Philadelphia Eagles Week 1: Did Kevin Kolb's Concussion Cause A QB Controversy?

In front of their home crowd, the Philadelphia Eagles' 2010 season had a far from picture-perfect start. Kevin Kolb took the field against the Green Bay Packers as the new starter for the Birds, and all eyes in the City of Brotherly Love were on him.

I'm not sure they liked what they saw.

Kolb started the game under pressure, and never seemed to get comfortable in the pocket or with his receivers. Patience was already running thin when Kolb was taken down hard on a second quarter scramble, coming up with nothing more than a face mask full of grass and dirt. Kolb was shaken up but kept playing, finishing the half 5-for-10 for just 24 yards, two sacks against him, and his team down 13-3.

Unfortunately, he never had a chance to improve, as he didn't return. 

Reports from the locker room stated that Kolb was pulled from the game after suffering a concussion, but based on the performance of Michael Vick, it wouldn't be far-fetched to think that head coach Andy Reid has already seen enough. 

With the Eagles trailing and Andy Reid suddenly looking like he was wrong about Kolb, Michael Vick took advantage of his opportunity to become the hero in the second half.

Vick put up impressive stat lines (16-for-24 for 175 yards and one touchdown passing, 11 rushes for 103 yards on the ground), but the biggest boost came from his mere presence. Unlike in the preseason, Vick looked poised and confident; he knew when to run and when to throw, wowed all spectators with his speedy feet, and connected on a number of tightly-spiraled passes.

He came up short, as the Birds still fell 27-20, but his performance raises a huge question: is there (already) a quarterback controversy in Philly?

It's not necessarily that there needs to be, but Eagles fans have the strong reputation of being extremely impatient.

Andy Reid shipped off a sure-fire Hall of Famer in Donovan McNabb, and so far (without McNabb even setting foot on the field in DC), it looks like a mistake. The next week might not be pretty for the Big Guy, as fans will likely already call for either his head or Kolb's.

Being that it's just the first week of a long NFL regular season, the best choice here might be to just relax and see what happens when Kolb is healthy. The Eagles do play the Lions next week, and because the NFL is very cautious with concussions, Kolb may not even be ready to go.

Still, while the kid looked a little shaky in the first half of a game going against a Super Bowl-contending defense and enormous amounts of pressure, no one said that this move would be easy. 

That said, Reid still finds himself in a very tough spot. After investing all of his confidence in the fourth-year quarterback from Houston, it would be tough to give up on the kid after just one half of football against a great team. On the flip side, with all the turmoil in Philly, Reid may have to swallow his pride in order to put his best play-making quarterback on the field.