True confession: When word spread in the press box on Nov. 23 at Baltimore that Kevin Kolb was going to quarterback the second half of that disastrous loss to the Ravens, I was OK with that. I wasn't nearly as shocked or appalled as some observers were. I had just seen McNabb, for no discernible reason, put together the seven worst quarters of QB play authored by any Eagle this side of Mike McMahon, starting with the OT tie the previous week in Cincinnati, and I was both sick and tired. Let him move on, let the team move on.
Of course, a lot has happened since Andy Reid made that choice. Kolb, given no prep time against an incredibly fierce defense, looked wobbly. McNabb got the job back the next day and somehow hit the "reset" button, leading the Eagles on an incredible march to the playoffs (with near-miraculous assistance from the Raiders), and then on to the NFC title game.
Which they lost. Again. So here I sit, again, as the fan-base invective rains down, because I feel compelled to point out that, gee, if every pass really was 10 feet behind the receivers, how did McNabb throw for 375 yards Sunday? How many yards would a "good" quarterback have thrown for, exactly? And if he can't lead a team to victory from behind, how did that 18-point, third-quarter Cardinals lead turn into a one-point deficit? Mirrors?
Should McNabb have demanded to play linebacker or safety after he threw a very fine pass 62 yards to DeSean Jackson to put the Eagles on top, 25-24, with 10 minutes and 45 seconds left? Because that was where the game got away, with Jim Johnson's defense on the field.
