EAGLES: What Did Vick Accomplish that McNabb Didn’t?

Last spring, the Eagles decided to part ways with franchise quarterback Donovan McNabb. The reasons were simple: the Eagles were young and McNabb was turning 34 years old. It was time to give three-year backup Kevin Kolb his chance to shine and transform the Eagles franchise.

Under the surface, however, McNabb was driven out of Philadelphia by the fans and the front office. Even though he compiled a 92-49-1 record as an Eagle, is the franchise leader in wins, pass completions, passing yards and passing touchdowns, led the team to five NFC Championships and a Superbowl, his inability to get the franchise a Super Bowl ring ended up being his biggest demise in the City of Brotherly Love. It all started when he reportedly threw up in the huddle against the Patriots in Superbowl XXXIX and spiraled downward whenever No. 5 came up short in the following years.

In 2010, the Eagles season took an unexpected turn when Kevin Kolb suffered a concussion from a Clay Matthews hit. Michael Vick, one of the most exciting players in NFL history, took over as the Eagles captain. His ability to change games with his arm and legs took the Eagles season from a rebuilding process to contenders in the playoffs. Even though he is not the most conventional quarterback, there was an excitement that Vick embodied that brought confidence to the city. Was this the year the Eagles finally got over the hump?

I think we all know how that one ended.

What seperates Vick in 2010 from McNabb?

What is it about Michael Vick that makes him that must more trustworthy than Donovan McNabb once was in Philadelphia? The Eagles went 10-6 under Vick in 2010, whereas McNabb guided the ‘Birds to a better record in six of his 11 seasons in Philadelphia. Granted Vick was only the starter for 12 weeks, but two of those 10 wins came under Kevin Kolb’s lead.

If we are truly going to compare what Michael Vick did in 2010 versus what McNabb did in his career as the starter, then we simply cannot look at statistics. Because in the end Philadelphia, isn’t it all about winning? Isn’t getting the hardware what truly defines who is better?

Both Vick and McNabb have anchored high-powered offenses. Michael Vick did it with DeSean Jackson, Jeremy Maclin, and LeSean McCoy. McNabb still was able to do it with Terrell Owens, Todd Pinkston and Brian Westbrook. Oh yeah, don’t forget about Freddie Mitchell. Both have made multiple Pro-Bowls. However there still is no Lombardi Trophy in Philadelphia.

Yes there is a bright future for Michael Vick and certainly a great opportunity to win it all with him at the helm, but does what he did in 2010 garner more appreciation than what McNabb did in his career? The main question I propose to Eagles fans is this: what did Michael Vick accomplish this season that deserves more recognition than what Donovan McNabb did in his career?

The answer to this may be that McNabb was unable to do it year after year. He was the starting quarterback for over a decade, yet never seemed to come through when it truly mattered. Don’t take into account that he was throwing to Todd Pinkston for five years, James Thrash for three years, Reggie Brown for five years and Terrell Owens, his best receiver, for only two years. McNabb was always the easy one to hold responsible.

Michael Vick was far from impressive in the Eagles playoff game. He completed just 55 percent of his passes and posted his second straight sub-80 passer rating. On the final drive of the season, Vick gave hope to Philadelphia when he drove down the field with under a minute to play. Then, with under 30 seconds to play, Michael Vick came up short under pressure. Isn’t that the reason Philadelphia fans were ready to end the Donovan McNabb era Philadelphia?

There is a certain likeability that many Eagles fans find in Michael Vick. Based on his past actions, the irony is quite comical. Maybe it’s the fact that he has rebounded so well after those life changing events. Maybe it’s that he is more intense in the huddle than McNabb. Whatever it is, the likeability has consumed this city.

If anything, this comparison goes to show that a quarterback cannot be the only one responsible in a loss. Both quarterbacks were capable to lead their teams to the Superbowl, but the nature of the sport tends to point all fingers at them. The main difference in this situation? All fingers are not pointing at Vick. They are pointing to Andy Reid or the defense. Why? Because Donovan McNabb is no longer in town to blame.

EAGLES: it’s about time

Isn’t it a beautiful feeling to finally see four complete quarters of football? Isn’t it nice to see the Eagles win a key game without Brian Westbrook or DeSean Jackson? And isn’t it a good feeling to see that the Eagles didn’t necessarily blow all of that money when signing Michael Vick in the off-season?

The Eagles made the Falcons look like a JV high school team on Sunday. To be frank, the game was pretty boring to watch. There were two instances that I can remember really being pumped up when watching the game. First, when the Eagles had a goal-line stand that ended up being the biggest momentum swing of the game. The other time came when Michael Vick dropped back to pass. When he went back, it seemed as though everything stopped. Maybe I was just surprised to see him finally drop back far in the pocket and look around the field, but I felt myself slowly moving forward in my seat. Then Vick delivered a 43-yard bomb (a little underthrown, but that’s irrelevant) to Reggie Brown. Yes, I did just utter the name Reggie Brown in a positive note.

The Falcons only points of the game came on a last second hailmary to Roddy White. That play prevented the Eagles from their first shutout since December 1, 1996 under the wings of Ray Rhodes. Another interesting stat is that Sunday’s win marked the Eagles’ 100^th victory of the decade. Only the Patriots, Steelers and Colts have achieved that feat. Yes Eagles fans, Andy Reid does deserve a contract extension.

I’ll save the rest of my analysis for the grades:

Quarterback: A

Donovan was not really tested against the Falcons. He finished 14 for 25 for 238 yards and a touchdown. He spent the entire fourth quarter on the bench and seemed to be loving every second watching Michael Vick succeed.

It was a warm welcome for Michael Vick in Atlanta

So now here’s my rant on the infamous Michael Vick. I haven’t been a fan for the entire year. When I found out the Eagles signed him, I didn’t understand why. To be honest, I still don’t know why they signed him. Beside the point, as a sports fan there was a soft spot in my heart for Vick on Sunday. For him to come back to the city that he established his career in and to deliver his best performance of the year is exciting. He looked like a kid in a candy shop on the field and on the sideline. Whenever he entered the field, there was more cheering from the Falcons fans than when their offense was on the field. So the A on the report card was more for Michael Vick re-establishing himself in the National Football League than the actual performance.

Running back: A–

I knew that Leonard Weaver was good, but I didn’t realize how athletic he can be. With LeSean McCoy struggling to get anything going, Weaver stepped up and carried the load for the Eagles. However, Weavers biggest play of the game wasn’t on the ground. The catch and yards after catch in the first quarter illustrated athleticism that I never expected from the six-foot 250 pound running back. Donovan McNabb also showed some spurts of the past, rushing two times for 17 yards. Finally, for the first time this season I can actually compliment the play by Eldra Buckley. He converted a crucial fourth and one and showed how hard he can be to tackle. Great overall effort by the backs, but McCoy’s performance was not impressive.

Wide Receivers: B+

With DeSean Jackson out and Brent Celek bothered by a hand injury, I was definitely a little concerned about the receiving core. However, Jeremy Maclin stepped in to fill Jackson’s big shoes, netting 83 yards on four receptions. No question the biggest shocker from the receiving core was the emergence of Reggie Brown. Two seasons ago, Brown was the Eagles top receiver and now he is lucky enough to see a snap on the field. Brown only had two receptions, but they were both for big gains and pretty tough plays.

Offensive Line: B

Is Jason Peters the next Shawn Andrews? I sure hope note, but it seems like every week he is dealing with another injury. The Eagles offensive line is not deep enough to deal with consistent injuries. Both Todd Herremans and Nick Cole were forced to switch positions once Peters went down and Max Jean-Gilles filled his spot. The biggest concern on the offensive line on Sunday was from Winston Justice. He just signed a huge contract with the Eagles and has played back-to-back mediocre games since the signing.

Trent Cole provided a lot of pressure on Chris Redman

Defensive Line/Linebackers: A+

The goal-line stand in the second quarter was without question the turning point of the game, and potentially the turning point of the season. The Eagles seemed to respond to the four-straight goal-line stands with an impressive domination in the second half. Granted the Falcons were without Michael Turner, but the run-stopping defense was impeccable. They held the Falcons to 61 yards rushing on 22 carries, which totals to a mere 2.8 yards per carry. The defense totaled 11 pass deflections, which is due in part to the pressure of the line. Best performance of the year by the Eagles front.

Secondary: A

Similar to the linebackers and defensive line not dealing with Turner, the secondary had the luxury of defending passes by Chris Redman. And the secondary took full advantage of the opportunity. Sheldon Brown decided to wake up out of his coma and intercepted a pass for a touchdown. Sean Jones also recorded his second interception of the season. The Eagles can still improve on defending the tight end though, as Tony Gonzalez had eight receptions for 72 yards.

Special Teams: B

David Akers finally dropped back to earth after connecting on 17-straight field goals. He missed his second attempt of the afternoon, but responded by hitting another one in the second half. Rocca landed one within the one yard line and Maclin did a solid job returning kicks. Mediocre on all accounts results in a B.

The Eagles have their biggest game of the season against the Giants on Sunday. New York just took down the Cowboys and sits a game back from potentially sharing the division. With the game being played at the Meadowlands, it’s not going to be a walk in the park for the Eagles.

EAGLES: why reggie over hank?

When I heard that the Eagles chose wide receiver Reggie Brown over Hank Baskett, I was more than shocked to say the least. Baskett has been a more prolific wide receiver in the last few seasons, whereas Brown was considered a huge bust after the Eagles took him with the third pick of the second round in 2005.

Brown's numbers dropped significantly from 2007 to 2008

Then I read an article today on Philly.com by Paul Domowitch that cleared up everything. In a way, the Eagles were forced to keep Reggie Brown. Not necessarily because of the skill he can bring, but because of his contract.

Following the 2006 season where Brown recorded 816 yards receiving and eight touchdowns, the Eagles offered him a contract extention through 2014. The deal includes $7.3 million dollars in bonus proration over the next four years, meaning that the Eagles cannot afford to get rid of him. If they were to release Brown, that $7.3 million dollars would hinder the amount of salary cap money the team has in the upcoming season. The Eagles have $9 million next season and Brown’s contract is worth $3.2 million with $2.35 in bonus proration. Therefore, to drop his contract would take money away from the teams available salary cap next season.

So does the Eagles front office regret offering such a large contract to Brown? Most likely. A year after the contract, Brown raked in a career record 61 receptions. Last year, however, Brown was limited to a mere 18 receptions for 252 yards. He was not even activated for week one’s game against the Panthers. Now he is just a sitting duck that has to start over and try to make a name for himself again.

It was much more appealing for the Eagles to release Baskett because his contract was not large enough to affect the salary cap. Money truly rules everything.

EAGLES: andrews done for season

There was a lot of hope that Andrews would get back into game-ready shape for the regular season

In order to accomodate quarterback Jeff Garcia into the lineup, the Eagles were forced to place offensive tackle Shawn Andrews on the season-ending injured reserve.

The Eagles attempted to trade wide receivers Hank Baskett and Reggie Brown, but were unsuccessful. The front office refused to cut either of the receivers, claiming that they were too valuable to release without a trade.

Andrews was a few practices away from starting against the Panthers last week. During practice, the two-time Pro Bowl offensive lineman tweaked his back. Back problems kept him out of the entire training camp and preseason.

Now that Andrews is out for the entire season, the Eagles are very thin at the offensive line. Todd Herremans is not expected to be back for a couple of weeks after having surgery on a stress fracture in his foot.

The Eagles are expected to make another roster change next week when Michael Vick returns to the lineup. I expect them to cut Baskett or Brown, even though they refused to cut them this time around. If I were to choose, I think that cutting Brown would be the most beneficial move for the Eagles. His contract is larger and he has been far less productive for the Eagles in recent history.