Kolb's jersey becoming more noticeable in Philly area

Fans weren't oblivious to the elephant in the room. Donovan McNabb was getting older. Kevin Kolb was getting better. Lines were bound to cross.

So at Modell's stores throughout the Philadelphia area, Kolb's No. 4 jersey steadily flew off the shelves - months before McNabb actually was traded.

"They knew it was a matter of time," said Derrick Morgan, a regional marketing manager at Modell's. "That's the reason we had the Kolb jersey even last year, because people know that at some point, Kolb's going to take over."

Hence, the growing waves of No. 4 jerseys in the area. A sudden surge of Kolb jerseys won't strike until fans see production, see proof that Kolb is for real.

Unlike years past, when McNabb's jersey generally dominated the market, Morgan said sales are scattered among several players so far. Kolb, LeSean McCoy, DeSean Jackson, Jeremy Maclin and Brent Celek replicas are all selling well.

But Kolb's momentum is building. During April, his jersey was the 12th-highest seller on NFLShop.com. And between April 1 and June 30, Kolb remained popular, at No. 24. Jackson's jersey ranked No. 20 for the same period.

"If he performs well or beyond expectations, then you're going to see a huge spike in sales," Morgan said. "If he performs well, we'd expect to see a big demand for the jerseys. If he struggles out of the gate, then not so much."

McNabb's new Redskins jersey has sold well nationally, at No. 2 overall. Only the jersey of Denver rookie quarterback Tim Tebow has sold better.

Just don't expect to see McNabb's Redskins jersey at Eagles games. Unlike beloved safety Brian Dawkins, who ventured west to Denver last season, McNabb was traded to a division rival. There were plenty of Dawkins Broncos jerseys in the stands when Denver played here last season.

Morgan doesn't see a stubborn, pro-McNabb contingent donning scarlet red at the Linc. That's sacrilegious.

"As far as the Philly stores, we haven't really seen a big request for Redskins McNabb jerseys," Morgan said. "I think it's a little bit of a different scenario with McNabb from Dawkins.

"For someone to pick up a Redskins jersey, it's almost a little bit of a taboo to do that."