So much for all the pregame hype and hoopla.
Michael Vick’s return to the NFL after 1,001 days was, to rip off Shakespeare, much ado about nothing.
Vick was merely a decoy during the Philadelphia Eagles’ 34-14 yawner past the Kansas City Chiefs this afternoon at the Linc.
Rather, it was the Birds’ youngsters who sparkled like a lightbulb-size engagement ring Sunday.
Kevin Kolb, filling in for the oft-injured Donovan McNabb for the second straight week, threw for 327 yards, becoming the first quarterback in the Super Bowl era to throw for more than 300 yards in each of his first two starts.
Kolb, as down home as Cracker Barrel, turned the game into cake.
Rookie LeSean McCoy, filling in for the oft-injured Brian Westbrook, rushed for 84 yards in his first start. McCoy looks as if he’s gonna be more tasty than garlic mashed potatoes.
DeSean Jackson and Brent Celek each had 100-plus yards receiving and rookie Jeremy Maclin caught four balls in his first start, filling in for the oft-injured Kevin Curtis.
Never mind that that the Chiefs’ secondary plays as if listening to mood music by some death march composer guy.
Vick was expected to run the Wildcat offense, but McCoy took most of those snaps.
Vick, considered to be no longer part of the human race by dog lovers, got in for 11 plays. Vick ran once for 7 yards and threw two incomplete passes. He lined up at receiver once, took the snap in shotgun formation nine times and was directly under center once. Kolb was on the sideline for the 10 plays Vick was in at QB.
With Vick on the field, the Eagles gained a net total of 30 yards. They got 390 without him.
The Birds did it with kids too young to know that you won’t find ketchup in a gourmet restaurant.
“I’m glad to see that,” said portly Eagles coach Andy Reid, who knows a thing or two about restaurants. “You got a lot of young faces in that huddle … that’s a plus.”
With the Eagles heading for their bye week, Reid expects McNabb and Westbrook to be back when the schedule resumes against Tampa Bay.
And Reid made it clear, unlike tortilla soup, no quarterback controversy will be alive and kicking when McNabb returns. “Donovan is the quarterback of the team,” Reid said. “I don’t think it’s a problem for Kevin. I don’t think it’s a problem for the team. And I don’t think it’s a problem for me.”
What fun is that? Reid can be innovative as hell by alternating McNabb, Kolb and Vick on snaps. The game of musical chairs could mount a massive comeback. On Kolb, Reid said. “I thought he had a good day. That’s a compliment to the kid. It’s always tougher your second game.” Reid said he did not set a percentage of plays for Vick’s debut.
“We wanted to get him in and just get him gradually back in with the speed of the game,” Reid said. “We wanted to knock some of the rust off. We accomplished that.”
Actually, Vick looked rustier than one of King Arthur’s Camelot knights who fell into the moat. Reid also lauded the defensive effort. “The defense played exceptionally well,” Reid said. “They were flying around. I just thought as a group they swarmed to the football, they did a heck of a job.”
Indeed, they gobbled up the red-clad Chiefs like they were red beans and rice.
Granted, Kansas City has been no great shakes since the Beatles sang about it.
Zeke Blog 