The Michael Vick show has exceeded expectations.


-- DeSean Jackson had his usual big plays, but it should be the three drops that everyone remembers. The first was on the very first drive -- on third down -- when he let the ball hit off his hands and end the Eagles' drive.

The second was when he curled up and dropped the ball because he was afraid of colliding with Brent Celek, and the third was a lazy attempt on the sideline.

I don't recall ever seeing this from Jackson, but he's playing scared right now. It cannot be allowed to continue even if it means benching him for a game the next time it happens. Not only will he wind up hurting the team, but he'll wind up hurting himself.

-- For the third consecutive week, Michael Vick looked great. He decision-making was sound and the passes, for the most part, were on point. He did have a couple balls that had everyone wondering what in the hell he was doing, but those were few and far between.

Four total touchdowns later (one rushing), Vick is showing that Andy Reid definitely made the right decision to stick with him. He now has the Eagles sitting atop the NFC East with a 2-1 record and the much-anticipated return of Donovan McNabb right around the corner.

-- Juqua Parker, Darryl Tapp, and Trent Cole were phenomenal. There isn't a whole lot more than can be asked of those guys. It's expected out of Cole, but Parker has been a terrific surprise and Tapp looks hellbent on never missing another game.

-- And what about Trevor Laws? Something clicked in this guy's head during the offseason because he is playing out of his mind right now. Even if he's not hitting the quarterback, he's taking double-teams and pushing them into the backfield. Right now, he's playing better than Mike Patterson and even notched his first career sack.

-- Is there any chance the Eagles' other second-round pick out of Notre Dame can have the same type of impact around Week 7 when he comes after the PUP? It's probably more likely he hits the streets.

-- Like it or not, Akeem Jordan has by far been the Eagles' best linebacker. Ernie Sims and Stewart Bradley have been non-existent and I actually notice them getting caught in the wash and taken out of the play more often than not. There's still time to turn things around, but neither of them is doing anything to breed confidence.

-- Outside of an injury, Nick Cole should not see the field again for the rest of the season. He is lazy, plays sloppy, has proven he's not a starter, and will get Vick killed if he's allowed to make one more start. Did anyone notice constant pressure up the middle once Reggie Wells made his way into the game? The answer is no, you didn't.

-- Nate Allen couldn't continue his interception streak, but he did notch his first career sack. Not a bad way to start your NFL career -- two interceptions and a sack in three games.

-- Ellis Hobbs played very well. He's even starting to undercut some routes and is clearly gaining confidence in his knowledge of the system.

-- The guy across from Hobbs, Asante something or other, came down with his first interception of the year after missing two or three in the first two weeks. Samuel has been impressive this season because he's playing more within the system and not gambling as much. His tackling has also been much better so far this season.

-- Sticking with the secondary, Quintin Mikell seems like he's really starting to hit his stride for the season. He's flying around and making plays, but still needs to buckle down more in coverage. He is peaking into the backfield too much and allowing guys to get behind him.

-- Jorrick Calvin should be the return man. Kicks or punts, he's the better option. He's shown a great burst and could be one of those guys that changes games with a big return or two throughout the course of a game. Jackson and Hobbs have been unimpressive overall, so why not give the rookie a shot?

-- Where has Jason Avant been all season?

-- Once again, LeSean McCoy averaged about five yards per carry, but only carried the ball 11 times all game long. With such a large lead, there is no excuse for McCoy not to have at least 15-20 carries or more.

-- Why is Mike Bell taking carries from McCoy? He's been a complete disappointment and that didn't end today. He had a long of nine yards, and finished with five carries for 14 yards. The math doesn't work in his favor.

-- Owen Schmitt is no Leonard Weaver, but he's done very well over the past two weeks. He's shown soft hands out of the backfield, and has been very good picking up the blitz. He's not going to be pushing Weaver for his job, but the Birds could have struck gold with Schmitt.
Continue Reading...

Reggie Wells will be the starting RG sooner or later.


The Philadelphia Eagles' official injury report hit my inbox Friday, and the first thing I noticed was that Nick Cole did not practice. He is listed as probable (as are a handful of other guys), but it's never good when you're held out of the last real day of practice as Saturdays are usually nothing more than a walk-through.

"(Cole has) a little knee inflammation so I kept him off the turf today," head coach Andy Reid told the media Friday. We still have him listed as probable and he did practice the last couple of days, but I just thought it was best to keep him out of there."

Reggie Wells, the newly-acquired guard from the Arizona Cardinals, took all the first-team reps on Friday and could be the guy to the right of Mike McGlynn on Sunday.

Reid did not trade for Wells so he could be a backup. He traded for him because Wells has a lot of starting experience and Cole is not a starter.

Cole has no feet and he's not good at picking up the blitz -- two things that will absolutely destroy a pass-first team. He will take his first kick-step, but then his feet stop moving and he just begins lunging and guys.

And at only 6 feet tall, Cole doesn't have the arm length to reach for guys successfully. Todd Herremans, at 6'6, can get away with that from time to time, but Cole has no chance to be a successful pass-blocker if he's not willing to use his feet.

Wells, on the other hand, has shown he's a more than capable pass-blocker and an overall better player than Cole. Reid recognizes that, and I think he will do everything he can to find an excuse to see how far along Wells really is with the playbook this week.

Cole will likely dress as the primary backup along the interior, but I would actually be surprised if he starts the game.

There will probably be a couple problems with the line calls due to the lack of continuity with Wells getting thrown in there, but there's no better time than now to work those things out.

Wells will eventually be the starter anyway, they're playing a sub-par defense in the Jacksonville Jaguars, and it's already Week 3. Waiting any longer to insert Wells could prove to be a big mistake, so I think Reid is setting himself up for a reason to toss Wells in as the starter.

And if he doesn't play as well as Reid would like, he has an easy excuse to reinsert Cole in Week 4 simply by saying he's coming back from injury. Reid, as always, is covering himself just in case things don't go the way he has them planned.

I don't expect that to be necessary, however. Wells is the better player, and I think having him in the lineup will show that immediately. We'll see a lot less pressure coming up the middle from the 'A' gaps which will allow Michael Vick to stand in the pocket a little longer and give him extra time to find his receivers.

Cole is the weak link on that offensive line, and with him on the bench that will become obvious.
Continue Reading...