favorite Dallas Cowboys (0-2) are looking like they could implode at any moment and the other teams in the division, the New York Giants and Washington Redskins, don't look like they are making reservations for Super Bowl XLV either.

As always, Reid's goal is to make the playoffs and he knew Vick was his best chance to win.  Though I am not entirely ready to say the Eagles are definitely a playoff team with Vick.  Who knows if the 2010 Eagles could possibly catch the same lightning in a bottle that caused the 2005 Steelers, 2007 NY Giants, and 2009 NY Jets to make to make strong playoff runs, despite having some regular season flaws.

Another deciding factor for Reid had to be an offensive line that is beat-up and sorely missing their leader, Jamaal Jackson.  The Eagles' offensive line needs to make adjustments, because as a unit they have allowed a whopping 12 sacks in two games and lost Kolb to a concussion.

Vick, who has been sacked 9 times despite running from pressure, is the Eagles' best weapon against the fast attacking defenses that have been exploiting the team's protection breakdowns. And I won't even go into whether the Eagles wanted to take back the Philadelphia area's sports fans' attention from major league baseball's Philadelphia Phillies who look like they are surging to their 3^rd World Series appearance in three years, but that is always an item for debate.

Whatever the reason for naming Vick the starter, it was the right reason for the Philadelphia Eagles to win now.  Reid said of the decision to go with Vick, "This is my decision".  Reid strongly added, "Listen, when you deal with a decision like this, you take as much time as you possibly need to take and so I did that. It's not my obligation to tell people my decision. It's my obligation to make the proper decision. That's why I took the time to do that."

Good Luck coach with your new starting quarterback, because you know this quarterback controversy is not going away anytime soon… especially with the passionate fans of Philadelphia.

Wonder if Eagles fans and Reid would rather still have Big 5 still under center –- he beat Dallas in Week 1 and threw for over 400 yards in a loss to the Texans in Week 2…..Alright I won't go there.

Lloyd Vance is a Sr. NFL Writer for Taking It to the House and Sports Journey Network , who is also an award-winning member of the Pro Football Writers of America (PFWA)

What's leadership? It means different things to different people. To me, it means someone or a group of people making people better and inspiring them to reach a common goal. The idea, in my mind, that with a leader, the impossible becomes possible.

In football, we define leadership broadly. A veteran locker room is sure to have leaders. You think of the Ray Lewises, the Brian Dawkinses, the Drew Breeses. They ignite a fire in their players, and they use it to reach a common goal: The Super Bowl.

But, in today's day and age, we see leadership falling through the cracks. Maybe it's an American problem. Maybe not. But more and more people are concerned with the name of the back of the jerseys, or the dollar amount on their paycheck.

The Giants, it would seem, have more players who look out for themselves than they do for team. Yeah, they can say all the right things in public. But talking and doing are two different things. Sunday night, we saw players playing lazy football. Football at their pace. Football on their terms.

But football doesn't work on your terms. It works on the terms of the team. Whether those terms are created collectively or by an individual, if 53 men are following those terms, good things can happen.

The Giants don't have any collective terms. They have their terms. And, if you want to win in the NFL, you can't have that. You can't get by on talent alone. You just can't.

And so, as we watched and reflected on Sunday night's game, we're forced to ask one question: If there is no leadership now, who is it going to come from? That, unfortunately, cannot be answered. It can be speculated, sure. But, unless we're in that locker room all the time, we don't know who's going to step up.

And since no one seems to be stepping up, it falls on the coach. Tom Coughlin. The disciplinarian. Or, at least he used to be. When leadership is lacking, the coach is to blame. When the coach loses the locker room, he loses the leadership in that room. There can never be leadership until the coach regains the players.

And, that may never happen. Maybe his message is just tired, old. Maybe there are a bunch of prima donnas on this team, who don't want to hear what the coach says. Right now, the Giants operate as if it's a democracy. And this democracy, is failing. There may be discussion, but there is no debate, and there certainly is no input from the younger players. What the Giants need, is a dictatorship. They need an iron fisted ruler, someone to whip them into shape. Maybe Coughlin can do that. Maybe not.

I'm not advocating for Coughlin to be fired. I like Coughlin. I think he's a good coach. And he has a ring. But, if this continues, he has to go. Circumstantial, maybe. But he has to go if the Giants don't shape up.

The leadership has to come. From somewhere. Anywhere. The Giants don't have one right now. And until they find a leader, we're going to be seeing a lot more performances like Sunday.

SportsGab Editor Matt Loede takes a look and previews this week three matchup between the Bills and Pats in New England.

SportsGab Editor Matt Loede takes a look and previews this week three matchup between the Falcons and Saints in New Orleans.

The Ravens were making news this week in the aftermath of their 15-10 loss to the Bengals in Cincinnati for what they considered to be egregious calls against their defense.  One was a roughing the passer call on DE Terrell Suggs; the other was a tripping penalty on MLB Ray Lewis.  Both occurred on the Ravens' side of midfield. Both bailed the Bengals out of unsuccessful third-and-longs. Both put them into field goal range.

Considering that the Bengals nailed those field goals providing the needed margin for victory, I can certainly understand Baltimore's initial frustration.  At the time of the penalties, Ravens coach John Harbaugh was absolutely incensed.  His fiery display of frustration cost him 15 large in fines after having "improper physical contact with an official."  He later had the 'pleasure' of having to express remorse for his behavior and defend the league.  I know coaches love doing that at press conferences.

Of course Suggs and Lewis both added their two cents after the game, asserting that the Bengals would have never scored on those drives; that they didn't earn those decisive six points, and therefore didn't deserve the victory.

I love that kind of one-dimensional, linear thinking.  After all, Suggs and Lewis know exactly what would have transpired had those plays gone the other way.  Two super geniuses like that can confidently extrapolate how the remainder of the game would have played out based solely on 2 plays out of 100.  Who needs Stephen Hawking?

Riighht…

Look, I'm not here to defend the refs or the calls, nor do I want to give the Bengals a free pass on Sunday's game.  Baltimore did a heck of a job against the Bengal offense, and they made enough plays to win the game.  Too bad their offense didn't.

I am also quite willing to concede that the Ravens seem to get more than their share of screw jobs by the referees.  They've seen it happen to them over the last several years in big games against the Steelers, Colts, and New England.  Heck, they had a few last year in their home loss to Cincinnati. Eerily similar in fact.

I won't waste time reviewing the frame-by-frame replay of the two plays.  It's pointless. It doesn't change the outcome of the game, and it doesn't change how the players will play.  If you're interested in that, former (I stress "former") NFL Director of Officiating Mike Pereira's got you covered. Pereira, who went into retirement early, at least in my opinion, to avoid having to explain this kind of thing on a weekly basis, came out on the side of the purple protesters.

"While referees are instructed to err on the side of safety when it comes to protecting the quarterback," Mr. Double-speak said, "I feel the call was incorrect."

And therein lies the problem, folks.  He "feels" it was incorrect.

I'm not sure if the calls were accurate in the letter of the law, and I don't know if they were correct in the spirit of the law either. And the fact is that neither do you, John Harbaugh, Mike Pereira, or the zebras throwing the flags themselves. That's life in a sport that has a certain level of subjectivity in its officiating.

When you have twenty-two 250 pound athletes running around at light speed in 22 different directions, officials are forced to make judgment calls on what they see with their eyes at game speed.  They'll see what they see in those 3 to 5 seconds a play may take and do their best.  They don't have the luxury of reviewing it frame-by-frame, and they can't go back and change their minds. And, as Pereira noted, it's not even cut and dry for them.  It's apparently something like this: Watch for roughing (as defined in the rulebook), but look for form tackling (as defined in the rulebook), then check the placement of the defender's head, see if he's pushing down with the full force of his body, and if all else fails err on the side of the quarterback. Can you do all that 100% correct in 3 seconds?

But that's life.  That's the way it is, and the way it always has been.

Bengals coach Marvin Lewis was quite correctly unmoved by Baltimore's exasperation.  He rightly pointed out that his team has suffered as many bad calls as anyone else.  The Bengals have lost their fair share of ballgames on questionable interpretations, and he can rattle them off easily. He even alluded to a pass interference non-call in the end zone in that same game.  That likely cost Cincinnati 7 points.

What does that do to your linear thinking Ray?

I'd also argue that Baltimore's defense is a swarming and intense group that feeds off of intimidation and hard hits—a reputation well-deserved and admired.  But it's difficult to revel in that reputation and not recognize that the officials make note of that.  In other words, maybe this comes with the territory when you're beating people up and shutting people down.  It's a great thing to have on your team, but it gives you a reputation that will affect opinions.

Which gets me back to the subjectivity factor.  It's unavoidable.

But there's no sense dwelling on it now.  These are things players and coaches cannot control.  Instead, they should be focusing on what they can control—like not throwing four interceptions for one thing.

There are 15 weeks still to play, and the Ravens aren't the first or the last team to feel they got gypped on a bad call.

Just ask Calvin Johnson.

SportsGab Editor Matt Loede takes a look and previews this week three matchup between the Browns and Ravens in Baltimore.

Last Sunday, Oakland Raiders Head Coach Tom Cable decided to switch quarterbacks at halftime of the Rams game, down 7-3. Now, Cable showed a pretty quick hook when he pulled Jason Campbell from the game. Campbell was 8-15 in the first half. Not great, but not horrible. Heck, last year, 8-15 would have gotten you the game ball.

But things are different in Raider Nation, and Cable made that clear when Bruce Gradkowski put on a helmet to start the 2nd half. Gradkowski is a Cable kind of guy. Born in Pittsburgh, he played his college ball in Toledo. He's the kind of guy who would take a shot of whiskey to ease the pain.

You want him in the foxhole with you. If the Raiders lose, he says we stunk. No excuses. Quite simply, he exemplifies what it was like to be a Raider back in the day.

Cable, however, needs to win games, and win now. And if he is going to go down, he's gonna go down with his guy at the helm. This was most obvious late in Sunday's game. Darren McFadden was having arguably his best game as a pro, rushing for 145 yards on the day.

With 5:12 remaining, he took a hand-off and went 8 yards for a first down. The Raiders were methodically chewing up yardage and the clock, leading 16-7, now with less than 5 minutes to play.

And that's when Cable decided to give this team to Gradkowski. If the Raiders are going to win, and I don't mean 7 or 8 wins, but WIN like they did for years and years, then Cable needs a man to be his quarterback. On 1st down, Gradkowski threw.

On 2nd down, he threw again, both times looking to end the game with a home run. Then, after a penalty, he threw again, on 3rd and 15. The ball was picked off, and set up a quick touchdown to make the score 16-14, Raiders.

When Cable got the ball back, he ran on first down, but threw again on 2nd down. A roughing the passer penalty gave Oakland another set of downs, and after two runs, on 3rd and 7, Cable called for another pass. This time Gradkowski hit Louis Murphy for 13 yards and a first down. Game over.

Now, many, including myself, could seriously question the play calling. McFadden was running well, and the Raiders just needed to run out the clock.

But with 5 minutes left, Cable was sending Gradkowski a message. And that message was, "I believe in you. I think we can win right now, and you are the man to make it happen." And he kept going back to him, until Gradkowski finally connected.

If the Raiders had lost, it would have been tragic for both Cable and Gradkowski. If they had won by running out the clock, they would have just beaten a bad Rams team.

Instead, Cable was trying to give his team a shot in the arm–Gradkowski's right arm, to be specific. And although the results were iffy at best, the message was clear.

Do people forget Mike Vick lead a team to an NFC Championship?  More than likely.  Oh, but they will remember he lead dog fights.

1. Vick is head and shoulders more physically gifted than Kolb, which makes him a better fit: Clearly.  Better arm?  Advantage Vick, not even close. I personally believe Kolb has a rather weak arm, definitely not NFL-material like Vick’s.  Better legs?  Do you really need an answer?  With the Philly line the way it is, Vick’s scrambling is not only welcomed, but needed.  The Eagles are better off with a QB that can move, what better fit than Vick.  Not only can he escape oncoming pass rushers, but he can elude defenders in the open field on his way to valuable yardage, first downs.  His feet buy time, it buys the Eagles playmaking receivers more time to get open, as well as the defense more time.  How do defenses game plan, defend against Vick, DeSean, LeSean, and Maclin?  Nearly unimaginable.  Next to impossible.  He fits the Philadelphia vertical passing attack.  With weapons like DeSean and Maclin, who have speed, he can air it out long for big plays.  He can also fit in between the numbers on short crossing routes, as he makes opportunity outside the pocket.  Vick’s arm + feet = a deadly, winning combination.

2. Vick’s a winner, he’s more proven than Kolb, and hungrier: Leading a team to an NFC title game.  That’s what Vick can put on his resume.  Kolb?  Leading the Houston Cougars to victories?  No contest.  Mike Vick is a proven commodity.  He can win.  He’s more than capable of leading this team to an NFC East division crown.  On top of that, he’s hungry.  #7 wants to prove critics wrong.  Wants to make ‘em forget about the dog fighting fiasco.  Wants to restore his image, revitalize his NFL career, and prove the Eagles right.  So much is on the line.  With all that hanging in the air, don’t you think he’s going to want to succeed so much more?  He’s dying to show us what he’s got.  No reason not to believe he’s the man to lead this team.  I trust Vick more than Kolb because he’s a winner.  He will thrive under the pressure, he’s wired that way.

3. Time is ripe, time is right now, draft history is excellent: Vick gives the Eagles the best chance to win.  So you can trade Kolb.  With that being said, the value for Kolb will not get any higher.  It’s only going to plummet if anything.  So trade him now.  You are in the driver’s seat.  You have two starting NFL QB’s.  Some teams in the NFL can’t even say they have one, you have TWO.  You can at the very least a high 2nd round draft choice for Kolb.  Maybe even another pick, like a 3rd rounder to along with the 2nd round selection.  How about a package deal?  More picks in the future?  Possibilities are endless, and they are available, NOW.  I could see up to an excess of 14-15 teams that could use Kolb, or have plans for him in the near future.  That’s half the league!  Trade him while his value is hot.  Vick is 30 years old, he has at least 4-5 solid years in him, if not more.  Use the picks you coup for Kolb to shore up the offensive line, or better yet, a linebacker.  Just make the trade.  What good is Kolb sitting on the bench?  You can get two, possibly three picks for him, which could turn into two, possibly three starters on a team that’s two or three players away from becoming a legitimate contender for years to come.  You see how the Eagles excel in the draft.  Track record is undeniable.  Imagine Vick with a better offensive line.  Better yet, a defense with a game-changing LB.  Oh, the opportunity, take advantage of it while it’s still there.

Two weeks into the season with the Browns offense in stuck mode has the rumor mill churning, and that includes talk of a phone call to the Philadelphia Eagles about the status of QB Kevin Kolb.

Kolb, who was handed the starting job by coach Andy Reid after the team moved Donovan McNabb, was benched Tuesday afternoon in favor of Michael Vick, how was the QB during the teams 35-32 win over Detroit last week.

Reports say the Browns reportedly contacted the Eagles on Tuesday night regarding the availability of Kolb but were turned away rather quickly.

Wednesday Reid was asked about the issue of trading Kolb (the trade deadline is October 19th), and all he stated was it was too far off in the future to know if anything like that would happen.

Sunday in the 16-14 loss to the Chiefs, Seneca Wallace became 15th starting quarterback in 11 years for the team, and once again, the club did little on offense to make anyone think the team was on the right track.

Could Kolb be the answer for the teams struggling offense, and if so, what would it cost the Browns to get him?