As far as Marty Mornhinweg is concerned, Michael Vick is looking good for the Philadelphia Eagles.
That is what the team’s offensive coordinator told the Newport Daily Press as the team ramps up preparation for training camp where, barring anything unexpected at this point, Vick will be the team’s backup quarterback.
“I think he’s back,” said Mornhinweg, who was instrumental with coach Andy Reid in Vick landing in Philadelphia last summer.
“In our mini camps, you could see that great, great athleticism,” Mornhinweg said. “I would expect great things from Michael Vick this year.”
It will be interesting to see what the Eagles have in mind for Vick on game day during the regular season. Will they be hesitant to turn to him as much in a wildcat package? For starters, they need to make certain starter Kevin Kolb is completely comfortable. They also don’t want Vick getting hurt with only Northwestern rookie Mike Kafka behind him. Maybe we’ll get a hint as to what the Eagles have in mind in the preseason. When we assume Vick will still be on the roster.
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Tag Archive: Kevin Kolb
—> Having gotten an NFL director of pro scouting to rank his top 20 quarterbacks, we realize the list is limited. These half-dozen quarterbacks didn’t make it, but each has a chance to crack the top 20 if things go right this season:
Jason Campbell, Raiders. A change of scene might be just what he needs.
Josh Freeman, Buccaneers. He has some tantalizing talents—if the Bucs can just give some help.
Kevin Kolb, Eagles. He has proved what he can do in flashes; now he must sustain it with a playoff-caliber team.
Matt Moore, Panthers. He was impressive down the stretch last season, and some camp competition might be an extra boost.
Alex Smith, 49ers. They can’t just let him free-wheel in their offense; he is best when playing off the run.
Vince Young, Titans. He had a breakthrough ’09 season, and now he must keep up the consistency.
If you’re in a 10- or 12-team fantasy league, Eagles QB Kevin Kolb is likely considered a borderline starter.
And he’s one of those fantasy speculations. We don’t really know how good he’ll be. If you draft Kolb, you probably had better draft another QB either soon before or soon after taking him. You’ll want to be insured in case he and the young Eagles struggle out of the box.
Although Kolb might not be an ace fantasy starter from the outset, I do believe you’re going to be looking at a top-10 fantasy QB when the dust settles.
First, the good news. Almost all of the Eagles’ offensive pieces remain, and nearly all of them are in their prime. They have had ample time to develop a rapport with Kolb — in offseasons, in preseasons and briefly last regular season. They have dangerous weapons at receiver, tight end and running back and there are some who believe the offensive line will be a better group this season.
The early schedule is not a beast. The Packers in Week One are a strong team, but one that was lit up defensively a few times late in the season. The next five games then are against the Lions (ranked 32nd defensively last season), the Jaguars (23rd), the Redskins (10th defensively but 18th in points allowed and undergoing a scheme change), 49ers (15th), Falcons (21st) and Titans (28th).
That’s a fairly soft slate for Kolb to start off his season, and it really doesn’t get too tough until the final four games of the season — facing the Cowboys twice, plus the Giants and Vikings.
Critics say Kolb doesn’t have the deep arm strength of Donovan McNabb, but Kolb’s yards per attempt (7.7) and yards per completion (12.0) are not too much below those of his predecessor (8.0 and 13.3). And because the Eagles’ receivers — DeSean Jackson and Jeremy Maclin — are so good after the catch, the lack of downfield attempts is less of an issue.
With Jackson entering his third season, Maclin his second and TE Brent Celek his fourth, Kolb has three young standouts to go to on a weekly basis. He has the supporting staff he needs to succeed right away. Sure, the matchups with McNabb will be heavily scrutinized affairs, and any kind of struggles will weigh heavily for Kolb through fans and media.
But you can enter your draft knowing Kolb will be a top-10 quarterback when we look back on the 2010 season.
Remember this time last summer when the discussion was if a team would sign Michael Vick when the quarterback was reinstated and if so what team would be willing to take the PR hit?
Fast forward and now the debate seems to be whether or not Vick will make it to training camp in a few weeks with the Philadelphia Eagles. Yes, that is the same team that swore up and down after last season that Donovan McNabb would be the starting quarterback this coming season. So much for that.
There seems to be mounting debate on whether or not the Eagles would like to dump Vick before he causes them some serious buyers remorse. The organization has steadfastly backed Vick since his ill-plotted 30th birthday bash in Virginia Beach, Va., the one where Quanis Phillips, his co-defendant in a federal dogfighting trial, was shot.
But what other choice do the Eagles have right now? After trading away McNabb, Vick is the only experienced quarterback on the roster behind starter Kevin Kolb and ahead of Northwestern rookie Mike Kafka. They can’t exactly dump Vick right now because there simply aren’t many attractive options on the street. Now, maybe the Eagles wish they had beaten the Baltimore Ravens to Marc Bulger.
A quiet offseason for Vick – one without All White parties – would have allowed him to go to training camp as quietly as someone with his notoriety could. The focus would have been on the beginning of the Kolb era. Now, Kolb is taking over for McNabb and the focus is going to be on Vick once again.
Probation officials have restricted Vick’s movement and for him it’s too bad that didn’t happen sooner. Maybe then the birthday party never would have happened. At the minimum, Vick is guilty of terrible judgment. It’s possible, too, he’s lost the faith of the Eagles organization. The debate will continue until training camp opens and Vick either is or isn’t there with bird wings on the side of his helmet.
Follow me on Twitter: BradBiggs
Ready for fantasy football? Click here to purchase the 2010 Total Access Pass/Draft Guide from the NFP
It has been three months, and Tim Tebow still hasn’t taken a single (real) snap under center for the Denver Broncos, yet he’s leading the league in jersey sales.
A list of the best-selling player jerseys on NFLShop.com, from April 1 through June 30, has the former Heisman Trophy winner and 25th overall pick in this year’s draft at the top, ahead of Donovan McNabb, who changed teams from the Eagles to the Redskins, and Super Bowl MVP Drew Brees.
Three other quarterbacks – Peyton Manning, Tony Romo and Brett Favre – round out the top six in offseason sales.
Four other rookies are in the top 20, including Ndamukong Suh (No. 8), Sam Bradford (No. 9), Dez Bryant (No. 15) and Eric Berry (No. 18).
New England quarterback Tom Brady is at No. 14 at the list, his lowest place since at least the 2006 season.
Michael Vick’s Eagles jersey, once a hot buy, has fallen out of the top 25, but the team’s fans have seemed to adopt McNabb’s more realistic replacement, Kevin Kolb, who comes in on the list at No. 24.
NFLShop.com currently sells Tebow jerseys in white, orange and blue, in all sizes, including youth. The league also is offering a wide array of Tebow women’s jerseys including “Zebra Field Flirt” and “Pink Sweetheart” varieties.
It’s not only Tebow’s jerseys that are selling. So too are his autographs. This past weekend, hundreds of people lined up in Fort Pierce, Fla., and paid $75 for a picture and $160 for an autograph. Twenty people paid $1,000 each to have a private meet and greet with the former Gators star. Tebow donated all of his proceeds to his Tim Tebow Foundation.