Tag: Kevin Kolb (Page 7 of 13)

      The Eagles are the team to beat in the NFC

      November 22, 2010 /
      PHILADELPHIA - NOVEMBER 21: Michael Vick of the Philadelphia Eagles runs with the ball against Antrel Rolle of the New York Giants at Lincoln Financial Field on November 21, 2010 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Nick Laham/Getty Images)

      With all due respect to the Falcons and Packers (and remember, I am saying with all due respect), the Eagles are clearly the team to beat right now in the NFC.

      Atlanta currently owns the best record now in the NFC at 8-2. But they had a chance to go head to head against the Eagles in Week 6 and they were beaten like a rented mule in all facets of the game. And that was when Kevin Kolb was at quarterback for Philadelphia – not Michael Vick.

      The Packers beat the Eagles in the opening week of the season but Kolb started that game too. Vick nearly lead Philly to a fourth quarter comeback, but Green Bay hung on for an impressive road win. Since then, the Packers have been decimated by injuries and Vick is now playing at an MVP level.

      The Giants had their opportunity to beat the Eagles as well and while they played well for about a quarter, Philly eventually beat them too. New York did some good things defensively in efforts to contain Vick, but the Eagles also missed several opportunities in the first half to build a sizeable lead. Either way, the scoreboard at the end of the game read Eagles 27, Giants 17 and that’s all that matters. The rest is just details.

      We’re going to find out more about the Packers and Falcons when they play each other this Sunday. Both are solid football teams and are red hot at the moment, but people hesitate declaring either the best in the NFC. Again, the Packers have injury issues and the Falcons’ defense is still a work in progress.

      But we know what we have in the Eagles. As long as Vick stays healthy, this team will be tough to beat down the stretch. Granted, they still have to go on the road to New York, Chicago and Dallas (which is rejuvenated under Jason Garrett), but the Eagles seemingly have fewer weaknesses than their NFC counterparts.

      Forget the records – this is the best team in the conference at the moment.

      External Sports, NFL

      Eagles to make Michael Vick the long-term fixture at quarterback?

      November 12, 2010 /
      PHILADELPHIA - NOVEMBER 07: Michael Vick of the Philadelphia Eagles throws a pass against the Indianapolis Colts on November 7, 2010 at Lincoln Financial Field in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The Eagles defeated the Colts 26-24. (Photo by Jim McIsaac/Getty Images)

      Michael Vick currently leads all quarterbacks with a 105.3 rating. He has yet to throw an interception, his Eagles are undefeated when he plays the entire game, and he’s rushed for 7.3 yards per carry.

      It also appears that his current team is willing to commit to him long term.

      According to a report by the Philadelphia Inquirer, the Eagles want to keep Vick for “next season and beyond.” There have yet to be any contract discussions between the two sides, but the team will hold meetings in the next few weeks to talk about the future of Vick, who becomes a free agent at the end of the season.

      If Vick continues to play as well in the second half of the season as he has in the first, he’ll have suitors lined up for his services. But he’s already acknowledged that he favors the Eagles because they took a chance on him when he was released from prison last year. Chances are, he’ll stay put if Philly comes to the table with a nice offer.

      If the Eagles do sign Vick to a long-term contract, what happens to Kevin Kolb? He signed a two-year, $12.25 million deal in April and with Vick’s penchant for running, the Eagles may want to hang onto Kolb in case there’s an injury. On the flip side, they could almost certainly get a draft pick in a trade for the 26-year-old, so why not deal him and find a backup quarterback elsewhere?

      The Eagles have more important things to worry about right now (i.e. making the playoffs), but they’ll have some tough decisions coming up over the next couple of weeks.

      External Sports, NFL

      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

      Should the Eagles trade either Michael Vick or Kevin Kolb?

      October 18, 2010 /
      JACKSONVILLE, FL - SEPTEMBER 26: Quarterbacks Kevin Kolb and Michael Vick of the Philadelphia Eagles talk on the sidelines during a time-out against the Jacksonville Jaguars at EverBank Field on September 26, 2010 in Jacksonville, Florida. The Eagles defeated the Jaguars 28-3. (Photo by Doug Benc/Getty Images)

      Short answer: No.

      Long answer…

      The Eagles currently have a luxury that most teams wish they had: They have two quarterbacks whom in the first six weeks have proven that they can start in the NFL. And play well.

      Kevin Kolb didn’t prove that until last week when he completed 21-of-31 passes for 253 yards and a touchdown in a 27-24 win over the 49ers. He cemented the belief on Sunday when he went 23-of-29 for 326 yards and three touchdowns as the Eagles dominated the hapless Falcons, 31-17.

      While he isn’t 100% yet, Michael Vick appears closer to returning from a rib injury that has sidelined him for three games (he played at the very beginning of the loss to the Redskins in Week 4 before suffering the injury). With Philly’s bye week coming in Week 8, Andy Reid would be smart to start a hot Kolb against the Titans this Sunday and then decide over the break whom he wants to go with in the second half.

      But let’s get back on topic. Should the Eagles trade Vick or Kolb (or hell, why not both? Fourth rounder Mike Kafka is probably ready) before Tuesday’s trade deadline? It should be noted that the Philadelphia Inquirer is reporting that neither will be dealt, but it’s an interesting topic regardless.

      If anything, Vick’s injury only further strengthens the Eagles’ need both quarterbacks. Vick opens himself up to injury all the time with his style of play, so it would make sense for the team to hang onto Kolb in case a) Vick’s rib injury doesn’t heal properly or b) he suffers another injury down the road.

      Let’s not forget that while Vick has looked phenomenal in the four games he’s played in thus far, the law of averages state that he’s due for a letdown. Even in his prime, the highest QB rating he’s compiled is 81.6 (which was in 2002 when he lead the Falcons to a playoff win over the Packers), but is a far cry from the current 108.8 mark that he’s sporting now. I don’t care if he says he’s a different quarterback, it stands to reason that he won’t keep performing at this clip.

      That said, he needs to start if he keeps producing wins and I think Reid owes it to Vick to stick with him once he’s healthy. If it weren’t for Vick, Kolb may have put Philly in a huge hole to start the season. If Vick struggles upon his return, then maybe Reid needs to make a switch back to Kolb, although he doesn’t want to get into a situation where he’s playing the matchups. This isn’t college football – inconsistency at the quarterback position can doom teams. Just ask the 49ers.

      External Sports, NFL

      Eagles completely dominate Falcons, but lose DeSean Jackson after nasty collision

      October 17, 2010 /
      Philadelphia Eagles DeSean Janckson catches a touchdown pass ahead of the arms of Atlanta Falcons William Moore during first quarter Philadelphia Eagles-Atlanta Falcons game action in Philadelphia at Lincoln Financial Field October 17, 2010. UPI/John Anderson Photo via Newscom

      If you type “complete and utter domination” into Google right now, your search will probably yield this:

      Eagles 31, Falcons 17.

      The Falcons are completely petrified of the Eagles and they have been for the better part of a decade now. Philly has beaten Atlanta 62 of the last 63 times its faced the Falcons (don’t look that figure up – it’s right) and it once again dominated them on Sunday.

      The score might as well been Eagles 98, Falcons 0 because the game was never close. Brian Van Gorder had no clue how to defense Marty Mornhinweg’s playing calling, while Sean McDermott’s defense completely befuddled Mike Mularkey, whose going to get Matt Ryan killed if he can’t incorporate more plays that stretch the defense. I swear Mularkey has more stop routes in his offense than L.A. has traffic at 5:00PM on a Friday evening. For once in your life, Mike, get Roddy White and Tony Gonzalez running vertical.

      Of course, Ryan didn’t play well Sunday either. He missed open receivers, he freaked out at the sight of pressure, freaked out when there wasn’t pressure and he wasn’t more aggressive late in the game when the Falcons needed a couple of big scores.

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      External Sports, NFL

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