Length of Michael Vick's Injury May Affect Whole Eagles Season

It seems like this year the Eagles simply cannot catch a break. The injury bug has spread around our locker room like a bad cold.

It started during the off-season when Marlin Jackson suffered a right Achilles tendon rupture to sideline him for the season (although Nate Allen has more than stepped up to replace him). Then it was week 1 and our starting Center and Fullback Jamaal Jackson and Leonard Weaver were lost to season-ending injuries. Both players are big and I'd say essential parts of this offense. As the game went on, MLB Stewart Bradley and QB Kevin Kolb were knocked out with concussions.

Then things seemed to get better right? As Michael Vick lit it up after stepping in for the injured Kevin Kolb, it seems the Eagles finally had something going for them. A playmaker who was more than the answer at quarterback, but put Philly at the top of the NFC East and gave us hope going into this season.

But alas, the football gods are cruel. As Philadelphia was confident that Vick would be able to defend us during the return of Donovan McNabb, Vick is taken down after an impressive run, that was nullified by a holding call against Max Jean-Gilles...

Anything less than a standing ovation for the man who consistently won 10, 11, 12 games per season would have been an insult to #5

There were only two good things about the outcome of that game:

1) Donovan McNabb received a standing ovation and thunderous applause when he was introduced at Lincoln Financial Field. It was exactly what I expected and anything less would have made me ashamed to be an Eagles fan.

The media loves to paint a picture of Philly fans as classless morons, but we sure proved them wrong Sunday afternoon. Philly is just a city that loves football and cannot wait to win its first NFL Championship. While it is disappointing that McNabb did not deliver for us, we all recognize what he did for this franchise, turning a team of scrubs from worst to first (in the NFC East that is) seemingly overnight.

Of course, don't expect the media to emphasize our appreciation for Donovan. They know that does not make headlines.

Also just thought I'd mention that the lone INT that McNabb threw was to Nate Allen, the man the Eagles drafted with the pick we acquired from trading Donovan. Talk about irony!

2) X-rays on Vick were negative, but MRI's showed that he has cartilage damage in his ribs. Vick has stated that he could be out 1-2 weeks.

I pray that he plays Sunday against the 49ers, and I also pray that if he must miss time, that it may not be more than 1 week.

The Eagles will miss Vick's big arm, as Kolb primarily played the check-down game against the Redskins

The 49ers, despite their 0-4 record, are no pushover team. They have a stout defense. That is all that may be required to defeat a Kevin Kolb led Eagles. If Kolb plays the way he did against the Redskins, the 49ers will be poised for an upset. He is not comfortable in the pocket, tries to force throws to receives in traffic, (in the rare occasion that he decides to throw the ball down field) and his arm strength has not impressed me.

And then next week, the Eagles will be facing the Atlanta Falcons, a tough opponent even if Vick can play. The Eagles have a very real chance of going 0-2 and pushing their record to 2-4. As the rest of the schedule becomes quite nasty, I do not need to tell you that is not a hole a franchise wants to be in.

Thus, for the sake of this season, let's pray that Vick will be back soon to get things on track. The playoff aspirations of the Eagles may depend on it.