Mike Vick or Kevin Kolb? Five Reasons the Eagles QB Controversy Won't End Soon

The 2010 calendar year started so well for Kevin Kolb.

After three years on the bench, the Eagles first-overall pick in the 2007 NFL Draft would finally get his chance to start during the upcoming season.

Oh by the way, Kolb signed a one-year $12.25 million contract extension in April.

Sure, Kolb was going to have some growing pains in his first season as a full-time starter, and that was totally acceptable because the Eagles had surrounded their new QB with a talented but extremely young team that would inevitably have some major growing pains as well in 2010.

Who cares about winning a friggin’ Wild Card this season? A young team and QB showing growth and potential throughout the year was the name of the game, right?

Well, by Week 3 of the season, it’s safe to say things haven’t gone quite the way the Eagles envisioned it.

Here are five reasons that the Kolb vs. Vick controversy will be a major storyline throughout the season.         

Why Kolb’s Situation Isn't Fair...

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CINCINNATI - AUGUST 20: Kevin Kolb #4 of the Philadelphia Eagles runs with the ball during the NFL preseason game against the Cincinnati Bengals at Paul Brown Stadium on August 20, 2010 in Cincinnati, Ohio. (Photo by Andy Lyons/Getty Images)

Life isn’t fair, but why would the Eagles ever groom Kevin Kolb to be a potential franchise QB yet also have a guy as electrifying as Michael Vick in the “backup” role?

Why couldn’t the Eagles have brought in someone like Jon Kitna or 59-year-old Charlie Batch to be Kolb’s backup?

You know, someone who could help Kevin through his growing pains while also not presenting a threat to take over the QB job, no matter how much Kolb struggles in his first year as starter.

Michael Vick is not a backup.

Why Vick’s Situation Isn’t Fair…

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PHILADELPHIA - SEPTEMBER 02: Michael Vick #7 of the Philadelphia Eagles drops back to pass during a preseason game against the New York Jets at Lincoln Financial Field on September 2, 2010 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Jeff Zelevansky/Getty Ima

Did I mention Michael Vick is not a backup?

If nothing else, Vick has his old-fashioned unbelievable athleticism back, which was enough to win a bunch of games by itself when Michael was in Atlanta.

Vick has more talent in his pinkie finger than a bunch of current starting QBs around the league have at all, and Kolb might be included in that bunch. There are just so many bad QBs out there, it’s laughable.

It must be killing Michael to see guys like Jake Delhomme and Derek Anderson collecting paychecks as starting QBs.

Hang in there, Mike, your big payday is coming…soon.

Reason No. 5: The Schedule

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ASHBURN, VA - APRIL 15: Washington Redskins Donovan McNabb poses for portraits at the Washington Redskins training facility on April 15, 2010 in Ashburn, Virginia (Photo by Chris McGrath/Getty Images)

The Detroit Lions now have a 3-39 record since Nov. 4, 2007. They have three wins! Three! They might have the worst defensive secondary in NFL history.

But the Jaguars, the Eagles’ next opponent, are probably almost as bad as the Lions are in 2010.

Kevin Kolb is scheduled to start this Sunday when the Eagles play in Jacksonville at 4 p.m.

Thus, Kolb needs to produce big-time against a terrible team, just as Vick did last week.

Unfortunately this week, there is nothing Kolb can do to win the confidence of the several thousand Eagle fans who want him riding the pine permanently in 2010.

If he doesn’t play well in Jacksonville, then it’s further proof that he must be benched for the rest of the season, right?

If he actually plays well in Jacksonville, then, who cares because it was against the horrible Jags, right? Kolb will need to do just as well in Week 4 when the Eagles welcome back a certain division rival and an old friend. Have you heard anything about that? 

Reason No. 4: Potential Injuries

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PHILADELPHIA - SEPTEMBER 12: Kevin Kolb #4 of the Philadelphia Eagles is sacked by Clay Matthews #52 during a game against the Green Bay Packers at Lincoln Financial Field on September 12, 2010 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Mike Ehrmann/Getty

This just in: The Eagles offensive line is horrendous. It's so bad that even Vick, as elusive as he is, was sacked six times against Detroit.

Unfortunately at some point during the year, the Eagles' starting QB is going to get popped, and is gonna have to leave the game, if only for a few snaps.

Enter Kevin Kolb or enter Michael Vick, and we’ll be forced to analyze the Eagles' current QB predicament all over again.

The only way this controversy may end will be if either Kolb or Vick sustains a serious injury, which I pray won’t happen.

Reason No. 3: The 2010 Eagles Are Better With Vick

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DETROIT - SEPTEMBER 19: Michael Vick #7 of the Philadelphia Eagles warms up prior to the start of the game against the Detroit Lions at Ford Field on September 19, 2010 in Detroit, Michigan. (Photo by Leon Halip/Getty Images)

Michael Vick has started 70 games in the NFL. Kevin Kolb has started three.

Michael Vick is one of the most multi-dimensional, athletic, and talented men ever to step onto an NFL field. Kevin Kolb is the prototypical pocket-passer who fits the mold of the Eagles west coast offense.

Michael Vick is, and has always been, the ultimate human highlight reel for a sports-fan community obsessed with highlight reels. Kevin Kolb isn’t what you would call razzle-dazzle.

Despite starting just one game since 2007, Vick is still the better choice for winning this season. He can make plays no other NFL QB can make, and he’ll need to make them in order for this very, very flawed Eagles team to win.

Kevin Kolb might not be so hot behind this offensive line, while Vick’ multi-faceted attack would surely keep opposing defenses less blitz-happy.

You want the Eagles to go 9-7 and be a slightly-above-average team for about the sixth straight season? Vick’s your guy.

You want to find out if Kolb can survive in the NFL (even with the current O-line) and be a potential franchise QB, then you’re gonna have to start him and let him take his lumps.

Reason No. 2: The Coach’s Game Plan

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PHILADELPHIA - SEPTEMBER 12: Michael Vick #7 of the Philadelphia Eagles talks with head coach Andy Reid during a game against the Green Bay Packers at Lincoln Financial Field on September 12, 2010 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Mike Ehrmann/Ge

Vick’s terrific performance over the past game and a half means that he will still play an integral part in the Eagles’ offense...even with Kolb as the starter.

Remember how much playing time Vick got against Green Bay, even before Kolb left with the concussion?

Incorporating Vick in the Eagles’ offensive game plan is good because it helps the Eagles win, but is ultimately hurting Kolb’s development as a QB and is also preventing the Eagles from being able to determine whether or not he can be their long-term guy.

The Eagles organization made Kolb its face of the franchise this season by handing him the starting job. But if they had so much confidence in him, then why the hell are they putting Vick under center for 25 percent of the plays?

It makes no sense.

Reason No. 1: Potential Shifting Locker Room Allegiances

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DETROIT - SEPTEMBER 19: Michael Vick #7 of the Philadelphia Eagles calls the play in the huddle during warms up prior to the start of the game against the Detroit Lions at Ford Field on September 19, 2010 in Detroit, Michigan. (Photo by Leon Halip/Getty

Since Easter, the Eagles have prepped to have Kevin Kolb as their starting QB. So why would they scratch that entire game plan after Week 2? No coach would ever do that.

Sports coaches and managers who make decisions based on public opinions don’t last too long.

Still, Kolb is bound to struggle once he gets back on the field (at least a little), since he still has hardly any NFL-in-game experience.

My next trip inside the Eagles locker room will be my first, but how do you think the vast majority of the Eagles' players will feel when Kolb experiences the inevitable growing pains that await him?

How can Reid look his players in the eye if he continues to start a struggling Kevin Kolb week after week? Can he stick with Kolb and keep Vick on the bench by, say, Week 6?

Hopefully Kolb will come in, starting this week, and absolutely light the world on fire (even with his current offensive line). But something tells me that won’t happen.