Had Andy Reid stuck with Kevin Kolb as his starting quarterback, he would have mainly done so because a) he drafted him and b) he didn’t want to play the role of fool for benching the man tabbed to replace Donovan McNabb just three weeks into the season.

And had Reid stuck with Kolb as his starting quarterback, he would have been making the wrong decision.

In two outings this year, Michael Vick has completed 63.8 percent of his passes for 459 yards with three touchdowns and zero interceptions. He holds a QB Rating of 105.5 and has also rushed 18 times for 140 yards with no fumbles.

He’s only played in two games, but those are Pro Bowl-type numbers. That’s why Reid’s decision to stick with Vick as his starter was the right choice, even though Kolb was named the starter in preseason and is essentially losing his job because of an injury.

Had Vick showed signs of inconsistency or had been reckless with the football (which wasn’t uncommon for him in Atlanta), Reid would have been justified for sticking with Kolb. But with how well Vick played against the Packers and Lions, this was really an easy decision for a head coach in a tough spot.

That said, winning is the only thing that matters from here on out. If Vick looks like a disaster over the next three weeks (ESPN’s Chris Mortensen is reporting that this is a permanent move by Reid – not an injury-related matter tied to the concussion Kolb suffered two weeks ago), then nobody should hold it against Reid for going back to Kolb. But as of right now, right this second, the Philly head coach is making the right move.

Over the weekend, the Associated Press reported that the Eagles were seriously considering dumping Michael Vick, although the rumor was quickly denied by reputable NFL insiders Adam Schefter and Chris Mortensen of ESPN, as well as the team itself.

But what if the Eagles decided to part ways with Vick in wake of his latest off-field situation? Would they be comfortable releasing him with no veteran to backup the inexperienced Kevin Kolb next season?

Considering Vick was mostly used out of the Wildcat formation last year, the answer to that question is easy. Jeff Garcia, the veteran QB who has history with the Eagles, would be the most logical option if Vick were released. Garcia is already well versed in Andy Reid’s offense and despite his weak arm strength, he’s a better passing quarterback than Vick, who may have a rocket attached to his left shoulder but whose accuracy remains a major issue.

Another option the Eagles might have is one that was brought up by ESPN and that’s Troy Smith, who probably could be had for the right price. The former Heisman Trophy winner is rotting behind Joe Flacco in Baltimore and would like the opportunity to start somewhere else. Kolb is entrenched as the starter right now in Philly, but that doesn’t mean Smith wouldn’t have the opportunity to unseat him if he starts to struggle at any point during the season.

The point is that Vick isn’t worth the trouble for the Eagles. Reid’s experiment with him in the Wildcat last year often produced poor results and at 30 year’s old, it’s not like the former No. 1 overall pick has regained his lightening-quick speed. (He’s reportedly in better shape than he was last year, but that doesn’t mean he’s the athlete he once was.)

I would stop short of calling Vick expendable, but he’s certainly not worth the headache if he gets into even an ounce of trouble with the league over the Quanis Phillips shooting. And truth be told, the Eagles missed out on a golden opportunity to trade him this offseason by asking for a second round pick (which was way too high) in exchange for his services.

Senior NFL.com analyst Pat Kirwan suggested in a recent article that now might be the best time for the Eagles to trade Michael Vick.

Michael Vick said he expected to be a starting quarterback when he reentered the NFL. When I look at some of the quarterback situations around the league, I think he’s right, but I don’t really see him as a fit in Philadelphia after watching Kevin Kolb for the past two weeks.

The return of Donovan McNabb, as well as having Jeff Garcia under contract, makes Vick a guy to consider trading. He saw limited duty in his first real game and he will get better with more work, but his contract next year probably means he will not be an Eagle after 2009.
In the past two weeks, Kolb has completed 55 of 85 passes for 718 yards (8.44 yards per attempt) with four touchdowns, three interceptions and just two sacks. Any young QB that only gets sacked once every 43.5 attempts and distributes the ball to seven different receivers every game is the future — and he’s a whole lot cheaper than Vick.

In Vick’s career, he has been sacked an average of once every 10 pass attempts. And when it comes to the Wildcat, receivers DeSean Jackson and Jeremy Maclin can handle those duties if the Eagles care to continue using it.

I don’t think there are any real worries about the fallout from Vick’s off-the-field issues anymore and maybe a team like the Raiders would love to have him on the roster. He has to be worth a decent draft pick. Garcia is the veteran backup the Eagles need for insurance. When the Eagles activated him to the 45-man roster this weekend, they confirmed they see him that way, too.

Garcia was just released so that the Eagles could make room for middle linebacker Jeremiah Trotter, although I don’t think that would change Kirwan’s mind regarding Philly trading Vick.

Kirwan suggests that Vick “has to be worth a decent draft pick.” Not sure I agree with that. He hasn’t shown enough in his limited time back to convince any team that he can be their starting quarterback and no team is going to part with a draft pick just to use Vick in the Wildcat.

One thing I do side with Kirwan on is how teams don’t have to worry about the fallout from Vick’s off-field issues. The Eagles essentially took the first blow and they didn’t receive much criticism. But again, I don’t see any team parting with a 2nd or 3rd rounder (what I would deem a “decent” draft pick) to add Vick just based on what we’ve seen so far.

Jay Glazer reported on his Twitter page that Eagles quarterback Donovan McNabb will miss this Sunday’s game against the Saints with a fractured rib. After that, it’s unclear how long he’ll be out.

Philadelphia will likely start Kevin Kolb under center this week, although rumor has it that the team might re-sign A.J. Feeley to compete with Kolb in practice. Either way, the Eagles will suffer a downgrade at quarterback.

The Eagles are a Super Bowl contender this year, but not without McNabb. Kolb has struggled in the brief opportunities he’s recieved over the past couple years and it’s looking more and more that the former second rounder was a bust pick for Philly.

Of course, if McNabb misses an extended period of time and Kolb struggles, Michael Vick comes off his suspension in Week 4 and could start. But chances are that Andy Reid would stick with Kolb for as long as he can, seeing as how Vick hasn’t played in two years outside of a couple preseason games.

This will be an interesting situation to watch develop over the next couple weeks.

Michael Vick entered Thursday night’s game against the Jaguars to a rousing ovation and then proceeded to complete 4-of-4 passes for 19 yards and rushed for one yard on one rushing attempt.

From ESPN.com’s recap of the Eagles’ 33-32 win:

“It’s been a long journey for me,” Vick said. “I just want to do it right this time around.”

“It was awesome. When I was running out onto the field I was listening to see what the reaction was going to be,” Vick said. “I was very pleased. I really didn’t expect that reaction, but I was very thankful.”

So much for all those protesters and anti-Vick factions. Some fans even chanted “We want Vick!” after he left the game.

It’s no shock that fans in Philadelphia embraced Vick now that he’s an Eagle. The real test will be when he goes on the road.

As far as his performance went, to say that Vick looked sharp would be a stretch. Outside of a 13-yard completion to Hank Baskett, all of his pass attempts were short and he looked hesitant on the one rush attempt.

But Andy Reid and Marty Mornhinweg are smart if they’re going to limit Vick to read-and-react-type plays like they did on Thursday night. He never developed into a great pocket passer, so if the Eagles plan on using him in the Wildcat or as a decoy, then they’re adding a pretty good offensive weapon this year. (Especially once Vick shakes off the rust.)

…not really – Michael Vick just got The Onion treatment:

PHILADELPHIA—Newly acquired Eagles quarterback Michael Vick was “humiliated” Tuesday after an iron he had left unattended inside the team’s locker room sparked a blaze that eventually burned Lincoln Financial Field to the ground. “I just wanted to press some shirts so I could look nice and make a good impression on the team, but now everybody is going to hate me,” said Vick, choking back tears as he surveyed the still smoldering remains of the $518 million stadium. “I didn’t mean to do it. I tried really hard to put out the fire, but when I smothered the flames they just got bigger and everything started burning. I’m super sorry. I promise it won’t happen again.” Vick, who said he did not notify police or the fire department because it would violate the conditions of his reinstatement, added that the stadium might be fine once it cools down.

That’s pretty funny.

On a related note, Andy Reid said that Vick would make his Eagles debut next Thursday against the Jaguars.

According to a report by Comcast Sportsnet in Philadelphia, the Eagles are close to signing quarterback Donovan McNabb to a new contract.

Under his current deal, the 11th-year veteran is scheduled to earn $9.2 million this season and $10 million in 2010. The two sides had been discussing an extension before agreeing to focus on reworking the two years remaining on his current deal.

Earlier this offseason, the 32-year-old McNabb reportedly indicated he wouldn’t negotiate a new deal until he saw the moves the team made in the offseason. Apparently, he’s satisfied, although he has yet to hold a press conference this offseason to discuss the matter.

In 2002, McNabb signed a 12-year, $115 million extension that had him under contract through 2013. The last three years of that extension were voided, though, when McNabb reached certain incentive clauses.

Last season, his 10th in the league, McNabb completed 345 of 571 pass attempts for 3,916 yards – all franchise records.

Football fans seem to either love or hate McNabb and I have been someone that has always been in his corner. Some Philly fans have chastised him ever since he was drafted and love to harp on everything and anything that they feel he does remotely wrong. But the guy has been incredibly productive throughout his entire career and outside of a couple brutal games in the middle of the season, he proved last year that he still has the talent and ability to lead the Eagles deep into the postseason.

It looks like all of the Kevin Kolb fans will have to wait a little longer to see the young QB get his shot to be a starter.