Tag: Andy Reid (Page 7 of 12)

      NFL Week 6 MVP, COY and ROY Power Rankings

      October 24, 2010 /

      Every week we have different candidates here, because the 2010 NFL season has been wacky. And that’s okay, as it makes ranking MVP, Coach of the Year and Rookie of the Year candidates more fun. Anyway, here we go….

      MVP Power Rankings

      1. Peyton Manning, Indianapolis Colts—Okay, so Philip Rivers and Kyle Orton have more yards per game, but they play for 2-4 teams. Manning’s Colts are 4-2, and check out these numbers through six games—1916 yards, 67.3 completion percentage, 319.3 yards per game, 13 touchdowns (leads NFL) and just 2 interceptions, for a QB rating of 103.4. As usual, Manning sort of defines what the term MVP is all about.

      2. Clay Matthews, Green Bay Packers—I heard someone on NFL Network the other day call Matthews the “best defensive player in the NFL.” Not bad for a linebacker in his second year, who was selected after 25 other players in the 2009 draft. Anyway, Matthews has 9 sacks to lead the NFL, and 21 tackles through five games…and the Packers sorely missed him last Sunday in a loss to Miami when Matthews sat out with a hamstring injury.

      3. Antonio Gates, San Diego Chargers—We’re leaving Antonio on here this week because he left the game against the Rams last Sunday with an ankle injury, leaving Philip Rivers without his favorite target. And then the Chargers lost the game. To the Rams. Gates only had 2 catches for 12 yards in that one, but on the season he still has 31 receptions for 490 yards and 7 TDs (which leads all tight ends and receivers).

      Honorable mention: Michael Vick, Philadelphia Eagles (thanks to Kevin Kolb’s performance last Sunday, Vick got bumped off the list); LaDainian Tomlinson, New York Jets; Brandon Lloyd, Denver Broncos; Kyle Orton, Denver Broncos; Philip Rivers, San Diego Chargers; Osi Umenyiora, New York Giants; Arian Foster, Houston Texans

      Coach of the Year Power Rankings

      1. Mike Tomlin, Pittsburgh Steelers—If you start the season without your star quarterback for four games, and have the likes of Charlie Batch, Dennis Dixon, and Byron Leftwich at the helm, coming out of that 2-2 would be a huge moral victory. Well, Tomlin came out of that stretch 3-1 and it could have been 4-0 if not for that last-gasp drive by Joe Flacco and the Ravens a few weeks ago. Of course, the D led by a healthy Troy Polamalu and hard-hitting-to-a-fault James Harrison, has helped, but let’s give Tomlin some huge and well-deserved props here.

      2. Steve Spagnuolo, St. Louis Rams—Has anyone noticed that the Rams are 3-3, having already equaled their win total from 2008 and 2009 combined. And they’re giving up less than 19 points per game after allowing 27 per game last year—something that has much to do with the Rams’ defensive whiz of a coach.

      3. Tom Coughlin, New York Giants—How do you go from the scorching hot hot seat to a coach of the year nomination? Ask Tom Coughlin, who the New York media had being replaced by Bill Cowher a few weeks ago when they lost badly to the Colts, and then beat themselves badly in a loss the Titans at home. The Giants rallied around Coughlin and squashed the previously unbeaten Bears, then crushed the upstart Texans in Houston 34-10, before not allowing the dreaded trap game against Detroit ruin his team’s winning streak. So from 1-2 to 4-2, and tied with the Eagles for the division lead. That’s why Tom Coughlin is on here.

      Honorable mention: Pete Carroll, Seattle Seahawks; Raheem Morris, Tampa Bay Bucs; Todd Haley, Kansas City Chiefs; Rex Ryan, New York Jets; Andy Reid, Philadelphia Eagles

      Rookie of the Year Power Rankings

      1. Ndamukong Suh, Detroit Lions—Suh leads all NFL defensive tackles with 5 sacks, and he also has 21 tackles through six games, plus an interception—a pretty rare feat for a DT. Is there any doubt that this young big man is the real deal?

      2. Jahvid Best, Detroit Lions—Injury may have slowed Best down, but how about the fact that to go along with 249 rushing yards, Best has 31 catches for a league-high 285 receiving yards among running backs. That’s 534 all-purpose yards through six games.

      3. Sam Bradford, St. Louis Rams—He’s way down the list of quarterbacks stat-wise, but Bradford is averaging 226 yards per game and has 7 TD passes. We’ll let the 8 picks slide for now, because let’s face it—the kid is helping to lead the Rams to respectability.

      Honorable mention: Max Hall, Arizona Cardinals; Rolando McClain, Oakland Raiders; Dez Bryant, Dallas Cowboys; Jermaine Gresham, Cincinnati Bengals

      External Sports, NFL

      What’s the question? It doesn’t matter – Michael Vick is the answer.

      September 26, 2010 /
      Philadelphia Eagles head coach Andy Reid (L) talks with quarterback Michael Vick during the fourth quarter of their NFL football game against the Jacksonville Jaguars in Jacksonville, Florida September 26, 2010. REUTERS/Daron Dean (UNITED STATES - Tags: SPORT FOOTBALL)

      I have to admit – I thought Mikey would choke today. I really did.

      Michael Vick has a thing about him that if he gets too comfortable, he gets careless. When he was with the Falcons, there were plenty of times of when he would play down to his competition (he lost to the Lions twice, just to cite two examples) just to remind everyone that he wasn’t above taking games off. And after he was named the starting quarterback earlier this week over Kevin Kolb, I thought for sure this would be the game he would disappoint.

      But I couldn’t have been more wrong.

      Vick once again dazzled for the Eagles, who crushed the Jaguars 28-3 in Jacksonville on Sunday. He threw for 291 yards and three touchdowns with no interceptions and also rushed four times for 30 yards and a score. It’s remarkable that he hasn’t thrown an interception yet and if he continues his hot play, there’s no reason that Philadelphia can’t challenge for one of the top spots in the NFC this year.

      Of course, let’s not get ahead of ourselves. Let’s just observe the fact that 1) Andy Reid made the right decision earlier this week to keep Kolb benched and 2) Vick didn’t blow another opportunity to impress as a starter. Vick says he’s changed (i.e. he’s become more mature and isn’t taking his time in the NFL for granted) and so far, I believe him. The guy is playing at a Pro Bowl level.

      External Sports, NFL

      Eagles open to trading Kevin Kolb?

      September 22, 2010 /
      PHILADELPHIA - SEPTEMBER 02: Kevin Kolb of the Philadelphia Eagles stands on the sidelines during a preseason game against the New York Jets at Lincoln Financial Field on September 2, 2010 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Jeff Zelevansky/Getty Images)

      The plight of Kevin Kolb in Philadelphia has been rather amazing to watch of late. (Somewhere, Kolb just went, “Thanks, a-hole.”)

      Three weeks ago he was heading into the 2010 season as Andy Reid’s starting quarterback. One bad quarter and a conclusion later and now Kolb is backing up Michael Vick and soon enough, may be playing in another city entirely.

      According to the Philadelphia Inquirer, Reid refused today to rule out trading Kolb before the NFL deadline in October. With Vick pegged as the permanent starter, a trade would make sense for the Eagles. Why let a young quarterback rot on your bench when there are so many quarterback-starved teams in the NFL these days?

      The Browns, Bills and Cardinals all have massive issues at the quarterback position, although whether Kolb would be a fit for those offenses is another topic for debate. Still, Cleveland was reportedly interested in Kolb around draft time, so maybe Mike Holmgren will get aggressive and make a move for the 26-year-old signal caller.

      Or what about the Vikings? Brett Favre obviously isn’t going anywhere this season, but he’s expected to retire (hahahahalolelolelohaha) at the end of the year. Plus, Childress runs a very similar offense to Reid’s and therefore the learning curve for Kolb would be minimal. A situation in which Minnesota trades for Kolb seems far-fetched at the moment, but things change all the time in the NFL.

      It’ll be interesting to see if Reid comes out either today or tomorrow and makes a definitive statement against trading Kolb. That happens all the time in this league – a report surfaces and then the team quickly refutes it.

      But where there’s smoke, there’s fire and there’s a lot of smoke coming out of Philly right now.

      Update: According to ProFootballTalk.com, the Browns have already inquired about Kolb, which is shocking considering Jake Delhomme (and now Seneca Wallace) is their starting quarterback.

      External Sports, NFL

      Reid making the right choice to go with Vick over Kolb

      September 21, 2010 /
      DETROIT - SEPTEMBER 19: Michael Vick of the Philadelphia Eagles calls the play in the huddle during the third quarter of the game against the Detroit Lions at Ford Field on September 19, 2010 in Detroit, Michigan. The Eagles defeated the Lions 35-32. (Photo by Leon Halip/Getty Images)

      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.

      External Sports, NFL

      Kevin Kolb has Andy Reid’s backing now, but he better win

      September 20, 2010 /
      Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Michael Vick runs with the ball against the Detroit Lions during the first half of their NFL home opening football game in Detroit, Michigan September 19, 2010. REUTERS/Rebecca Cook (UNITED STATES - Tags: SPORT FOOTBALL)

      After leading the Eagles to victory over the Lions on Sunday, this is what Michael Vick told Peter King in reference to his role as Kevin Kolb’s backup:

      “I know Kevin can do it,” Vick said. “I saw him do it all summer. For me, I’ve had a taste of it now, and now, finally, I know it’s going to be there for me. If I have to wait another year, I can. I can be patient.”

      Those are the types of comments that show how far Vick has come in his maturity. Although, what else is he going to say? In the last two weeks, he’s completed 37 of his 58 pass attempts for 459 yards and three touchdowns with zero interceptions.

      He doesn’t have to say anything – his play speaks for itself.

      Vick has put up Pro Bowl-type numbers in his two outings this year, but he knows Andy Reid makes the decisions. And Reid has already made it clear that Kolb is his starter for Week 3 and beyond.

      But if I were Kolb, I wouldn’t get too comfortable. Sure, he has the backing of Reid and as long as he plays well, he’ll continue to receive his coach’s support. Reid went to bat for Kolb after he shipped Donovan McNabb to Washington on Easter Sunday and isn’t going to abandon him now for Vick. Reid also drafted Kolb and doesn’t want to be made the fool after choosing him over Vick earlier this offseason.

      But again, Kolb better produce. Reid knows that in benching a nearly flawless Vick, he’s running the risk of not only having this situation blow up in his face, but losing games, too. Looking like a fool is definitely the lesser of two evils here.

      The Eagles are at Jacksonville this week and host the Redskins next Sunday. Those are two winnable games and if Kolb can’t get the job done, I wouldn’t be surprised if Vick gets the starting nod again in Week 5 when the Eagles play the 49ers in San Francisco.

      Or better yet, when they host the Falcons (Vick’s old team) in Week 6.

      External Sports, NFL

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