Catching up on a Coupla Coogs

A couple of nifty Coog-gone-pro football updates:

» DelCo Times: Reid should end the Don's QB filibuster (Jack McCaffery)

Not that one sport necessarily translates clearly to any other, but the Phillies just made a satisfying run to a second consecutive World Series in large measure because their manager had one rule: He would manage to win the game, not to avoid breaking hearts.

But will Andy Reid ever have that gumption?

Will he ever be able to look to his roster --- even for a night, for a quarter, for a series, for a play --- and notice that he has two alternative quarterbacks, one with an intriguing Pro Bowl resume, the other who has had two 300-yard passing games already this season?

Will Reid ever be able to send Michael Vick in as a change-of-pace weapon? Will he ever acknowledge that on some nights McNabb just doesn't have his best stuff and that maybe Kevin Kolb could play some decent minutes of big-league quarterback?

And why is that never, ever a consideration?

I hate to see it come to this, but the "When will Donovan McNabb leave/retire/be sent packing" debate seems to correlate very strongly with the "As good as Reid is, might he be past his sell-by date?" discussion.

In a perfect world, I'd love to see McNabb retire on his own terms and Andy Reid stay another decade or so in Philly to coach Kevin Kolb to a few Super Bowls. But it's hard to see that scenario happening right now.

» Boston Herald: Patriots' Sebastian Vollmer turns heads

Examining history might not be able to predict the future, but it can educate.

Patriots [team stats] left tackle Matt Light [stats] has missed the past three games with a knee injury, and rookie Sebastian Vollmer has stepped in more than ably. Light has made one public appearance - at teammate Jarvis Green's fund-raiser - but he has yet to do so at practice.

Meanwhile, the highly touted Vollmer, a second-round pick from the University of Houston, has stood toe-to-toe with elite pass-rushers like the Titans' Kyle Vanden Bosch and the Dolphins' Joey Porter while the offense has averaged 40 points in those three games.

What happens when Light returns?

"We'll deal with the situation when he comes back," coach Bill Belichick told the Herald. "I don't know when that's going to be. Both guys have shown they can play that position very competitively, and we'll deal with it when it's an option. The last couple weeks, it hasn't been an option."

Not entirely removed from the Eagles situation, I hate to see a player like Matt Light lose his job to injury, but it's hard not to be impressed with the reviews Vollmer is getting as the replacement.

The article goes on to draw a comparison to the Bledsoe-Brady segue, which I think is more than apt. Unlike Andy, Coach Bill doesn't appear overly afraid of breaking a heart here and there.