The Washington Redskins are so good at creating quarterback controversies, they’ve decided to franchise them in other cities.
Philadelphia has one running hot and heavy after just one week of the NFL season. And you can count on what happens in Washington and Philadelphia being very much connected.
If Donovan McNabb has any success in Washington, it will only fuel the quarterback debate in Philadelphia, which is a love triangle at this point, but could have expanding sides to it.
It’s not a version of “I love Billy” or “I love Sonny.” It’s more complicated than that.
This one has Philly fans divided between McNabb — their starting Pro Bowl quarterback for 11 seasons before being dealt to the Redskins in April — heir apparent and unproven starter Kevin Kolb and the exciting and controversial Michael Vick.
Kolb struggled in his debut as the Eagles full-time starter Sunday against the Green Bay Packers before getting knocked out of the game, paving the way for Vick to come in and nearly lead Philadelphia back from a 17-point deficit. Vick rushed for 103 yards and completed 16 of 24 passes for 175 yards and one touchdown before the Eagles went down in defeat 27-20.
After the game, Vick told reporters, “I still feel like I can play at a high level. I feel like if I had been out there for four quarters, maybe we would have had a chance to win the game.”
He might as well have set the Schuylkill River on fire.
Here are some of the headlines from Monday’s Philadelphia papers:
“Start Vick vs. Lions next week.”
“Vick might be a better option.”
Kolb is an unproven commodity. Philadelphia coach Andy Reid and company have pinned their hopes on his potential more than his limited track record — a handful of starts in 2008 where he performed well.
What if Kolb struggles if and when he is back on the field, or has lingering effects from the concussion he suffered on Sunday? Then the Eagles are in the hands of Vick — one of the most polarizing figure in all of sports — who has not played regularly since the 2006 season and spent 23 months in federal prison on dog fighting and other related charges.
No one knows if Vick can still play against NFL defenses week after week. What if Vick, with teams having a week to game plan, struggles as well? Then the Eagles have to live with dealing their aged but winning quarterback — McNabb.
Washington is not immune to this, either. Many are skeptical that McNabb, who will be 34 in November, still has enough left to be a top NFL quarterback, though he showed in Sunday night’s 13-7 win over Dallas that he still has enough left to lead a team to victory.
There are fans who believe the Redskins got the wrong quarterback from Philadelphia — that they should have pursued Vick instead.
The Washington-Philadelphia quarterback debate — an I-95 passion play that could last all season.
Examiner columnist Thom Loverro is the co-host of “The Sports Fix” from noon to 2 p.m. Monday through Friday on ESPN 980 and espn980.com. Reach him at [email protected]
