Eagles' Kevin Kolb: It's Time to Give Him a Starting Chance

I've supported Donovan McNabb for years. I've watched him throw costly interceptions, choke in big games, and blame others for losses.

Yet, I've stuck with him.

At the beginning of the 2009-10 football season, I decided that this was the last year I would support McNabb. If he couldn't get it done this year, I was done with him.

Unsurprisingly, he didn't win the big game.

But let's flash back to Week One of the Eagles season.

It was the third quarter of the Eagles-Panthers game. McNabb dropped back to pass and the pressure came. He took off, looking for the end zone. He pounded his way into the end zone, but while on the ground, Panthers defensive linemen Tyler Brayton and Damione Lewis fell on McNabb, causing him to roll.

The impact broke his rib.

That injury meant Kevin Kolb would have to start the next week against Drew Brees and the high-powered Saints offense. There was no way the Eagles would put up a fight without their starting quarterback.

Kolb started the game. The first half was close, but the game got away from them in the second half.

Kolb put up decent numbers, passing for 391 yards and two touchdowns (one a 71- yarder to DeSean Jackson). However, he did throw three interceptions, but one was on a pointless pass when the game was already out of reach.

The next week the Birds had an easier opponent, the Kansas City Chiefs.

Kolb showed that he has more talent than Eagles fans had been giving him credit for. Kolb toasted the Chiefs secondary, completing 71 percent of his passes for 327 yards, two touchdowns, and zero interceptions.

By looking at these numbers, you may not be impressed. You should be.

Kolb became the first player in the history of the NFL to throw for 300+ yards in his first two starts. Not even first time starter wonders Matt Ryan, Ben Roethlisberger, or Kurt Warner accomplished this.

What about the turnovers you might ask?

Three interceptions are never good in a single game but the Saints defense ranked second in takeaways this season.

And turnovers are things all young quarterbacks have to deal with. Even future Hall-of-Famer Peyton Manning threw 28 interceptions in his rookie season. 

I'm not saying Kevin Kolb is the next great quarterback, but can we at least give him a chance?

He has some serious talent. 

And after 11 seasons of disappointment with the Eagles, does McNabb realistically give the Birds a better chance of winning than Kolb? In my opinion, he does not.

The Eagles need to open their eyes.

They need to look at Green Bay and see what happened there.

Brett Favre was a legend in Green Bay, yet the Packers gave Aaron Rodgers a chance to start.

Turned out pretty well huh? Rodgers has become one of the league's top quarterbacks.

Why go through another season of "almost?"

It is time for the Eagles organization and Donovan McNabb to move on.

A change of scenery would benefit both sides at this point.

Trade him to Arizona or Cleveland or even Minnesota if Brett Favre doesn't return.

Give Kevin Kolb a chance to start. He has earned it.