Philadelphia Eagles: Is There a Backup Available If Kevin Kolb Is Traded?

The New York Giants taught us the NFL is unpredictable when they beat the New England Patriots in Super Bowl XLII.

We also learned the unpredictability when Peyton Hillis rushed for over 1,000 yards and Michael Vick nearly won the MVP last year.

Despite everything history has taught us we are all predicting the NFL lockout is going to end July 21 and Kevin Kolb will be traded when free agency begins.

I'm still skeptical, but I'll play along with everyone and pretend their predictions are more in line with Peyton Manning going to the Pro Bowl and not what they thought would happen when New Orleans played Seattle in the playoffs.

The good news about the predictions is the Eagles will land some high draft picks or a cornerback.

The bad news is they need to find a backup quarterback in a market where it's nearly impossible to find one.

Don't believe me?

Check out some of the names associated with backing up to Michael Vick.

Marc Bulger

Since 2007 Marc Bulger holds a 5-30 record.

Despite his inability to pick up a win more than once a month, people recognize his name and think he could be a serviceable backup for the Eagles.

Forget about it.

To be more specific, you should have forgot about Marc Bulger in 2004 when his career spiraled out of control and he had a front row seat for the St. Louis Rams' plunge into the abyss.

According to Rotoworld.com Bulger wants to re-sign with the Ravens.

Hopefully he re-signs quickly and we can put to rest any talk about this washed up, over-the-hill, has-been and never-will-be quarterback to rest.

Matt Hasselbeck

There is no way Matt Hasselbeck wants to come to Philadelphia, holding a clipboard and wearing Kevin Kolb's old visor.

He may not have what it takes to start in the NFL, but he certainly has some pride and he will try to find a situation where can compete for a starting job or sign with a team who has a young quarterback dying to get the hook throughout the regular season.

Tim Hasselbeck, Matt's brother, of ESPN reported Tennessee is a possibility.

A trip to the Music City makes sense.

Kerry Collins retired and Vince Young will most likely be released or traded as soon as the league permits.

By default Jake Locker has the keys. It's a pretty safe bet he will lose the keys several times throughout the season and allow someone like Hasselbeck to step in and win games for a team that can win games now.

Speaking of Vince Young...

Vince Young

Vince Young is a hot mess.

It's one thing if you come out of jail, as Michael Vick did, and you take over as a quarterback. It's another story when you quit on your team and act like a mutt like Young has done throughout his five-year career.

You knew Vick wanted to have another shot because his livelihood was on the line and it was the last shot he would ever get.

But Young?

For all we know this guy will mail it in during training camp and pull a Shawn Andrews.

It's also safe to assume could never fully grasp Andy Reid and Marty Monrnhinweg's offense in a truncated offseason.

His athleticism is appealing, but the negatives are too overwhelming.

Terrelle Pryor

Could the Eagles actually use a pick in the supplemental draft to bring in embattled former Ohio State quarterback Terrelle Pryor?

It sounds strange, but it makes sense if the Eagles believe Mike Kafka can serve as the backup.

With Kafka one play away, Pryor can take his time learning the offense and eventually work his way up to the backup position for next season.

When Pryor learns the offense he would serve as a perfect backup because the drop-off from Michael Vick would not be drastic in terms of playmaking ability and arm strength.

His pure athletic ability would allow the Eagles offense to play at a high level and put points on the board.

This leaves Eagles fans wondering if Kafka can be a backup and if the Eagles are willing to invest in Pryor.

I think it would be worth a risk to bring Pryor on board, but as for Kafka? Well...

Mike Kafka

You can kiss the Terrelle Pryor idea goodbye because Mike Kafka is clearly not ready to be a backup in the NFL.

Kafka has never thrown a pass in an NFL regualr season game. He's never even taken a snap.

The guy only started 19 games in college and 13 of those came during his senior season when he finally worked his way up to a starter.

And he wasn't riding the pine at USC, Notre Dame, Michigan, Texas or Oklahoma.

Nope.

He was the backup at Northwestern which has produced the following NFL quarterbacks according to Wikipedia: Otto Graham, Brett Basanez, Randy Dean, Mike Kerrigan and Pug Rentner.

Maybe he will be a serviceable backup down the road. But not next year on a team ready to win now.

Matt Leinart

Matt Leinart dropped in the 2006 NFL Draft to the Arizona Cardinals, who held the 10th overall.

There were rumors the Eagles were interested in taking Leinart if he fell to them at 14.

And when he was released from Arizona there was speculation the Eagles might make a play for him since Kevin Kolb was an unproven starter and Michael Vick was a wild card.

Great. We're left with speculation and rumors to connect the Eagles to a potential backup.

Things are clearly desperate at this point.

But would the Eagles even want him?

No.

He has Vince Young's heart and a quarter of his athleticism. He's also wasted his potential and every opportunity to earn a starting job over Derek Anderson, John Skelton and Max Hall.

If he can't beat out those three stiffs, he's not worthy of wandering the sidelines as a backup.

Alex Smith

We have our first possibility. It's certainly not a good one, but at least we have someone on the radar.

Alex Smith still wants a shot to compete for a starting position, and I want a shot at winning the lottery.

He needs to suck it up, sign with a team where he is surrounded by knowledgeable individuals and where he can learn to play the position.

Philadelphia can provide Smith those opportunities.

The only problem is trying to figure out what Smith brings to the table.

Contrary to what you may think off the top of your head, Smith was not running the West Coast offense in San Francisco, which was its birthplace under the direction of Bill Walsh.

I mention this because people may say, "Hey, bring in that Alex Smith guy because he ran a similar offense in San Francisco so he'll be ready to run it in Philly."

You can probably throw out the word, "potential" because it looks like we know who Smith really is.

He's nothing more than a starter who will find ways to lose more games than win and will make some great throws while making the same amount of poor decisions as seen by his career 19-31 record and 51 touchdowns against 53 picks. 

Smith wouldn't be the worst option out there if the Eagles don't sign the next player on the list.

Tarvaris Jackson

Tarvaris Jackson is athletic, has proven he can win when given a legitimate opportunity and knows the offense.

We are all under the assumption the offensive line or Andy Reid's play-calling is going to get Michael Vick killed.

When it happens the Eagles can't trot in a statue.

They don't need someone who will run for over 500 yards in a season; they simply need someone who can move outside the pocket and make throws on the run.

And since there is no telling when Vick will go out the backup needs to come in and win games. In 2007 the Vikings allowed Jackson to start in 12 games and he won eight games. It's not earth shattering, but it's better than what some of the other stiffs on this list did.

Most importantly, Jackson is familiar with the Eagles' offense thanks to playing under Brad Childress for his entire career. Childress, who was fired last year, was an offensive coordinator under Andy Reid and brought the offense to Minnesota.

A limited offseason will not hinder Jackson as much as it would other free agent quarterbacks.

The only problem is other teams such as Seattle and Miami may try to land Jackson as a starter.

He will also be enticed to join Washington where he may compete for a starting job.

The Eagles can eliminate those thoughts if they can offer him enough money.