Then McNabb was back, and it was as if the life got sucked out of the team, according to one player I spoke with Monday. The offense was explosive at times, stagnant at others, and slowly, players began to doubt McNabb and wish for Kolb.
Sunday night, that wish came true when the Eagles announced that they had traded McNabb to Washington. Kolb is the man now. Michael Vick is the backup. And McNabb is a memory.
It's monumental for the Eagles, and certainly scary, because you just don't know how a quarterback will perform until he's given the chance. It's possible Kolb doesn't have the skills to become an elite quarterback. His arm might not be strong enough, his feet not fleet enough.
Replicating McNabb's success won't be easy. McNabb spoiled people with his ability to win and lead the Eagles to the playoffs. If anything, he was a victim of his own success. Plenty of fans would love for their team to be in five NFC championship games, but for Eagles fans, it understandably just wasn't enough.
The Eagles' front office, their coaching staff, and certainly the players believe that Kolb can be that guy, as Brent Celek said, to lead them to the "promised land." On Monday, a parade of players spoke about Kolb's relentless dedication to studying the game, about how he knows what every player on offense is supposed to be doing during every play, about how calm he is making checks at the line of scrimmage, and about what kind of leader he is.
In an instant, Kolb went from the future to the present. He is now the guy. Guard Todd Herremans called having Kolb under center "refreshing."
"The whole locker room is behind him," Herremans said.
That would include all those kids. And why not? Kolb is one of them. The projected starters on offense have an average age of 24. Only three guys on the team are over 30, only three were drafted by the team before 2006, and only two were on the 2004 team that went to the Super Bowl.
These guys are young, and Kolb is their leader.
