Where have all the Vick haters gone?

[Trumpetbdw]

Remember when everyone in Eagles country was clamoring for Nick Foles?

Uh... oops.

Not that Foles is to blame. That blame belongs to Nnamdi Asomugha, Andy Reid, Juan Castillo, the offensive line, Michael Vick, Howie Roseman, Jeff Lurie, Marty Mornhinweg, Bobby April, Howard Mudd, Demetress Bell, King Dunlap, Danny Watkins, Jason Babin, Nate Allen, Kurt Coleman, and of course, Donovan McNabb.

Foles didn't allow only 1 incompletion, 4 TDs, and 80+ yards rushing to RGIII. But Foles was facing a defense that has been torched all season, and had lost its previous 8 matchups to rookie QBs, including a game to Foles' backup Trent Edwards. Yet Foles managed to lead the offense to 6 points, complete only 45% of his passes for a sub 4.5 YPA, and added in 2 INTs.

So now that the optimism from Eagles fans surrounding Foles has been tempered, it's amazing that Vick suddenly has a chance to play next week, especially when last week, sources were "99 percent sure" Foles was going to start for the rest of the season while Vick recovered from his concussion.

Of course, Vick is still recovering, and I'd certainly hope that Andy Reid would not put his own personal interests ahead of the team and try to rush the recovery process of either Vick or LeSean McCoy, but it's funny how quickly rock bottom is only the tip of the iceberg.

[Rich Gapinski]

Foles cannot be judged properly at this time. The situation on the offensive line is terrible. The play-calling is completely out of whack for how a rookie should be handled and the team is starting to feel like a lame duck team; not just a lame duck coach.

I have gleaned a couple interesting stats that I want to save for the picks the column, but I can say confidently that Foles cannot and should not be judged yet.

[Curtis]

Foles cannot be judged properly at this time. The situation on the offensive line is terrible. The play-calling is completely out of whack for how a rookie should be handled and the team is starting to feel like a lame duck team; not just a lame duck coach.

I have gleaned a couple interesting stats that I want to save for the picks the column, but I can say confidently that Foles cannot and should not be judged yet.

You said it brother. The first 13 plays: 10 passes, 3 runs. Shady ended up with 15 carries for the game. Foles was made to pass 46 times. That's not proper play-calling for a rookie at all. The oline is still a steaming pile of dung. No one ever should attempt 46 passes behind that line. On top of that, Andy decides to try to score 25 points in 2 minutes and Shady gets hurt. It's a nightmare and I've finally pinched myself awake. I'm done watching this train wreck this season.

[brauneyz]

You wonder where all the Vick haters are?

I'm still here. Happy to watch Foles any day.

[wxwax]

If Foles can't be judged because the offensive line is so awful, I don't understand why Michael Vick should be.

Put Tom Brady behind that line and watch him implode. Only Manning and his fancy feet could make it work! (That's a joke, folks.)

[mkocs6]

If Foles can't be judged because the offensive line is so awful, I don't understand why Michael Vick should be.

Put Tom Brady behind that line and watch him implode. Only Manning and his fancy feet could make it work! (That's a joke, folks.)

Well... I mean, there's a difference between a guy who's been in the league for ten years and a rookie, right? It's much easier for me to judge a player ten games into a season within almost a decade's body of work than it is to say how good a rookie is after a game and a half. Other than 2010, when has Michael Vick been all that good anyway? I've never been crazy about Foles, but you need about twenty games to see what a kid has and doesn't have.

[Trumpetbdw]

Of course Foles can't properly be judged yet. I didn't say I was quitting on him. Clearly the entire team is a mess, as I stated. But for this season, if there was any chance for him to have success, it was against that Washington defense. For him to look that bad is not a good sign.

Foles is not mobile, and as a rookie without much time spent with the first unit, is predictably and understandably indecisive. Throwing him to the wolves was never the answer. The decision to play him was borne out of desperation by Andy Reid and the entire Eagles staff. If they were truly concerned about the future, they'd have played Trent Edwards and let Foles continue to observe and absorb. Any chance they have of extracting a future from him would be to sit him and spare him from this mess, not to overrate his performance against 2nd and 3rd team vanilla pre-season defenses and use him as the sacrificial lamb. But clearly they see the writing on the wall, and are more concerned about themselves, and the desperation of their situation than what's actually best for the future of Nick Foles and the Eagles as a whole.

Eagles fans and coaches alike chose to ignore that in the hopes that Foles would come off the bench and hit an 8 run HR. Many a QB have had their futures sacrificed by being thrown into situations they weren't ready for. I'm just hoping for the sake of Foles and the future of the Eagles, this doesn't become another of those situations.

[brauneyz]

If Foles can't be judged because the offensive line is so awful, I don't understand why Michael Vick should be.

Oh, did you think I was judging Vick because of his play?

[Curtis]

I want to see what Foles bring to the table, but I know for a fact that this is not the situation to do so. Preseason means nothing, but he did show some ability. I had no illusions that Foles would turn this around. I still believe that Vick is the best option right now.
But I can't take the pain anymore so I'm disconnecting from them this season.

[Trumpetbdw]

If Foles can't be judged because the offensive line is so awful, I don't understand why Michael Vick should be.

BAM! Nice succinct way to put it. I do agree with 6's point about the difference in experience, but I think the point is, we aren't sure what Vick was actually able to do this year because of the dreadful OL, and now suddenly, throwing Foles in there would make for a positive? That certainly seems to be what the talk shows, and the Eagles coaching staff believed, but was clearly not the case.