Then let them lay in it.
Yesterday, talking to the Daily News, Andy Reid basically shot down the Peyton Manning rumors. In doing so, he said the Eagles were "obviously happy with Mike Vick."
Really? You're "obviously" happy with an injury-prone, turnover-prone quarterback who has never won anything and has managed only one really great season in his lengthy career?
Maybe it's not surprising at all that the Eagles, who notoriously ignore obvious problem areas (at various times in the past several years: linebacker, kick returner, safety, offensive line and defensive coordinator) in favor of questionable in-house solutions and in the face of evidence contrary to their platitudes.
But that doesn't make it any more criminal that they'd dismiss Manning off-hand. No less an authority than Ray Didinger himself implored the Eagles to dump Vick in favor of Manning. In doing so, he listed many of the same reasons I did more than a month ago: that Manning would fix the offense's turnover woes and compensate for Reid's play-calling, clock-management, and time out-management deficiencies.
It's not completely out of the realm that the Eagles could win a Super Bowl with Vick. But it's extremely unlikely. Look back over the teams that have won Super Bowls. How many have done it with mobile quarterbacks? With turnover-prone quarterbacks? Basically none.
It's incredible to me that we make the same arguments over and over, and incredibly depressing that we do so to no avail. With Peyton Manning, this team is an instant Super Bowl contender. With Mike Vick, they're just an enigma.
Maybe there's a chance Reid is just blowing smoke, but I doubt it. And this typical Eagles front-office arrogance is likely to lead once again where it has in every season of the Reid era--home before the parades start.
Even assuming Manning is 100% healthy and back to his old self, the Eagles would have to unload Vick to make a run at him, and then compete with at least half the teams in the NFL for his services. I don't see it happening.
ReplyDeleteYeah, like that kind of thing has never happened before. You talk to Manning, you get confirmation from him that he'd like to play in Philadelphia and get some basic contract numbers hammered out and a verbal commitment that he's going to give you 48 hours or whatever. You spend 48 hours making the best deal you can for Vick, who I would basically trade for a first-rounder and spare parts if it meant bringing Manning on board. That's it, game over.
ReplyDeleteI'm not saying it's going to happen, and it probably won't because for some reason Lurie, Andy, Joe, and Howie can't see how humongous an improvement Manning would be. But if it doesn't happen, it won't be because the machinery was too complicated in theory. It'll be because Manning didn't want to come here, or because the Eagles didn't want him. If you think that if the Eagles pursued him and Manning wanted to play here it still wouldn't happen, then you're dreaming.