The Eagles will be without starting running back Brian Westbrook for the next couple of weeks due to a concussion caused when he was knocked out cold in the game Monday Night against the Redskins resulting in memory loss.  Westbrook has carried the ball 41 times for 197 yards (4.8 ypc) with 1 TD run and he has also caught 17 passes for 130 yards (7.6 avg) with 1 TD grab.  The Eagles are fortunate that they drafted Lesean McCoy last April as he will take over as the full time starter at running back.  He has carried the ball 59 times for 212 yards (3.6 ypc) with 1 TD run and he has caught 13 passes for 92 yards (7.1 avg) this season.  McCoy has a very similar skill set to Westbrook so the offense shouldn’t suffer too much while he is out. 

UPDATE:  Brian Westbrook wants to play this week but the Eagles should error on the side of caution trying to protect his health.

The Eagles have lost WR Kevin Curtis indefinately due to knee surgery.  Curtis played in 2 games for the Eagles this season and he has caught 5 passes for 70 yards (14.0 avg).  Rookie WR Jeremy Maclin will continue to start while Curtis is out of action.  He has played in 5 games this season for the Eagles and he has caught 13 passes for 193 yards (14.8 avg) with 2 TD grabs.  Maclin should be able to help the Eagles stretch the field with Desean Jackson on the other side.  This will continue to open up the short stuff for TE Brent Celek and RBs Lesean McCoy and Brian Westbrook.

The Eagles have lost 25-year old inside linebacker Omar Gaither for the season due to surgery to repair a Lisfranc sprain in his left foot.  He was the leading tackler for the Eagles at the time of his injury and this further explains why the team felt the need to trade for a solid inside linebacker like Will Witherspoon.  Gaither played in 5 games for the Eagles this season and he had 30 tackles, 1.5 sacks, 4 tackles for a loss and he defensed 1 pass. 

The Philadelphia Eagles have their starting quarterback back, as Donovan McNabb announced he will play Sunday against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.  McNabb broke a rib in the first game of the season and has not played since.  He said he will have to play through some pain, but McNabb has proven in the past that he is very capable of playing through injuries.  Kevin Kolb has done a nice job filling in for the injured starter but he is no Donovan McNabb, so this is great news for Eagles fans.  This will also be the first time that McNabb and Michael Vick will both be active in a regular season game, so it will be interesting to see how head coach Andy Reid uses the two talented players.

The Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Donovan McNabb has not practiced all week and most likely will not play this week against the Kansas City Chiefs.  Michael Vick on the other hand will be playing, as his two game suspension is over.  Vick will not be the starting quarterback though, as Kevin Kolb will be starting again in McNabb’s spot.

Kolb looked good in some plays and did throw for 391 yards, but it was on 51 attempts as the Eagles were playing catch-up most of the game in their week two loss 48-22 to the New Orleans Saints.  Kolb threw two touchdowns, but he also gave it away three times with three picks.  Kolb is inconsistent and not really ready to be a starting quarterback in the NFL.  Look for Vick to get about 15-20 plays, with most coming at the quarterback spot in the wildcat formation or the shotgun.

I know Vick hasn’t played in an NFL game in two years but if he is physically ready to go I don’t see why the Eagles are not putting him at quarterback.  He still has those play-maker’s legs and strong left arm and I don’t see him making that many more mental mistakes than Kolb would.  So, I think Vick should definitely be the starting quarterback this week, but Andy Reid and the Eagles obviously see something in Kevin Kolb that I don’t.

I even think Jeff Garcia should be staring over Kolb, as I really don’t think Kolb has what it takes to be a consistent starting quarterback in this league. Kolb is not going to win you very many games and the Eagles are lucky they are playing the 0-2 Chiefs this week.  If Kolb struggles early and Vick is effective in the few opportunities he is given, I could see Vick getting more and more snaps late in the game…at least that is what I would like to see.