Yesterday morning I opened up some discussion about the fact that Michael Vick would miss Sunday's 49ers-Eagles game, thus leaving Kevin Kolb as the starting quarterback. A few folks pointed out that LeSean McCoy was also injured. McCoy suffered a rib fracture this past weekend but actually kept playing in spite of the injury.
There were some initial reports that McCoy might be out for a week, but that's not guaranteed at this point. Chris Mortensen has apparently reported the Eagles think McCoy might actually be able to play this weekend. Furthermore, they were apparently never in the mix for Marshawn Lynch and didn't work out any other running backs. Thus they're either confident McCoy will play on Sunday, or can live with the alternatives available on their own roster.
If McCoy can't play, or is limited on Sunday night, the Eagles alternatives are Mike Bell, Eldra Buckley, and Joique Bell. For those of you wondering what they bring to the table, Mike Bell is the only one of the three to attempt a rush (12 attempts for 20 yards) while Buckley has one reception for ten yards. Bell had a strong rookie 2006 season in Denver and was a decent backup option in New Orleans last year.
The 49ers are the last team in the world that deserves to have any level of confidence heading into a game, but the Eagles certainly are doing what they can to give the 49ers a few extra advantages. Kevin Kolb isn't anything to sneeze at but at this point he'd appear to be a downgrade from Vick. And Bell and company would certainly be downgrades from Shady McCoy.
The 49ers are desperately seeking win number one. The team has shown it can play up to the better teams in the league. However, when facing teams that are closer to their level (or even considered worse than them) they absolutely crap the bed. Will we see the 49ers continue this 2010 pattern against a wounded Eagles squad?