Andy Reid commits to Michael Vick despite Eagles' ills

Pick a problem, any problem on the 2012 Philadelphia Eagles. You can single out any one to blame for the 3-5 team after another depressing loss, 28-13, to the New Orleans Saints on Monday night.

The offensive line: The Saints came into Week 9 with 13 sacks this season. They dropped Michael Vick seven times. At one point, they had four backups in the game. The starters weren't much better this season, but this unit just got overwhelmed in pass protection.

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Michael Vick: It takes a lot to make ESPN analyst Jon Gruden angry. When Vick didn't recognize an obvious blitz in the red zone, adjust protection or quickly get rid of the ball, Gruden flipped his lid. (Vick took a sack.) As NFL.com and NFL Network's Daniel Jeremiah pointed out, Vick's awareness has been a huge problem. The Nick Foles era is approaching, but after the game, Reid commited to Vick as his starting quarterback next week. 

Red-zone problems: The Eagles reached the red zone five times Monday night. They scored just six points, and Vick threw an interception that Patrick Robinson returned 99 yards for a touchdown. The pass was tipped, partly because Vick wasn't accurate. Vick also misfired on multiple other passes in the red zone.

Playcalling: The Eagles rushed for 221 yards on 29 carries. That's a 7.9 yards-per-carry average. For some reason, the Eagles still leaned more on the pass in the first half. They went away from the run almost entirely to start the second half. Vick ended with 41 throws.

Defense: Firing Juan Castillo didn't help. The Eagles had their worst defensive game of the season last week against the Atlanta Falcons. On Monday, the defense put the Eagles in a hole early. Philadelphia didn't force a punt until the last minute of the first half.

There's no reason to believe this Eagles team is any good, despite all its big names. The Eagles have the worst point differential (-50) in the entire NFC. Even their three wins felt fortunate. They have a losing record since the "Dream Team" was constructed.

Andy Reid has turned around some ugly situations during his tenure in Philadelphia. It's hard to imagine there is any way out of this mess.

Follow Gregg Rosenthal on Twitter @greggrosenthal.