Michael Vick Injury: Why Eagles Are Foolish for Not Starting Mike Kafka

As a basic rule of thumb, you should never rush an athlete back from a concussion. Michael Vick started against the New York Giants today one week after suffering a concussion against the Atlanta Falcons, and as the game has gone to the half, he has already been knocked around a bit—including taking a blow to the head.

Yes, Vick makes the Eagles a much more dynamic team on offense, but starting him behind a shaky offensive line, just a week after being concussed, is far too risky. Besides, it's only Week 3 and Philadelphia has Super Bowl aspirations. The team should be focused on the long haul, not the short term.

Vick was given a six-year, $100 million contract before the season, and rushing him back against a division rival looking to pounce on him was a bad idea. Backup Mike Kafka looked very capable in relief against he Falcons in Week 2, and the Eagles could have given him a start this week against a Giants team with a horribly depleted secondary.

As the game goes to halftime, the Giants lead 14-13. New York jumped out to a 14-0 lead before the Eagles scored 13 unanswered points in the second quarter to close the gap.

Vick has looked decent thus far, completing 11-of-16 passes for 113 yards, but he has no touchdowns and a costly interception. He has also run the ball five times for 23 yards.

The key to this game for the Eagles was always going to be the team's rushing attack, and LeSean McCoy is off to a great start. The third-year man out of Pittsburgh has 15 carries for 88 yards (including an 11-yard touchdown run) in the first half. With or without Vick in the lineup, McCoy was going to be the key to this game for Philadelphia.

While there is a lot of game left to go, starting Vick this week was an unnecessary risk for the Eagles. They should have protected their investment in him by looking at the season—and his future with the team—through a long lens.