[1QWIKBIRD]

Here's the deal.....like it or not.....

Reid traded McNabb, the most successful signal caller the franchise has seen. But McNabb never delivered the goods (for various reasons, not all of which are on him). Insanity is defined as doing the same thing over and over expecting different results. I think that's where Reid felt he was with McNabb, both needed a change. The Eagles weren't going to win with McNabb under center, if they were, they would have done it by now. Change is OK. Kolb was the change, he had been groomed for it.

Reid gave the job to Kolb. He had the unfortunate injury against the Packers. So Reid, being true to his guy says the job is still Kolb's, once the concussion deal is sorted out. Trouble is, Vick (3 Pro-Bowls on his resume) played very effectively in relief during the packers game and was pretty darn good against the Lions (as you would expect against the Lions). So after a day to digest the game tape and take a step back and look at the entire picture, Reid had no choice but to swallow his pride and insert Vick as the starter.

Is that fair to Kolb? Probably not. You shouldn't lose you spot due to injury. But guess what? Life ain't fair and football is a business. Reid and the Eagles are in the business of winning football games. At present Vick is better suited to win football games with the Eagles than Kolb is. Second, Reid has an obligation to the other 52 players on his roster to put the guy under center that gives them the best shot at winning. Vick is that guy at present. You can't deny his athleticism, his arm strength, his on field performance or that fact that he is continuing to make amends for his past bad acts. Kolb might be the real deal, but for now Vick is executing at a much higher level on the field. Football isn't baseball or hockey. There are exactly 16 games, not 162 or 82. Every game is critical. There is no time to learn on the fly or take a wait and see approach in today's NFL. The time is NOW.

The whole dog fighting thing is wrong period. The acts were horrifying, cruel and inhumane. No argument here and no amount of community service can change what he did. In the end though, he was indicted, tried, convicted, sentenced and served that sentence. (I bet Bernie Madoff never sees significant time on the inside of a state prison and his crimes, while not as sensational, ruined far more lives.) Michael Vick's slate is clean (his conscience?), that's how our justice systems works. Second chances are what you make of them. The jury is still out what he makes of his second chance.....

GO BIRDS