1. How will Michael Vick grow and develop from the 2010 season?
Michael Vick's 2010 season was nothing short of brilliant. He was a worthy contender for the league's Offensive Player of the Year Award as well as the MVP honor. His Monday night performance against Washington is in the Hall of Fame. His fourth-quarter at the Giants was miraculous. The Vick that we saw glimpses of in 2009 was nothing compared to what dazzled on the field last year. However, there is still room for Vick to grow as a quarterback. Head coach Andy Reid admitted in his recent Philly.com chat that the short-to-intermediate passing must get better.
The offense once again set the single-season franchise scoring record in 2010, but was stymied for pretty much the final three games Vick played last season - except for the final eight minutes of the Miracle. Also, Vick must mesh with offensive line coach Howard Mudd's philosophy of getting rid of the ball quickly, which is what kept Peyton Manning clean in Indianapolis for so many years despite the future Hall of Famer's lack of ability to run from the pocket. This is Vick's first offseason as a starter since 2006. Obviously, the work stoppage has not helped, but he will be the center of attention once play resumes. Can Vick take those precious few steps to help get this team over the top?
2. Who will backup Michael Vick in 2011?
Right now, it's Kevin Kolb. However, the biggest story of the offseason - minus the labor situation - has been where Kolb will play next season. Kolb has proved that he can be a winning quarterback in the NFL. Kolb has played the good soldier role for four years and wants the opportunity to be a full-time starter. Reid respects that and wants to do right by Kolb, but also must do what he needs to do to help the Eagles win. There are going to be a number of teams in need of a quarterback once the labor situation is over. Will one of them give the Eagles enough to pry away Kolb? Or is the best thing for the 2011 Eagles to keep Kolb as a backup in case Vick gets injured?
3. Where does Mike Kafka fit in all of this?
The team's fourth-round pick in 2010 out of Northwestern led a brilliant two-minute drill against the Chiefs which ended with a game-winning touchdown pass to Riley Cooper. Outside of that, fans don't know a lot about what Kafka can do. Will we find out more next season? One of the factors that the Eagles must weigh in the decision whether or not to trade Kolb is Kafka's development. Is Kafka ready to be the primary backup?
The Eagles are very high on Kafka and even said that prior to the work stoppage there were teams asking about Kafka in a trade. But is the second-year player ready to be one play away from leading a Super Bowl contender? The Eagles may think he is. If not, there will be veteran options in the free agent market. Nonetheless, if the Eagles believe Kafka will continue to develop, it could make the decision regarding Kolb a little bit easier.
