Who Has More Question Marks; Michael Vick or Kevin Kolb?

Nobody knows what awaits the Eagles as they decide what they’re going to do with backup quarterback Kevin Kolb. Should they keep him in place, in case Michael Vick gets hurt, or should they trade him and acquire a quality draft pick? Nobody knows what the future holds, but Andy Reid and his staff must be right. If they’re wrong, Reid will likely pay for it with his job.

There are numerous scenarios which could take place involving Michael Vick. Kolb could be kept on hand and Vick could play well and the team finally wins the Super Bowl. Kolb could be kept on hand and Vick could play well and the team is unable to win it all for various reasons. It could be the defense, special teams, coaching or simply because another team like the Green Bay Packers are just better than the Birds.

There are numerous scenarios which could occur that involve Vick running into problems on the field or running into problems off the field. There are legitimate question marks involving Vick both on the field and off the field. Some of those who support him brush off the chance of him running into trouble off the field, but his past makes that a legitimate issue.

It’s something that the Eagles, who have better knowledge of Vick’s comings and goings than the rest of us, must know and be sure that they protect their investment, by demanding that he stay away from the people who might create problems.

There are legitimate risks of Vick having problems on the field. He was having trouble recognizing the blitz during the latter part of the year. Teams have changed their strategies of defending him and he must make the adjustment. He can’t escape blitzes with his speed alone.

He must learn to recognize and read the blitz before the ball is snapped. Vick must then be mentally sharp enough to change the play or the protection if necessary, then quickly get the ball out of his hands before the blitzers arrive. He’s got to get the ball into the hands of the hot receiver.

Vick and his wide outs must be on the same page. He must recognize the blitz and the receivers must recognize the blitz. The hot receiver has to break off his route and be looking for the football. Vick has to get it to them.

Although Vick was a Pro Bowler and had a quarterback rating over 100, there’s still a legitimate chance that he doesn’t play well in 2011, but the same is true of Kolb.

Some how since the season, Vick’s blemishes have grown and Kolb’s blemishes have vanished. How is it that we can admit that there’s a chance that Vick doesn’t play well, but some how the mere thought of Kolb not playing well is brushed aside. I don’t get it.

You can compare Kolb to Aaron Rodgers, but Kolb isn’t Aaron Rodgers. Rodgers has the smarts, the athletic ability, the arm and the guts. There’s no guarantee that Kolb is going to be a great quarterback.

I don’t care how many players or GM’s talk about how great he is, the fact of the matter is that he hasn’t led a team to the playoffs. He hasn’t gone through a punishing season and made it through healthy. He hasn’t been a Pro Bowl quarterback.

How is that the more accomplished quarterback is doubted more than the quarterback who has been a backup for nearly all of his NFL career. I’m not saying this because I don’t think Kolb will be a good quarterback because I do think he will be good NFL quarterback. He can dead-on accurate when he gets in a rhythm. Kolb has a great mental command of the offense so that he knows where the receivers are. He’s deceptively quick and has the ability to avoid the rush and buy time for his receivers.

Still, I’m not going to start treating him like he’s accomplished things that he hasn’t accomplished. He doesn’t have the strongest of arms. He has shown tremendous courage in taking hits during his time here. I do see limitations, but I realize he hasn’t been given a fair chance up until now.

If the personnel around him isn’t good, I don’t know whether he is talented enough to carry a football team. We’ll see. I don’t know how he will do if the team doesn’t have a running game and the offensive line is inconsistent.

Can he take a beating? In the short times he has played, he didn’t seem to react well after being hit. Kolb’s game seemed to go south during the times when pressure was put on him and he was hit. We’ve seen Vick respond favorably to being hit.

How would Kolb have done if he had played for the Eagles the entire season? How would he do if he’s being hit consistently because a team is asking him to throw the ball 40-plus times behind a mediocre offensive line? Can he make mediocre receivers better?

The bottomline concerning the Eagles quarterback situation is that there’s a chance that both Vick and Kolb, could play well next season and the rest of their careers and there’s also a chance that both of them will play poorly.

The main difference in the two is that one of them is a four-time Pro Bowler and has led three teams to the NFL playoffs and the other has been a backup nearly all of his professional career. Maybe I see this thing wrongly but I have more confidence in the guy with the resume.