The Kind-Hearted Smart Aleck

ESPN Philadelphia Eagles reporter Phil Sheridan obviously hates quarterback Michael Vick more than vegetarians hate KFC, but he needs to get with the times. In an article he released the other day, entitled, "Reality check on Eagles' QB situation," he wrote this: " The Eagles' running game relies on Vick to make it go (what he's heard others say). Let's get real here. If a running game relies on the quarterback, it isn't a very good running game. Period. The Eagles have a good running game with LeSean McCoy seeking space behind an extremely good run-blocking offensive line. 'When Nick was in there playing in the preseason, we were very effective running the football,' offensive coordinator Pat Shurmur said. The Giants were able to shut McCoy down after Foles came into Sunday's game. But that had more to do with matchup problems along the line than with the identity of the quarterback. Foles doesn't scare anyone as a runner, ...

As I predicted earlier today, it sounds as if Philadelphia Eagles starting quarterback Michael Vick will sit in the team's upcoming game against Tampa Bay next Sunday. As I also predicted, sports-writers and analysts have felt the need to debate whether Vick or Nick Foles should be the starting quarterback for the team. What I didn't predict was a headline-grabbing statement made by ESPN's Adam Schefter which would have earned him a low D for honesty, and that's probably being kind. Just a few minutes ago on Monday Night Countdown , Schefter announced that Foles would be starting for the injured Vick against Tampa Bay this coming Sunday. He then reported that Eagles coach Chip Kelly hasn't decided on who the starter will be beyond that game. Earlier in the day, ESPN (led by Schefter and Phil Sheridan) reported that Chip Kelly had said this regarding a possible long-term change at quarterback: "Can [Foles] win the starting job? If Nick goes out there and g...

In light of Nick Foles leading the Philadelphia Eagles to a pair of 4th quarter touchdowns in their 36-21 win over the New York Giants on Sunday, it was inevitable that the ever so fickle sports media would jump on that like a rabbit on pretty much anything. While Vick was spectacular in the team's first two games, he's been rather average in the team's past three. However, at 2-3 and tied atop the NFC East, I still think he gives the team the best chance of making the playoffs this year. Foles is a very capable back-up, but until he develops better intermediate- to long-range passing skills, I have a hard time seeing him as a full-time starter in the league. Also, Chip Kelly's offense revolves around speed. Vick gives him much more flexibility with the offensive play-calling due to this. The threat of Vick's running opens things up for LeSean McCoy in the backfield - much more so than when Foles is behind center. The problem with Philadelphia's offense th...

Following the Philadelphia Eagles' 31-24 victory over the Jacksonville Jaguars last night in the team's third preseason game, many Philly sports-writers were quick to label starting quarterback Michael Vick as "shaky," all the while praising the play of backup quarterback Nick Foles. While Foles was very efficient in the second half of last night's game and has been for most of the preseason, I'm still slightly perplexed on the myriad of such articles which were published by Philadelphia writers either last night or this morning. Vick wasn't as sharp in last night's game as he had been in the team's first two preseason games. He completed 15 of 23 pass attempts (65.2%) for 184 yards (8.0 ypa and 12.3 ypc), with 1 touchdown pass and 1 interception. In his defense, the interception was on a pass Vick was trying to throw away while getting hit. However, he held onto the ball too long and would have avoided the pick if he had tossed the ball out-of-...

Following the Philadelphia Eagles' very disappointing 27-6 loss to unbeaten Arizona last week, head coach Andy Reid was asked about his quarterback situation. For the record, Pro Bowler Michael Vick is the starting quarterback for the 2-1 and co-NFC East leading Eagles. The backup is rookie Nick Foles - a 3rd round draft choice out of Arizona by the Eagles this past year, who has never started an NFL game. Reid said he was sticking with Vick for now. Perhaps he could have worded things a bit differently to not generate any news story with his comment, but after discovering what he had just done via the media's obsession with it over the next 24 hours, he clarified his statement by saying Vick is the starting quarterback and that there was no controversy. Yet even after making that statement, there has still been some talk amongst ESPN pundits about this Eagles quarterback controversy. Granted, Vick has not been the most efficient quarterback in the Eagles' first three gam...