Kolb is the Right Call, Week 2 NFL Picks, College Pick, Week-in-Review
With several days to listen to the incessant chatter about Michael Vick and Kevin Kolb that we all knew was coming the minute Kolb got hurt and Vick rallied the Eagles against the Packers, I am a little surprised that so many people want to simply go with Vick.
I’m only a “little” surprised because over reacting is pretty much what fans do. I’ll admit that right after the game I was more interested in seeing what Vick could do than I was previously. But once that initial excitement wears off and Vick’s career is examined, it’s obvious that the team has to stick with Kolb.
First of all, Vick has never won anything. He’s never shown the ability to play as a passing quarterback, including last week. Vick had two critical opportunities – a 3rd down by the goal line and the final 4th-and-1 – and didn’t deliver either time. Otherwise, he was racking up statistics while playing from behind, which is always easier than playing in a game that’s still competitive.
Besides that, this team is not going to win anything this season. Vick is 30-years-old, he’ll be starting on Sunday for the first time since 2006 for reasons we’re all familiar with, and he is a worse fit for Andy Reid’s system than Donovan McNabb. And if anyone thinks Reid is going to adjust his system for Vick, they haven’t been paying attention for the last decade.
Even if all of that wasn’t true, there’s no chance that Reid is going to scrap the long-term plan of having Kolb takeover the offense based on a half of football – nor should he.
Picks. A tough week to open the season last week as I went 2-4 overall, losing 20.96 points, with a brutal 1-3 record in the NFL. But unlike Brandon Lang, I won’t disappear for months, get fired from my own .com – still can’t figure out how that happens – or tell you how I’m actually kicking butt . . . on Wednesdays . . . in college football . . . if it’s under 60 degrees. I also won’t try to charge you for picks. We’re just having some fun here.
Of course, I wouldn’t mind knowing what the hell Dallas was thinking at the end of the half last Sunday night. But there’s no crying in baseball or gambling – at least not publicly. I need a bounce back week this weekend, so here’s my Week 2 NFL picks and a college pick:
NE -3 (10pts. to win 9.52)
NO -5.5 (10pts. to win 9.52)
Alabama -24 (10pts. to win 9.52)
Eagles vs. Lions. At -3 or -3.5 I loved the Eagles in this game. But it’s up to about -6 and I just don’t trust it as a pick. That said, I think the Birds will win fairly easily.
Week-in-Review:
• It’s kind of amazing how fast the Phillies take a backseat to the Eagles in the consciousness of the Philly sports fan. The Phils are doing it again in September. Ryan Howard and Chase Utley are heating up at the plate, and all that talk about the Braves’ players winning the division for Bobby Cox’s swan song is fading with the long summer days.
• I just don’t care that Reggie Bush gave back the Heisman Trophy or whether or not he took money and/or gifts while he was at Southern Cal. It doesn’t affect what happened on the field. It’s not going to stop this type of thing from going on with other players. It’s absolutely meaningless.
• Alex Rodriguez acts like he got hit by a pitch (when the ball really hit his bat) to get to first base in a critical game against the Tampa Bay Rays, and ESPN tried to make it into a major debate about the morality of what he did because he’s a Yankee. Give me a break. That’s how you play the game.
• Andy Reid isn’t the only head coach who can’t think on his feet during a game. Lovie Smith went for a touchdown in the fourth quarter with the Bears down 1 point on a 4th-and-1 on the 1-yard line – right where the defense had handed them the ball after recovering a fumble. If the Bears hadn’t won on a controversial call, Smith would have been ripped much more.
I’m only a “little” surprised because over reacting is pretty much what fans do. I’ll admit that right after the game I was more interested in seeing what Vick could do than I was previously. But once that initial excitement wears off and Vick’s career is examined, it’s obvious that the team has to stick with Kolb.
First of all, Vick has never won anything. He’s never shown the ability to play as a passing quarterback, including last week. Vick had two critical opportunities – a 3rd down by the goal line and the final 4th-and-1 – and didn’t deliver either time. Otherwise, he was racking up statistics while playing from behind, which is always easier than playing in a game that’s still competitive.
Besides that, this team is not going to win anything this season. Vick is 30-years-old, he’ll be starting on Sunday for the first time since 2006 for reasons we’re all familiar with, and he is a worse fit for Andy Reid’s system than Donovan McNabb. And if anyone thinks Reid is going to adjust his system for Vick, they haven’t been paying attention for the last decade.
Even if all of that wasn’t true, there’s no chance that Reid is going to scrap the long-term plan of having Kolb takeover the offense based on a half of football – nor should he.
Picks. A tough week to open the season last week as I went 2-4 overall, losing 20.96 points, with a brutal 1-3 record in the NFL. But unlike Brandon Lang, I won’t disappear for months, get fired from my own .com – still can’t figure out how that happens – or tell you how I’m actually kicking butt . . . on Wednesdays . . . in college football . . . if it’s under 60 degrees. I also won’t try to charge you for picks. We’re just having some fun here.
Of course, I wouldn’t mind knowing what the hell Dallas was thinking at the end of the half last Sunday night. But there’s no crying in baseball or gambling – at least not publicly. I need a bounce back week this weekend, so here’s my Week 2 NFL picks and a college pick:
NE -3 (10pts. to win 9.52)
NO -5.5 (10pts. to win 9.52)
Alabama -24 (10pts. to win 9.52)
Eagles vs. Lions. At -3 or -3.5 I loved the Eagles in this game. But it’s up to about -6 and I just don’t trust it as a pick. That said, I think the Birds will win fairly easily.
Week-in-Review:
• It’s kind of amazing how fast the Phillies take a backseat to the Eagles in the consciousness of the Philly sports fan. The Phils are doing it again in September. Ryan Howard and Chase Utley are heating up at the plate, and all that talk about the Braves’ players winning the division for Bobby Cox’s swan song is fading with the long summer days.
• I just don’t care that Reggie Bush gave back the Heisman Trophy or whether or not he took money and/or gifts while he was at Southern Cal. It doesn’t affect what happened on the field. It’s not going to stop this type of thing from going on with other players. It’s absolutely meaningless.
• Alex Rodriguez acts like he got hit by a pitch (when the ball really hit his bat) to get to first base in a critical game against the Tampa Bay Rays, and ESPN tried to make it into a major debate about the morality of what he did because he’s a Yankee. Give me a break. That’s how you play the game.
• Andy Reid isn’t the only head coach who can’t think on his feet during a game. Lovie Smith went for a touchdown in the fourth quarter with the Bears down 1 point on a 4th-and-1 on the 1-yard line – right where the defense had handed them the ball after recovering a fumble. If the Bears hadn’t won on a controversial call, Smith would have been ripped much more.
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