Michael Vick's Back: Kevin Kolb, Philadelphia Eagles Facing Best-Case Scenario

Michael Vick haters, you can start looking for another column to read as soon as you get to the period of this sentence.

This is about football. Nothing more, nothing less.

There’s no quarterback controversy today in Philadelphia, and Eagles head coach Andy Reid can thank Michael Vick for that.

Just when you thought this week would be one filled of “What’s Reid going to do at QB in Week 3?” stories, Reid announced before last Sunday’s game against the Detroit Lions that starting quarterback Kevin Kolb would return in Week 3.

Reid billed Kolb as the starter all summer, handed him the reigns to the offense for the season-opener against the Green Bay Packers, and one concussion isn’t going to change that.

Kolb is healthy, Reid said, and therefore he will be the starter next Sunday when the Eagles visit the 1-1 Jacksonville Jaguars.

And no, there’s not going to be any resentment on Vick’s behalf to build into a controversy, so if that’s the angle you hoped for reporters, you can put your pens to sleep.

Vick squashed any semblance of a smoldering-controversy ember by saying all the right things after throwing for 284 yards and two touchdowns with no interceptions during the Eagles 35-32 victory against the Lions.

“I came into this season and this year as the backup and that’s been my mindset,” Vick said. “I’ve been working hard to be reliable whenever I’m needed. That’s the way it is and the way it’s gonna be throughout the season.”

Maybe, but maybe not. 

Andy Reid Will Have Options

And that’s why Vick’s little bit of success early on is the biggest blessing in disguise for which Philly could have asked. 

No, it’s not about Vick taking the starting quarterback job from Kolb. It’s about Vick pressuring the starting quarterback and hunting for his job, and Kolb knows it.

“I have to prove [I’m the right guy to start],” Kolb said. “That’s the competitive nature of everybody. Andy’s loyal to everybody, and he’s a trustworthy guy. He does what’s right for the team always.

“And I appreciate the words that Mike has said.”

Vick said that Kolb deserves to be the Eagles' starting quarterback after everything he’s done preparing for this season and waiting for his opportunity.

“I know how good [Kolb] is and what he can do,” Vick said. “He’s going to lead us, and we’re gonna follow.”

Beautiful.

That’s Exhibit A of what it means to be a good teammate.

But don’t confuse that with accepting second place, because that is not the point of Vick’s words nor does it expose the depth of his hunger.

Kevin Kolb started two games for the Eagles in his first three seasons while waiting for the Eagles to find a way to run Donovan McNabb out of town.

He’s waited, he’s studied, he’s worked, and he’s earned this chance.

But you don’t think Vick has waited—albeit for different reasons—and is frothing for a chance, too?

You can bet a year’s worth of Geno’s Steaks that he is.

So heading into the third week of the season, what do the Eagles have?

The Eagles have two talented, hungry and humble quarterbacks who are handling their jobs with professionalism and maturity. In other words, they are falling in line every coach’s team-first mantra.

We can debate who should actually start for the Eagles for the rest of the season if we wish.

Kevin Kolb can make some throws that Vick probably can’t, and Kolb is probably more prepared and polished than Vick currently is. Kolb also doesn’t offer the upside that Vick does.

Vick has plenty of “tools” to give opposing defensive coordinators the sweats during game week.

He can run, he’s elusive, he has arm strength, he can adapt, he can make the spectacular play along with the routine play, and so far this season he has proved that he is evolving into a more complete QB as opposed to the run-first, think-later guy that wreaked havoc in Atlanta.

Opposing defenses would probably rather face Kolb because he makes game planning easier. Kolb may beat you, but it’s more than likely going to be by one way. Vick’s different.

But, of course, what does all of that even mean in terms of team success? 

Too early to say.

The Impact of Vick on Kevin Kolb

Kolb will have his opportunity to lead this team, and Vick will be in there if Kolb fails.

Vick wants to be a starting quarterback again, and he’s beginning to earn that opportunity, although there’s plenty of work left for him to do.

“Hopefully, somebody will give me that opportunity [next year], and if they give me that opportunity, they will get 110 percent,” Vick said.

For Vick, it’s about earning trust as much as it is about showing consistent improvement and performance on the field. Reputations can be eternally damning, but Vick is doing everything he can to rewrite his.

Vick won’t be the long-term option in Philly, if anywhere.

If he continues to play well, he’ll probably get an incentive-laden contract worth a couple of years from somebody next year.

But is Kolb the long-term solution in Philly, either? Not yet. He must earn that respect.

If the Eagles don’t feel comfortable with what they have in Kolb in the next couple of years, then they will look for their next quarterback in the draft.

This realization will lift Kolb to a successful NFL career, or it will sink him.

A gauntlet of relentless pressure is in the best interest of Kolb because the day a competitor concedes he has “made it” and allows his mind to relax is the day his career begins its decline.

But regardless of who secures the starting job for the Eagles, Reid will have a QB who has earned the right to be there, and Philadelphia will be a better team for it.

If Michael Vick wasn’t playing well and didn’t make fans at least think about whether he should start or not, who knows what Reid would get out of Kolb?

To Kolb’s credit, it doesn’t seem like he has assumed anything.

As he’s finding out, competition can be a man’s greatest motivator.

Follow Teddy Mitrosilis on Twitter. You can reach him at [e-mail].