The sad and shameful end for starting quarterback Kevin Kolb came quickly and in full view of a public that turned against him as hastily as it had once propped him up. Kolb, who was fed a daily regimen of powerful confidence boosters by his fawning employers, looked vital only a few weeks ago. But after getting a concussion in the season opener against Green Bay, things suddenly looked grim for the signal-caller. He was weakened further by the reemergence and exceptional play of Michael Vick, in addition to the attendant national debate that germinated while he was convalescing.
Starting quarterback Kevin Kolb officially succumbed to his fate in Jacksonville, Fla., on Sunday as Vick led the Eagles to a convincing 28-3 victory over the Jaguars. He died of embarrassment after being asked to warm up during garbage time in the fourth quarter.
From Kolb's bedside earlier in the week, Reid promised everyone that the young man would recover and reclaim his job. But just as Reid once gave Kolb his football life, the head coach took it away and unexpectedly pulled the plug on his progeny. Some thought it was the humane and decent thing to do; others were aghast and recoiled.
While Kolb's demise came as a shock to some - Fox announcers Ron Pitts and John Lynch called it a "bombshell" - others weren't as surprised. Kolb's one-time tutor found it predictable.
"That's Philadelphia," Donovan McNabb said on his weekly radio show upon learning Kolb had been buried by the Eagles. "Things like that happen. I've been a part of that for 11 years and, obviously, as you see, it just doesn't stop."
Reid has instructed the fans and media not to mourn Kolb. He said Kolb is in a better place now and promised that the quarterback's "time will come."
