We all know what has been said about people who assume things and, yet, we all do it anyway.
We assume that the end of the Donovan McNabb era as the Eagles' quarterback is on the horizon. We assume that rookie Kevin Kolb will take his place. We assume that A.J. Feeley is nothing more than a career backup who will make his second straight start today against the Seattle Seahawks only because McNabb isn't healthy and Kolb isn't ready.
The truth here is that none of us know for sure what the Eagles' quarterback situation is going to look like next week - let alone next year.
And let's just set the record straight right now: It would be foolish to assume that Feeley couldn't be the Eagles' future at quarterback.
"With a starting quarterback, everything is earned, and crazy things have happened," Feeley said as he prepared to take on the Seahawks. "Look at the Romo situation. Look at Tom Brady. Look at Derek Anderson right now. It's crazy how everything works. It's all based on opportunities and guys making the most of them."
All of the above are great examples. Dallas' Tony Romo, 27, was undrafted in 2003 and sat for 3 1/2 seasons before making the most of his chance last season. Now, he's an MVP candidate as the quarterback of the best team in the NFC and apparently dating pop star Jessica Simpson.
Most of Brady's story is well-documented. He was a sixth-round pick by the Patriots in 2000, although it rarely gets mentioned that New England was the last NFL team to keep four quarterbacks on its roster because the Pats liked the rookie from Michigan that year.
Anderson, 24, is this year's remarkable story. A sixth-round pick by Baltimore in 2005, he was cut by the Ravens his rookie year and signed by Cleveland. He lost the battle for the Browns' starting job to Charlie Frye in training camp this year but was handed the reins at halftime opening day. Now, he's the NFL's 11th-rated passer and has thrown 22 touchdowns for a 7-4 team that appears headed to the postseason. Brady Quinn's future as the Browns' starter is now in question.
On the surface, Feeley doesn't appear to have the kind of resume you're looking for in a starting quarterback, and he's quite a bit older than the guys above. He was a fifth-round draft choice by the Eagles in 2001 who is 30 years old. He has made just 14 career starts and has a 7-7 record in those games during a seven-year career.
