PHILADELPHIA — Andy Reid is so pleased with his quarterback situation that the stoic coach is showing he has a sense of humor.
Michael Vick and Kevin Kolb each have played at a Pro Bowl level this season.
Only one can start, though.
That’s an enviable problem for Reid and the Philadelphia Eagles.
Reid insists Vick will play when he’s healthy. Kolb has heard that one before. After Kolb sustained a concussion in Week 1, Reid said the job was still his. Then Vick was sensational as a fill-in, forcing Reid to make that flip-flop decision no one will let him forget.
What will he do now?
“You take Michael Kolb and we go play, baby,” Reid joked.
It’s not that easy.
The Eagles are in a fortunate position at a time when plenty of teams wish they had one quality quarterback.
“This is a beautiful thing,” Reid said. “When you’re sitting here as a chubby head coach in the National Football League, and you have two good quarterbacks, you’re a happy guy.”
With a dilemma like this one, no wonder Reid can take cracks at his weight.
Kolb and Vick have made the Donovan McNabb trade an afterthought in Philadelphia. That’s no small feat considering the resume McNabb put together in 11 seasons here. He went to six Pro Bowls and led the Eagles to five NFC championship games and one Super Bowl, a 24-21 loss to New England in February 2005.
“I try to evaluate everything,” Reid said. “I try to think about it and then make the decision. Sometimes you’re right, sometimes you’re wrong, but I try to think about it in all different variables and then roll with it.”
Critics are no longer second-guessing Reid for sending McNabb to a division rival. Led by Kolb and Vick, the Eagles (4-2) are tied with the New York Giants for first place in the NFC East. McNabb has struggled with the Redskins (3-3), despite a 17-12 victory in Philadelphia on Oct. 3.
Kolb, a fourth-year pro who started two games in his first three seasons, was supposed to be McNabb’s successor all along. Then he got hurt in the season-opening loss to Green Bay.
That gave Vick a chance to prove he can still play. A former star in Atlanta, Vick returned to the NFL with the Eagles after missing two seasons while serving an 18-month prison sentence for his role in a dogfighting ring.
Vick played sparingly last year, mostly seeing action in a variation of the Wildcat offense. He wasn’t sharp this preseason, but he sure impressed when it counted.
Vick led the Eagles to a pair of road victories and was the NFC offensive player of the month in September. He threw for 799 yards with 6 touchdowns and compiled a passer rating of 108.8 with a 61.5 completion percentage. He also ran for 187 yards and one score.
But Vick was knocked out of the loss against Washington after suffering a rib cartilage injury in the first quarter. Kolb was so-so in that game but rebounded with two outstanding performances in consecutive victories.
Overall, Kolb has thrown for 804 yards, 5 touchdowns and 2 interceptions. His passer rating is 98.3, and he’s completed 67.6 percent of his passes.
“I want to be out thereagain,” Kolb said. “I trust Andy to make the right decision for everybody and we believe in that. I want to give credit to the offense though, because whoever’s in there, they’ve been fighting and doing a heck of a job for both guys, and it’s not easy. Righthanded, left-handed, different styles, different cadence. You have to give credit to them.”
Kolb is expected to make his third consecutive start when the Eagles, unbeaten in three road games, visit Tennessee (4-2) today. Of course, he still wants to be the starter when Philadelphia returns after a bye to face Peyton Manning and Indianapolis on Nov. 7, but Kolb won’t complain.
“I’m not going to get into that,” he said when asked if it was fair that he lost his job in the first place.
“I know it’s a unique situation, but again, from my experience, Andy has always thought things through very thoroughly. He always has a rhyme and reason, and they usually turn out the right way for why he does stuff. So, again, I’ll just trust and believe and so will my teammates.”
The way Kolb has handled a difficult situation has earned him praise from Reid, coaches and teammates.
“I can’t tell you that he was real happy with me when I made that move,” Reid said. “I wasn’t the most popular guy in his life at that particular time, but you would have never known it when he left my office. From the time he and I had our discussions, he was just all positive.
“I think what you saw on the sideline that next game when he was cheering for Michael was real, and that’s not saying that he didn’t want to be in there, but it’s also the respect that he has for Michael and the team player that he is.
“You’re dealing with one of the most competitive guys you’re ever going to meet, so does he want to play? Absolutely, he wants to play. And does he want to be a starter? Absolutely. Does he know he can be a starter? Absolutely, and so on. So all those things, that’s what he is.”
Kolb, a second-round pick in 2007, waited two years to make his first start. He got the chance when McNabb broke a rib in Week 1 last year, stepped in and became the first player in NFL history to throw for 300 yards in his first two career starts.
Then he went back to the sideline and waited until this season. He played poorly against the Packers before he was forced out with the concussion, but watching Vick play benefited Kolb.
“He’s out there just playing the game,” Kolb said. “Sometimes, as a quarterback, you want to execute things so efficiently and you want to get it in the right guy’s hands and that kind of stuff, that you forget to just play the game. I think that’s kind of what Mike helped me with, so that’s what I keep reiterating to myself. I’ve been doing that for a lot of years now.Just go out and play the game and don’t worry about all of the execution things of who to get the ball to. Think through your stuff and play the game.”
What happens if Kolb has another excellent outing and the Eagles beat the Titans? Does Reid stick with his call to go back to Vick when he’s healthy or does he flip-flop again?
“That’s what I get paid to do,” Reid said. “That’s what I do. I have to make the right decision. I will promise you that we’ll have one of them out there.”
That’s one promise he can keep.
Sports, Pages 29 on 10/24/2010