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| Michael Vick: Debating what Chip Kelly should do going forward |
Somewhere between what could be and what is. Between one amazing play and years of history. A place that is between potential and reality, and a place that ultimately is between winning and losing.
It is a place that many coaches have found themselves, and a place that Chip Kelly currently finds himself in after the Eagles latest loss.
The 26-16 loss looked a lot like each of the team's 12 losses last season, which is interesting considering how much things have changed. The head coach is different, the offensive scheme is different, nearly every defensive starter is different. Only Vick remains as a prominent piece of the team.
Watching Vick struggle against a Kansas City defense that he himself described as "vanilla", you have to wonder what Kelly thought when he got back to the NovaCare and watched the film. Sure, Vick had some nice moments- his first quarter run and touchdown pass were both things of beauty, and a defensive coordinator's nightmare.
Unfortunately for Vick, Kelly might not make it to those plays after seeing the first interception.
Vick's first interception was absolutely class Vick. He stepped back, stared down Brent Celek, didn't see the linebacker sitting there waiting for him to throw it- and then threw it. As if the throw wasn't bad enough, Vick's explanation afterwards was just as bad.
"I predetermined what I was going to do with the ball," Vick said of the turnover. "I had the right decision I was going to make in my mind, it was the correct decision- but I tried to do something outside of the box"
And with that statement, the problem with Vick becomes crystal clear.
There is no doubt Vick is talented and maybe one of the best team leaders the city has seen in the past few years- but he just keeps making the same mistakes again and again.
He knew he shouldn't have thrown it. He did it anyway.
With Vick, it's that simple and that frustrating.
And after 11-seasons, even his biggest supporters have to wonder if it will ever change.
Vick is starting because Kelly and the Eagles want to win now. If rebuild was in their vocabulary, Nick Foles or Matt Barkley would be in there. Kelly wants to win, and he thinks Vick gives him the best shot.
After Thursday, however, Kelly has to wonder to himself what he gets from losing games with a veteran quarterback at the helm.
A loss with Foles or Barkley at quarterback is very different then a loss with Vick. Foles or Barkley throwing interceptions is borderline acceptable as long as they show flashes through other parts of the game. Vick isn't afforded that same luxury. If Kelly is going to lose games because of a quarterback, he might as well do it with a young one in there that can learn from it.
In the preseason, Vick looked like the best quarterback. That isn't the case after Thursday. It's only one game, but years of history suggests it was much more. Watching Vick these first three games, the argument could really be made that this offense might be just as effective with Foles or Barkley at the helm.
Yes, Vick very well could be the best quarterback on the Eagles roster. Yes, he likely gives the Eagles the best shot of winning a division that is very winnable- and something Kelly certainly would love to do in his first season here. The weak division, however, could also be a reason to go to a young quarterback as it allows Kelly to compete with a team and quarterback that doesn't have to go 10-6 or 11-5 to do so.
In many ways, it boils down to this- what means more going into next season for Kelly- a NFC East win with Vick at the helm at 8-8, or finishing a game or two short with Foles or Barkley?
If Kelly truly is in this for the long haul, he has to have cut some considerable length from Vick's leash after Thursday night.
When he fully cuts it, however, is a tough call- and a decision he isn't the first coach to be presented with.
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