The story today for me isn’t that Andy Reid took Kevin Kolb’s job and gave it to Michael Vick, the thing that has shocked me is the reaction of the local media. They seemed to expect that the players on the team were going to be falling apart because Reid had benched Kolb for Vick.
I saw the first two games, you saw the first games of the season, but much of the local media must have missed it. They gave the job to the quarterback who is playing the best.
You would think the Eagles were benching a great quarterback, if you didn’t know the situation. You would have thought it was like taking the news to Joe Montana that Steve Young was taking over.
If I had just showed up here today and knew nothing about the NFL, I would think that the girls from “The View” had written the questions to ask Reid and the players this morning. I expected to see Oprah show up and start asking touchy, feely questions.
Reid was asked how tough it was to express the bad news to Kolb.
“I made sure I met with him and told him what I was thinking”, Reid told an auditorium full of media people. “I think that was important. He was the first person I met with and that includes coaches and administration or anybody else. He was the first person I met with. I thought that was very important in this situation.”
Where did all this outpouring of sympathy and caring come from. Players are demoted and cut all the time. It’s part of the game, but if you were at the Nova Care Complex today, you would think that it rarely happens.
The media gathering was crying in unison about Kolb losing his job. They asked Reid how did Kolb react and how did he express his feelings when he was told him the news.. The asked Reid if he had created a reputation for himself as somebody who didn’t keep his word because he benched Kolb.
They asked middle linebacker Stewart Bradley if he knew how Kevin was feeling and Bradley answered the question nonchalantly as if he wasn’t very concerned. He didn’t seem to be very upset.
The big linebacker said he found out about the benching on his cell phone when he was surfing the internet this morning, then he said he hadn’t thought about Kolb’s benching all day since, because he was focusing on getting ready for the Jaguars.
Some of the reporters stood their with their mouths open. They couldn’t believe that Bradley wasn’t sitting some where feeling bad for poor old Kevin Kolb.
When we got to the wide receivers none of them seemed too upset about Kolb being benched. Jeremy Maclin went so far as to say that said he wasn’t even surprised that Kolb was benched because of the way Vick had played.
DeSean Jackson echoed those sentiments and talked about the amazing gifts of Vick. He said it’s good to have a quarterback who can escape, get outside and extend plays. Yes he did say he felt bad for Kolb, but he didn’t dwell there. It seemed like he felt it was part of the business.
Jackson said he wasn’t surprised about how well Vick had played because he had performed on the level in the past. According to Jackson, you never lose your “football instincts”.
When asked about how the change at quarterback affected him, wide receiver Jason Avant said that his job was to catch the football regardless of who was throwing it. He flashed a big smile which was surprising to the media members who are in mourning because of the demotion.
Avant didn’t seem like the demotion of Kolb was bothering him.
I’m starting to feel as if maybe I’m a hard, cold, heartless person because I don’t feel any worse for Kolb than I feel for Hank Baskett who was cut yesterday.
I’m not going to shed any more tears for Kolb than I will for young linebacker Moise Fokou who lost his starting job to Akeem Jordan.
I don’t feel any worse than I do for an outstanding young man like Chad Hall, who has served us all in the Air Force, yet he was released and placed on the practice squad. He’s a good kid, but couldn’t win a spot on the 53-man roster.
I don’t feel any worse for Kolb than I did for Juqua Parker who lost his starting job to Brandon Graham. Parker has three sacks but is still backing up.
Don’t get me wrong I feel for Kevin and know he’s going through a challenging time, but he’s not going through any more than any other player who has been demoted.
This is professional football, it isn’t the Pee Wee league, where the coach makes sure not to hurt anybody’s feelings.
Wow 10 million dollar extention and I’m suppose to feel sorry for him. Please man up go out and show that you can get the job done. Hey Vick could have an injury or whatever. He needs to be ready. This is professional football. Jobs are on the line everyday. I would be extremely pissed if jobs were given out to protect feelings. Please!!!!!!!!!1
Amen, G. I still think Kolb will be successful in the NFL — but even Kerry Collins was “successful”. It’s a business. Put up or Shut up. Vick took his opportunity and literally ran with it. Kolb took the short end of the stick by getting hurt — it happens. Move on. Fly Eagles Fly.
Exactly. Those players are mourning the demotion of Kevin Kolb. They want to win and they trust that their coaches will put the best players on the field. They can’t get caught up in what’s going on with another position. I don’t know why the media would expect players to be upset. Did the media express this same sentiment when McNabb was shipped out of town? No. All they could write was how the younger players looked up to Kolb and how he is a leader and blah blah blah. No sympathy at all.
great article
hahaha the media thinks the players should be down now but when d5 was traded the media thought the players should be extatic. funny town sometimes
and clearly im starting to view alot of this philadelphia media as the view its sickening gossip and personal agendas behind everything written or spoken
hoffman has a piece in the daily today qb switch puts reid in hot seat ?
really so if he sticks with kolb no hot seat huh? y is that and how does that make any sense in him keeping his job. i would think if he loses with either qb he would be on the hot seat. wouldnt that make more sense and while i do believe that is the case this just shows what the media does how do u know andy is on the hot seat. is it because ur dislike for vick so much persoanlly that ud like to see him on the hot seat now? i dont know but i agree with u on this 1 g i dont understand the media’s take on this 1. like r they mad reid lied to them, he’s been doing that forever.
Great article G. People forget that football is a business. And a big one at that. And in any longterm successful business, you put the people that are performing the best in positions that will best help the company succeed. No matter who gets their feelings hurt or what any public response is.
Yeah, people are feeling sorry for Kolb but guess what… he’s still getting paid! Just now he’ll be getting paid to be the backup. People all over this country, good, talented, hard working people are out of jobs. They don’t get demoted and still keep their same salary. They just fired or if they are lucky laid off with a small severance package.
So who gives a crap about Kolb’s feelings? Even if they make him the punter he’s still making millions this year.
Really, Reid did Kolb a HUGE favor by making this move. I really believe that Kolb would have been knocked out by injuries at some point this season. And you never know how those can effect your career. Imagine Kolb getting another concussion or two? Now Kolb can survive physically and will have a chance to play elsewhere in the future even if its not here.
I saw when DJax came back to the huddle when Kolb threw his passes.
When Vick came in the game he was bouncing around. Giving the first
down signal. I looked at my boy and said this is going to be a problem.
Forget what the media says. G you have been saying it for a while now. These
young guns grew up idolizing Vick. I even saw the defense get pumped up with
Vick in the game. Let’s get to it. I’m pumped now. Let’s go Vick!!!!!!!!!
OK, Vick is the man now…can we get some news not Vick related please. How’s the walking wounded doing?
Excuse WWW. He’s a bit sour right now. He’ll get over it.
reid did what’s best for the team, even though he did Kolb dirty
You know who I feel bad for? Mike Vick. Now that he’s the starting QB, he has to live with his backup making twice as much money as him — doesn’t seem fair does it?
Birdo, Kolb isn’t making twice as much. Kolb’s salary is spread over 2 years. So this years Kolb is making 6 million and Vick gets 5.25 million (including roster bonus). And he has a bunch of incentives where he could make more than Kolb this year. From ESPN:
Vick will get $850,000 if he plays 51 percent of the offensive plays nine or more times in 2010; $1.9 million if he plays in 51 percent 11 or more times; and $2.75 million if he plays in 51 percent of the plays 13 times or more.
All told, Vick has the opportunity to make $8 million in 2010.
If Vick plays well he gets extended and makes a lot more than 6 million next year.
birdo – what da heck does ‘fair’ have to do with real life OR football? Just curious
Oh ok, I thought Kolbs 12 mil was for the year, my bad.
Schiller, it was a lame attempt at a joke, relax.
www nice to see ya back lmao
thought we lost ya for a sec
G,
I was thinking about your Steve Young analogy and looked up some stats.
In Steve Young’s first four years (2 w/TB and 2w/SF) he started 25 games and had a 53% completion rate with 24TDs and 25 Ints. (Ages 24-27)
In Vick’s first four years he started 36 games and had a 51% completion rate and 36TDs and 26 Ints. He also took the Falcons to the NFC Championship Game in the fourth year and was the first QB to beat Favre in Green Bay during the playoffs.
Steve Young didn’t start a full season until he was 31 in 1992 and the rest is history.
Even if you use Vick’s entire career in Atlanta (6 years) and Young’s first 6 years the numbers aren’t that different.
Young- 29 starts. 57.3% 34 TDs 27 Ints
Vick- 67 starts 53.8% 71TDs 52 Ints
So for all of the people saying you can’t compare the two…they are VERY comparable.
http://www.pro-football-reference.com/players/Y/YounSt00.htm
http://www.pro-football-reference.com/players/V/VickMi00.htm
Vick is better period. Granted Kolb may have not gotten a fair shot, but who in their life does? Kolb didn’t score a point in the preseason and looked terrible against the Packers. I’m listening to 610 now and the fanbase on that station is making themselves sound stupid! Get over it people, just cause you don’t like the guy doesn’t mean he’s not the best qb on our roster.
Wow. That article took me so much longer to get through than it should’ve.
G, PLEASE hire an intern to proof read for you, man. The typos are ridiculous.
I love it. Eskin is mad at Reid. Now he’s calling him out because he made Vick the QB. It’s hilarious. Eskin is always sniffing Reid’s jock and now because Reid made a decision he doesn’t like, Reid is the problem. I love it.
Ike sounds like he’s about to slap Eskin. He told him to lower is voice when he’s talking to him. I love it when Eskin is wrong and pissed. He’s the second biggest idiot on WIP after Cataldi.
Nope…still here PW…I’m not sour either. AR made the right call in playing the better QB. Just enough with 50 effin articles saying the same thing over and over…not a single piece of news on the other 51 players on this team not named Vick or Kolb that might have an impact. How about asking the OLine what they’re going to do to make sure Vick doesn’t have to take a pounding again this week. Or how about any injured players coming back this week? Eff it…how about some more Kolb-Hate!! Go Birds.
g hit the nail on the head. no body felt bad when vince young was benched for kerry collins. or how about when trent green got hurt and kurt warner took over for him with the rams. green never got his starting job back with the team. then there is the qb switch from bledsoe to brady lead to the pats being a historic team. the birds do not want to be like the bills were in the late 90’s and forced the team to play rob johnson, who sucked when doug flutie was better for the team. in short do i feel bad for kolb? no!!!!!! there no crying in football.lol.
keep it coming G-UNIT ur taking ur site to another level with this good stuff
Yeah, but imagine what levels he could reach with anti virus software and a spellchecker…. oh one can dream cant he?
I saw part of the Kolb interview online and saw all of the sad faces interviewing him, the wincing, holding back tears…it was enough to make anyone living in the real world throw up immediately.
Vai Sikehema is the worst. Man I just saw a short report from him and his face was completely twisted over Kolb losing the starting job. I wonder about that guy…he hated Cunningham, hated McNabb and hates Vick but he loved McMahon in his geriatric stint with the birds as his leader and he loved Kolb even with the guy having thrown a whole bunch of interceptions in a very short period of time. I would love to see someone interview all of these local journalists to try to get to bottom of why the journalism seems to be skewed a certain way. Maybe the sports journalist at the national level will turn their focus on the local media here. I know they will if the Eagles go to the NFC Championship or the Superbowl.
G – You are the truth!!!
Schiller, you should go to Cobb’s house and tell him what you posted. Just in case he missed it.
I hate controversy on my team, i think it distracts from playing the games on Sunday. That being said, the move is sound, and anything that upsets Howard Eskin this much is always welcome.
G:
Consider the axe ground. Some of these frackin’ reporters, eh? Who cares! Sometimes you need industrial strength disinfectant to deal with them; sometimes you need to spew invective in their general direction. I get it, G. Move on, per adventure?
I wonder if Caoch AR will have Kolb out on the field on the 1st or 2nd play and have Vick in Motion to “outsmart” the other team.