Can Kevin Kolb Lead the Eagles Further than Donovan McNabb Did?
The pieces were put in place for Kevin Kolb this offseason. The Philadelphia Eagles traded long-time franchise quarterback Donovan McNabb to division rivals the Washington Redskins, making room for Kolb to take over.
Well, Kolb has to prove the Eagles made the right move pretty quick. Kolb will face McNabb and the Redskins twice this year and will get a chance to prove himself early on. In turn, McNabb can prove the Eagles made a mistake and will have a chance to outclass his former understudy.
Many Eagles fans have been chasing Donovan McNabb out of Philly for the past few years with trade rumours constantly circulating every season. Finally, the rumours came true this offseason.
Kolb showed some positive signs that he’s ready to be a starter when McNabb was injured early in the 2009 season. He became the first quarterback in NFL history to throw for a total of over 300 yards in his first two starts.
Many have said that Kolb will turn out to be a more accurate passer on short passes than McNabb, but in his first two games he appeared to be stronger on long passes as he had good chemistry with DeSean Jackson.
Overall in 2009, Kolb threw for a total of 741 yards, 4 touchdowns and 3 interceptions in five appearances.
The good news for Kolb is that he has a very talented receiving corps who can go the length of the field. Coach Andy Reid’s west-coast offence will give Kolb the opportunity to be very productive and light up the stat charts.
Kolb will still have to learn the intangibles of the game though as being a quarterback in the NFL requires a lot more than a strong arm.
Kolb will also have to learn about being under the spotlight in Philadelphia. They are some of the toughest fans in the league and can turn on a player in a hurry. Just ask Donovan McNabb.
Last season, the Eagles appeared to be on their way to the Super Bowl as they were rolling late in the season. However, injuries affected the team’s defence and the departure of defensive leader Brian Dawkins proved to be too much for the Eagles to overcome.
The Eagles lost to division rival the Dallas Cowboys both times during the season including a loss in Week 17 that allowed the Cowboys to snatch the NFC East Crown right from the Eagles fingers.
The Cowboys consequentially gained home-field advantage for their meeting in the wild card round the following week and crushed Philly 34-14.
Although the Eagles defence allowed five straight scoring drives in that game, many Philly fans placed a lot of blame squarely on the shoulders of McNabb, who struggled in the game. However, it was a team loss. It was just another case in football of a quarterback either getting too much credit for a win, or too much blame for a loss. As was the case many times among Philly fans, the latter was true.
Kolb now has to learn to deal with the pressure he is about to face. If he struggles early, you can bet that Eagles fans will quickly want to see Michael Vick placed into the starting role. Kolb will simply have to relax and learn slowly. It’s his first season as a starter and he may need some patience from this teammates and Philly fans.
The second round draft pick of 2007 has been banked on by the Eagles organization to lead them into the future. Their success this season will largely be based on how the youngster adapts to life as an NFL starting quarterback in one of the toughest cities to play. All we can say to Kevin Kolb for now is, good luck kid.
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