Vick, Eagles come up short in opener

Fans decked in kelly green Kevin Kolb jerseys packed the tailgates
and seemed poised to ring in a new era in Eagles football. They cheered
wildly when the new starting quarterback exited the tunnel. Now, they
may have to trade those retro No. 4 jerseys in for No. 7.

Kolb lasted just two quarters in a 27-20 loss to the Packers
yesterday at Lincoln Financial Field. Kolb left at halftime with a
concussion, which was delivered by Clay Matthews midway through the
second quarter. The quarterback lay hobbled in pain before heading to
the sideline. Kolb finished 5-of-10 for 24 yards, leading the Eagles to
only 49 total yards.

“Kevin will be fine,” said coach Andy Reid. “I think we all had a piece of this [loss].”

Meanwhile, Michael Vick turned back the clock, going 16-of-24
for 175 passing yards and 103 rushing yards. He led the Eagles to 17
points on six possessions. Kolb orchestrated three points on five
drives.

“I still feel like I can play at a high level,” Vick said. “I
feel like if I had been out there for four quarters maybe we would have
had a chance to win the game. But it’s all hindsight now.”

There is no quarterback controversy, according to Reid.

“Yes,” Reid said when asked if a healthy Kolb would start next week.

But it has to be hard for the coach to ignore the numbers under
Vick. And if Kolb isn’t cleared to play Sunday in Detroit, Vick could
be even better with a whole week to practice with the first-team
offense.

“We’re lucky to have a guy like Mike,” LeSean McCoy said. “I
don’t know why everybody is so surprised [that Vick played well]. He’s
Mike Vick. Special talent, great player.”

With Kolb sidelined, Vick nearly rallied the Eagles to victory.
However, he was stopped for no gain on a fourth-and-one with less than
2 minutes to play.

“I’m going to be beating myself up over that play for the next
four days,” Vick said. “You always feel like you could’ve done more.”

Vick’s 31-yard scramble in the third quarter setup a 12-yard
touchdown run for LeSean McCoy. With the Packers leading 27-10 in the
fourth, Vick hit Jeremy Maclin on a 17-yard scoring strike. He also hit
McCoy on a 27-yard screen that led to a 24-yard field goal.

“I think Mike did a tremendous job coming in for the second half
and stepping it up for Kolb. He provided us with a spark,” Maclin said.