Kevin Kolb Backlash Sorely Lacks Common Sense

A word of warning before I begin: Even though I've been an Eagles fan all my life, going back to 1987 with Randall Cunningham (still my all-time favorite player), I've never set foot in Philadelphia.

I live and work in the Bay Area, where I grew up and have spent most of my life watching the Iggles from afar and resenting the 49ers' success.

Still, having spent most of my life comparing and contrasting morning Eagles games with afternoon 49ers ones, I have to say, with all due respect to my fellow fans who bleed green, you people really need to shut the heck up about your stupid little quarterback controversy.

I'm from San Francisco, home of the original quarterback controversy: Joe vs. Steve.

The debate there wasn't about which one could lead the team to a respectable record, or possibly a wild card berth. Rather, it was about which was more fit to win the franchise yet another Super Bowl.

No one argued that either was bad because anyone with sense at all could see that both guys were great. Even though Young was relatively inexperienced, he oozed potential every time he stepped on the field.

After all, a guy had to be pretty special to get 49ers fans to ponder the sacrilegious idea of getting rid of Joe Montana. 

Frankly, I'm a little dumbstruck that this Kevin Kolb vs. Mike Vick thing has become such a big story.

Honestly, I know the national media—particularly the sensationalistic gasbags at ESPN—are leading the charge here, with Sal Paolantonio, front and center as always, trying to turn every Eagles development into the Cuban Missile Crisis. 

And, of course, the perfectly humble fellas over at the NFL Network, Deion Sanders and Michael Irvin, have made their feelings on Vick vs. Kolb crystal clear in their typically shticky, narrow-minded way.

Let's be honest: Just about every national columnist and blogger—i.e. Jason Whitlock, Peter King and Michael Silver—are firmly on the Vick bandwagon, and they're all railing against Eagles head Coach Andy Reid for sticking to his guns and declaring that Kolb will be his starter next Sunday at Jacksonville.

For once, it's the Philadelphia media that's by-and-large taking the measured, big-picture view, and leaving all the yelling and screaming and gesticulating to the national folks, who can't even name half the starting Eagle defense.

I don't know how fans in Philly think about this controversy. I'm too busy with my day job covering the Niners.

I'd like to think most of them are smart enough to know what's going on with the team.

For the people out there who are not necessarily Eagles fans, but are curious about the so-called controversy, let me simplify it for you.

Reid does not, in his heart of hearts, think Kolb is a better quarterback right now than Vick is. He also does not think the kid is better than Donovan McNabb, whom he traded to the Washington Redskins in the offseason to hand over the keys to Kolb.

Guess what, gang? He's perfectly okay with that.

Anyone who thinks Reid or owner Jeffrey Lurie had Super Bowl expectations or aspirations for the team going into the season is completely clueless.

The team cut the cord with McNabb, 33, because they got tired of watching the same movie every postseason. He was good, and at times great, but never good enough when it mattered.

There was no way McNabb could lead this roster to the promised land, just like there's no way Vick or Kolb can. Neither, for that matter, could Peyton Manning, Drew Brees, or Tom Brady.

The Eagles are rebuilding; why don't people get that?

Why is it OK for Tampa Bay, Detroit, St. Louis to be rebuilding, but not the Eagles?

Is it because Reid refuses to admit it?

Well, what coach is going to admit to fans the team doesn't have high expectations entering a season? Tickets at the Linc are pretty steep, from what I hear, and fans want to see some bang for their buck.

Reid is well within his rights to lead people on. Selling the team is part of his job.

But a bigger part of his job is thinking about the team's fate beyond next week.

All these pundits and ex-players who are screaming at me through my television about having to go for the win now and playing your best guy don't seem to have a firm grip on the Eagles' roster, or their philosophy.

They said goodbye to Brian Dawkins, Tra Thomas, and Jon Runyan a year ago and McNabb, Brian Westbrook, and Jeremiah Trotter (for good this time, I think) this past summer.

The team isn't exactly full of 34-year-olds making one last run for a ring. Yet the way the so-called experts talk about the them, you'd think they were all still on the roster, along with Duce Staley, Troy Vincent, and Bobby Taylor.

The Eagles are full of young pups.

LeSean McCoy and Jeremy Maclin are 22. DeSean Jackson is 23.

Brent Celek is the graybeard of the group at 25.

Now look at the quarterback situation again. Kolb, 26, with hardly any wear and tear on his body, thanks to riding the bench behind McNabb, is four years younger than Vick.

This team isn't built to win now. The plan is to contend by 2013, maybe 2012 if the stars align right.

Again, I don't understand what it is about Kolb that makes all the national people so angry.

Why do they dislike him so much? He's played one bad half of football so far.

It seems that everyone's already forgotten that he was the first quarterback in league history to have back-to-back 300-yard passing days in his first two starts.

Rookie quarterbacks used to get three, four years to develop. Now we're supposed to quit on them after a bad half?

Montana was 2-5 during his second season, which was the first year he got significant playing time.

Troy Aikman was 0-11 as a rookie, with a 52.9 completion percentage and a 55.7 QB rating. Dallas didn't give up on him and he worked out OK. Unfortunately.

McNabb completed less than half of his throws (49.1 percent) as a rookie, and had a 60.1 QB rating. I'd say he had a decent career in Philadelphia.

Vick went 8-6-1 in his first full season as a starter, but completed less than 55 percent of his throws.

Please realize that I'm fully aware Vick played sensationally against the Lions on Sunday. Not only did he escape a half-dozen sacks that Kolb wouldn't have, but he consistently went through his progressions to find his second and third reads, which he never did with Atlanta.

It's the best I've ever seen him, and if he continues his development at the ripe age of 30, some team will get a real bargain next season.

As great as Vick was on the field, he was even more impressive afterward, consistently saying the right things about his willingness to go back to a backup role and making sure to praise Kolb over and over.

I wasn't so sure about his maturity after that "I feel we would've won if I played all four quarters," comment after the Green Bay game, but Vick never strayed from the script Sunday in Detroit, or Monday back in Philadelphia, despite constantly being baited by the media.

He deserves tremendous credit for that.

He will not be an Eagle next season though, nor should he be. The team has invested much in Kolb, and they need to see what they have in him, even though it means they'll suffer through his growing pains.

They have to see what they have in Kolb. If he's an absolute bum for the rest of the season, maybe then, and only then, should the team entertain the thought of re-signing Vick and making him the starter in 2011.

For now, everyone needs to calm the heck down and let a young offense grow together.

The people clamoring for Vick to remain starter need not worry, though. This whole issue is probably moot anyway.

If their line keeps playing this poorly, there's no way Kolb will remain upright more than a game or two, anyway.

Heck, we might be debating the merits of Mike Kafka by mid-October.