Philadelphia Eagles: 5 Ways This Team Would Be Different Without Michael Vick

News broke this morning that Michael Vick didn't really want to play in Philadelphia (gasp!).

Vick initially preferred Buffalo and Cincinnati, places where he'd compete for time, but his pal Roger Goodell convinced him to join the Eagles as a third-string quarterback.

Bravo, Roger.

But...BUT....

What if Michael Vick never donned the midnight green? What if MV7 didn't reinvigorate the franchise and turn Andy Reid into a giggling school girl? What if he had to give his anti-dog-torture talks to ungrateful school children in...Buffalo?!?!?!?

Step with me into the twilight zone, where up is down, black is white, and Michael Vick passes the ball to Lee Evans.

Oh how different this life would be.

Starting at Quarterback, from the University of Houston, Number 4, Kevin Kolb

By 2009 it was clear: Donovan McNabb was not going to be the Philadelphia Eagles' starting quarterback much longer. The organization felt his time had passed and the Kevin Kolb succession plan was already in motion. No amount of Michael Vick would have changed that.

Without Vick putting the pressure on behind Kolb, however, the Birds would have had a longer fuse with the young quarterback. I think Kolb gets at least a season-and-a-half to prove himself absent Vick.

We'd be talking "Kolb: Year 2" right now, discussing what improvements he needed to make and talking about the talent the Eagles should put around him.

2. Nno Nnamdi

With or without Vick, the Eagles would have had the cap room to land Asomugha and the need at corner back. That said, I doubt the Eagles would have put the effort in to sign him and I doubt Asomugha would have wanted to come to Philadelphia had Vick never passed this way.

The Eagles' pursuit of the big-fish free agent stems from their win-now approach. Having Vick, a talented, veteran quarterback in his prime, puts the organization in a position where they must invest heavily in the present. That pressure prompted them to aggressively pursue free agents this off season and ultimately led them to Nnamdi.

With the young, growing Kolb at QB the Eagles' lens would have a much wider focus. Asomugha is a top player now, but there's no guarantee he'll be an elite performer by the time Kolb reaches his fullest potential. Asomugha-Eagles was a match made of immediacy.

Likewise, Asomugha wouldn't have considered the Eagles a top destination without Vick in the fold. Having suffered through years of inexperienced and ineffective QBs in Oakland, I doubt Asomugha would have used his leverage to play with another young signal caller in Kolb.

Asomugha was looking for a proven, veteran team ready to compete in the short term. And without Vick, who would have sweet-talked Asomugha at the Pro Bowl last year on the Eagles' behalf?

3. Jermon Bushrod, Your Limousine Awaits

Vick or no Vick, the Eagles would have had money to spend this offseason and they were going to spend it. The only difference would have been their priorities.

With the less mobile Kolb at quarterback the Eagles would have looked to shore up their leaky offensive line, particularly at offensive tackle. After watching the Packers pummel Kolb in Week 1 last year with edge rusher Clay Matthews, Philadelphia would have gone hard for the one of the best three tackles on the market—Bushrod, Charlie Johnson, and Jeremy Trueblood.

Bringing one of those three in would necessitate a move by either the new guy or incumbent LT Jason Peters to the right side, but ultimately would have improved the Eagles' protection scheme. Right now with the nimble Vick in the backfield the Eagles can afford to make modest improvements on the O-Line, such as drafting guard Danny Watson. With Kolb back there they would not have had that luxury.

4. So Long, Mr. Reid

Make no mistake, the decision to trade Donovan McNabb was part one of the master plan to change the direction of the Philadelphia Eagles franchise and distance themselves from the melodrama of the last 10 years. Andy Reid, after a mediocre season with Kolb at the helm, would have been the next domino to fall.

Problem is, the QB guru proved his worth again by reinventing Michael Vick and leading them team to another winning season. Now, as long as Vick stays upright and the Eagles keep winning, Reid's job looks plenty secure. Vick's emergence likely bought Reid another couple of seasons in Philly.

5. DeSean Is DeGone

Even with the winning and the star quarterback and the monster numbers, DeSean Jackson wasn't a happy camper this year. He clearly resents the Eagles for not negotiating a contract extension, and the only thing keeping him loyal to Philadelphia is the tantalizing prospect of spending another season on the receiving end of Michael Vick's firecracker left arm.

Minus Vick, and perhaps minus all the winning, Jackson may well have been forcing his way out of Philadelphia right now. Jackson has shown impatience in the past, and he's not the type of player that seems willing to spend a few years waiting for his QB to develop. Jackson fits with the Vick-led Eagles, but he'd be a malcontent in this alternate universe.

"Kolb...looks deep...he's got Jackson breaking free. And the pass is under-thrown by five yards, picked off by Orlando Scandrick and it's headed the other way...Wait...what's this? Jackson is taking off his jersey and setting it on fire at midfield in protest. This could be ugly, folks...."

Or it could have been ugly. Thank the fates, and Roger, for Michael Vick.