There’s an expression that’s been popular in the NFL for decades and goes something like this, “the eye in the sky doesn’t lie”. It means the video tape of the game will tell us the truth.
I don’t know how many of you saw NFL Hall of Famer writer Ray Didinger and former Philadelphia Eagle and current NFL analyst Brian Baldinger break down the Eagles-Packers game on Comcast Sportsnet, but it was quite remarkable to see what really happened on Sunday.
What they saw on the video was that Kevin Kolb was shaky in the pocket and unwilling to stand in there, keep his eyes down field, deliver the football and take the hit.
On the other hand to our amazement, Michael Vick who has been unable to play the quarterback position from the pocket in the past, showed that he is willing to stand in the pocket, read the defense, deliver the football and take the hit.
On one play, Packer outside linebacker Clay Matthews who terrorized the Eagles all day long, came free on an inside blitz and was attacking Vick right in his face, but the Eagles backup quarterback stood in there (staring the down the gun barrel as Ron Jaworski likes to say)and didn’t flinch. He threw a strike to DeSean Jackson and took a hellacious hit from Matthews.
I had told you during the preseason that Kolb was running out of the pocket before giving plays a chance and before being forced out of the pocket by pressure from the pass rush. Baldinger and Didinger pointed that out in the Packers game. On one play, Kolb left the pocket before getting any pressure and it resulted in Matthews running him down and pounding his head into the Lincoln Financial Field turf.
I had also mentioned during the preseason that I didn’t like all the scrambling Kolb was doing because he had no idea how fast NFL defensive linemen and linebackers were. Sure as day, he leaves the pocket without being forced out, tries to run and gets hurt.
Vick on the other hand was staying in the pocket unless he was forced to freelance. He showed a new found discipline, which he must continue with against the Lions.
Vick’s touchdown pass to Jeremy Maclin was thrown from the pocket. He hit Brent Celek from pocket on a throw down the seam. He zipped one outside to Jackson and that was from the pocket. Kolb seems to be in a rush when he’s in the pocket.
For some reason, while Vick has been improving his discipline in the pocket, Kolb has been going the other way. He’s gotten spooked from the pocket by some hard hits.
Andy Reid and Marty Mornhinweg must get this corrected. They may need to go maximum protection with quick throws to help Kolb regain his confidence in the pocket. He is not going to have success outside the pocket because he doesn’t have the speed and quickness to avoid the heat-seeking missiles that play on each team in the NFL.
They have convinced Vick to stay in the pocket and give the plays a chance, now they have to re-convince Kolb, while he’s still in one-piece. It’s simple, Kolb has a chance to make it as a pocket passer but he won’t survive outside of the pocket and on the run.
Reid and Mornhinweg must be willing to run the ball more with Kolb in the game when he returns against the Jaguars or Redskins.
They must put Kolb in a position to succeed and that means running the ball more often and letting him make quick throws from the pocket to get the ball out of his hands. They can’t have him holding the ball for down the field throws until later in the game, after he’s completed some passes short.
The way the OLine is playing, he won’t survive in the pocket either. Come to think of it, there wasn’t much of a pocket at all last week. A revolving door is more like it.
Andy will correct as mismanging time outs and balancing the offense….we should be ok.
The O-line was the same way in the dallas games last year and nobody made excuses! They wanted McNabbs head. Although i am an Eagles fan, i try not to look at the game with that blinding emotion, but just look at the game for what REALLY happened. These Media guys did this to Kolb. Kolb never said he is more accurate than McNabb, Kolb never said he is going to make the O-Line “look better than it is” cause he gets the ball out quicker(biggest load of horse crap i ever heard), Kolb never said its time for a change, or “that team will be more consistant at that position” (Jerry Jones). That a rediculous ammount of pressure to put on a guy that has NEVER proven anything!!! I hear people call sports talk radio with comparisons to Aaron Rodgers, Drew Brees…lol. “He(Kolb), is like a Drew Brees in his release”…psssssssh!. How the hell do you know? Kolb is like a J.P Loseman in his release after he gets hit! I saw on this site they did a comparison between Hall Of Fame QB’s first years, and Kolb. WHAT??? Kolb isnt a damn Hall of Famer! There are infinitely more guys who started off shakey and NEVER got it together to compare him to, than the other way around. Peyton Manning? Jim Kelly? John Elway? Warren Moon? Steve Young? PLEASE SPARE ME!..Vick is better! McNabb is light years better. This guy played at HOUSTON!…
G you make some good points. Maybe Andy Greed and Marty can coach Kolb up, but maybe Kolb is like Maclin. Mr. Softee. We will find out in a few weeks. You and the lockerroom already know. You’re just being fair. But adding a running game and better play calling has never been a strong suit of Andy Greed.
Kolb will return and start and get knocked out again in the Dallas or Redskin game, because both of those teams DBs get physicle with our Recievers.
Djax has not had a decent game or punt return since Denver, Dallas and the Skins shut him down last year. That’s why the Eagles have not given him a new deal. He is overrated. You will get to see the best receiver in the NFL this week in Calvin Johnson. Fortunately for us Detroit’s QB stinks and unless they use him on slip screens, he won’t be much of a factor. Opps. Sorry, I forgot Ellis “fantastic scrub” Hobbs is our starting CB. Pencil in a couple of TDs for Calvin. Please start the kid from Kentucky. He was the only one in training camp who could cover Riley Cooper.
ozz, I hope you are being sarcastic because I don’t know why anyone think Andy will now fix these problems after 11 years. Talent is the only thing that will overcome the coaching problems.
Scorp, he’s being sarcastic. Reid is going to have to do some creative/constructive (not gimmicks!!!) coaching this year; have my doubts he’ll be successful unless he departs from his old predispositions.
Who care about these articles about what they need to do. You think Andy is listening to us? no he is some where eating 3 footlong cheesesteak from subway and 5 large mcdonalds fries. Fat people cant coach. There has never been a fat superbowl winning coach.
Wilch:
Unitas from Louisville (Conf USA team), Favre from Southern Miss (another Conf USA school like Houston), Staubach from Navy; Kurt Warner from Northern Iowa??? These colleges are not your typical football powerhouses with large scholarship programs. Terry Bradshaw from Louisiana Tech? Until the Steelers won their first SB, for years they claimed he was too stupid to be an NFL QB because he talked too much like a “dumb redneck.” The media was terrible about his so-called lack of intelligence… and no proof! QB’s and every other position come from all kinds of big and little programs so stop with the school labels; they’re irrelevant. A guy makes is to NFL based on HS and college careers, talent, and coach-ability. Vick is perhaps the most gifted athletic QB whoever played in the NFL, with possible exception of Randall Cunningham (passer, runner, & kicker). Incidentally, Randall could throw a ball farther than Donovan. For now, Vick is the more ready Eagles QB to lead this team with his physical skills and past experience. If he had been forced to work as a system QB back at Va Tech and in Atlanta, who knows where he’d be by now. But at some point, Reid is going to have to throw Kolb into the fire for a bunch of games and Kolb will either sink or swim. I don’t give a flyin’ foot who this team’s QB is… as long as he can get the job done. Yes, McNabb could have won some more games for us, but do you really think he’d win a SB before his skills eroded too much. McNabb has taken a LOT of physical punishment over the years and that toll is starting to show on him down in D.C.
I didn’t make it up to Lehigh, but at Flight Night Kolb was wearing the red shirt, and scrambled 50% or more of the time in all of the O v D drills. If you don’t practice from the pocket, you won’t be able to play from the pocket, and instead of having 10’s or 100’s of reps from the pocket while red shirted, he now needs those reps. And I saw Vick getting coached up between reps, and Kolb not getting much attention from the coaches; and certainly someone should have nipped the scrambling in the bud. I’m not a pro coach or scout, but apparently this layperson was more on top of Flight Night than anyone named Andy or Marty.
Thiklan, nice observation. They do talk to Vick, they might think that Kolb has it all down, but he is still inexperienced so AR and MM better coach Kolb up more and stop being lazy, overconfident or what ever it is they are doing, and get this young QB (not a rookie) manned up and fast. Dear Andy stop playing around man and help the QB out..run the ball, stop the gimmicks, etc. etc.
Iggles..you missed my point. You reinforced what i meant. Why even through Kolbs name out there with Unitas at all? Why not compare him to the countless bums who DIDNT make it, instead of the rare few who achieved greatness? Kolb was a second round pick, why not compare him to the guys in his draft who also sucked? Brain Brohm? Drew Stanton? Brady Quinn? Hell the first OVERALL pick Jemarcus Russell??? So out of all of that WE(the Eagles) have the gem of the quarterback class in the second round??? He (Kolb) stinks to high hell! Scared in the pocket, and show no flashes of greatness. I just want people to stop rolling out what Peyton Manning and Troy Aikman did in there rookie years, cause first off, Kolb is NOT a rookie, and those guys showed tremedous skills and PHYSICAL tools when they were on the field, so you could actually SEE why they were the future. What is Kolbs best atribute? Big Arm? No….Mobility and the ablitity to create? No..is he a winner like Vince Young? No…so im supposed to go off of 6 yard accuracy?? You cant be accurate if you dont even knw who to pass to, and your Shaggy from scobby doo scared in the pocket of taking a hit
Vrichini:
I always told my son’s that Andy Greed left the light on at the office late at night pretending to be like Dick Vermeil, all the while, he was eating Hoagies and Cheesesteaks not looking at film. How many times have we one of the Eagles say that THIS YEAR they are going to work hard (quentin demps, Trevor Laws etc). Half of the offensive linemen are fat and out of shape. You don’t see those massive guts on the Patriots linemen. When Andy Greed leads by example the team will follow. The players do like and respect him. He will fall on the sword for his players, and take the blame.
There was one Fat Superbowl winning coach. Madden. See video of the Holy Roller. “Madden wants to see if it’s good, he said yes, get your big butt out of here!”
They dont give Kolb the attention cause Mike Vick is going into his SECOND YEAR in the offense and Kolb is going into HIS FOURTH! YES, He IS SUPPOSED TO KNOW what he is doing! After four years on a job, if i dont know the basics, guess what? Im canned!!! If he cant drop back stand tall and deliver the football with timing, get his ass out of there! Kolb should be teaching Vick what the ins and outs of the offense are. Hell Kafka looks better than Kolb! He has the arm to go down feild and he has a feild awareness that Kolb lacks!..You can see that.
To tell the truth, I was more impressed with Kafka than Kolb during the preseason.
I second that, Kafka’s eyes/head actually surveyed the field, and he’s a true rookie; I look forward to seeing more of him, whenever that may happen (which could be sooner than we think).
To Slick1 and Thiklan, I predicted this before preseason, I agree with you guys Kafka is better than Kolb even Marty M. said that Kafka understood this defense the quickest than Vick or Kolb. Kafka has a stronger arm than Kolb as well. Lets’s go Vick!!!! Go birds!!!
Let’s get this clear.
Vick is a better athlete
Vick has the stronger arm
Vick stands tall in the pocket and throws strikes after going through his progressions
Vick have speed to throw on the run and escape pressure
Vick strikes fear in opposing defenses and teams alter their regular defense sets against Vick
Vick shines when the bright lights come on in “Prime Time”
Vick is respected by his peers
Vick was the number “1” pick from his draft class and showed the league immediately… why.
The whole league is laughing at the fact we’re even considering Kevin Kolb over a clearly better 3 time pro bowl player.
Who the hell is Kevin Kolb?
My new name for “Kolb until he is in the same heap as the Jerome McDougal’s and Freddy Mitchell’s…is…DRUMROLL~~~~
“DIAPER BOY”
In all fairness, last weeks game was the first time Vick has lined up behind the first team O-line so there hasnt been an opportunity yet for them to blow his confidence in their stability.
Well stated Songs 🙂 I Guarantee you any team the Eagles play including the Lions rather defend against Kolb than Vick… look at what Clay Matthews said, he or the Packers defense doesn’t wanna see Vick again.
Mimitaro…….haaaaaaaaaa whewwww too funny for prime time buddy. Good point Wilcher and Songs. I am still going to reserve judgement on Kolb, yeah I get it, I heard you guys the first time, he stinks,well we can all get together later down the road, have a cookout and slap each other the back about Kolb, for now I am going to wait and see, and hope the light has come on up there, and that the speed of the game has slowed for him. As for now GO Vick, Go Eagles, Go Defense. Just win let everything else work itself out.
Getting a concussion in your first start as a starting QB won’t exactly build confidence
It started in Preseason when he got pounded
It is never a good thing to have a new QB get pounded before the season even starts
And just as bad your MLB after being out a whole year gets a concussion first game back and your center tears a tricep first game back
Eagles are snake bitten
Hope they have someone behind Kafka for Sunday
The way things are going they may need one
Jaws and Baldy said that!!!! Both were certain that Kolb would be a very good QB who would get the ball out quicker and be more accurate.
When Vick played last week, I was surprised by his passing from the pocket, especially after his poor pre-season showing.
scorpiodsu If you have seen me post here which i am sure you have, i am being sarcastic. I laugh when i hear media types refer to andy to have to fix something because he never does.