Michael Vick Will Never Start for the Philadelphia Eagles

Whether it's on message boards, hearing it in casual conversation, or even reading it in articles written by "expert" sports writers, people are still talking about the possibility of Michael Vick replacing Kevin Kolb at some point next season.

I keep hearing, "Just wait until Kolb has a three-interception game," or "Wait until the Eagles are 2-5 and Kolb is throwing more picks than touchdowns. They're looking for a reason to play Vick."

I'm here to tell you now that's nonsense. Vick will never start at quarterback for the Philadelphia Eagles. Kolb, even if he stinks up the field every single week, will be the starter. Andy Reid and the rest of the organization has made a commitment to him and they're now married.

Kolb has had very limited playing time, and there will be growing pains and bumps along the way. He will throw a few stupid interceptions or miss a wide-open receiver because he made the wrong read, or whatever else, but he will not get pulled in favor of anyone, much less Vick.

But, through it all, Reid will continue to play him week after week regardless of the inevitable clammer for Vick.

Of course, it's possible that Kolb plays very well next season and there's no reason to even consider pulling him, but it's more likely that he screws up pretty bad at certain points and the same group of people who wanted to see A.J. Feeley and Jeff Garcia become the full-time starters will start chanting and hollering for Vick to get his shot.

But, like I said, it won't ever happen. Even if Kolb were to go down for a few weeks, the Eagles would most likely start whomever the third quarterback will be, whether that's Garcia or a rookie taken in the later rounds.

The Eagles, including Reid, see Vick as a gadget player and not a quarterback. That's his role on this team and that's all it will ever be.

In fact, there's a strong possibility that Vick isn't even on this roster in a couple of months, so temper your enthusiasm right now, Vick-lovers.