Michael Vick Over Kevin Kolb: Eagles Choice May Not Be What It Seems

Don't take Andy Reid's surprise decision to start Mike Vick over Kevin Kolb at face value as the Eagles' brass may have a different end game for Vick.

Having watched Reid's press conference there were several hints by Reid that there may be a larger picture behind the decision to start Vick and I am not talking about going from rebuilding to contending.

Reid referenced Vick's statistical performance over his last six quarters of play and mentioned that Vick "may be the hottest quarterback in the NFL". Reid's press conference coupled with the reported influence of Eagles' brass, namely President Joe Banner and General Manager Howie Roseman, had on the decision points to two things.

One the Eagles care about the bottom line and Vick right now brings money and attention from all over.

However, this decision could still run deeper and that the end game maybe Vick's trade value.

If you think about it the Eagles couldn't move Vick this off-season because he was a year removed from being out of football and wasn't all that impressive last season. Now after two games he appears to be back to the playing level he was at when he was an Atlanta Falcon in 2006.

Knowing this Reid and the Eagles' brass are lining up to collect, not only financially but possibly from a personnel standpoint.

Now early season trades aren't common place in the NFL, but with several teams like Arizona, Oakland and others possibly searching for a quarterback of Vick's star power and explosiveness; the stars may be aligned for just such a blockbuster deal seemingly unthinkable a few months ago.

Even if Vick was to play a full season with the Eagles and is impressive, it wouldn't be unthinkable for the Eagles' to make a sign and trade deal with another team for the right price. Especially, with Reid still backing Kolb and making a grinning statement that Kolb's future as an NFL quarterback is "Very Bright".

When analyzing this decision it is hard to believe that a franchise that is so careful to plan every move would make such an out of character decision.

Now of course this could be a decision strictly based on winning and why not the bottom line is affected by wins and losses and the Eagles know that. Additionally, owner Jeffery Lurie, has made it clear that he wants to win a Super Bowl, so the Vick move could be just about winning.

However, it is hard to shake that winning is simply the reason for the move because if it was why would the Eagles reverse course so quickly. Especially, when they could have played Kolb for a few weeks and if he struggled then make the move to Vick.

Surely, the decision to go with Vick is going to raise more questions than it answers, but don't be surprised if the Eagles' have bigger plans for Vick that don't involve an Eagles uniform.