Upon Further Review: Is Kevin Kolb ready to take over?

In the first in a series of specific scouting reports, Shutdown Corner investgates whether the Philadelphia Eaglas are in good hands with new starting quarterback Kevin Kolb(notes). With Donovan McNabb(notes) in the nation's capital and Michael Vick(notes) possibly on the outs, how can the Eagles insure the success of the man they have designated as the the future of the franchise?

There were several things that prevented the Philadelphia Eagles from going to the Super Bowl last season. A torn ACL cost linebacker Stewart Bradley(notes) his entire 2009 season, and replacements were hard to come by until the team traded for ex-Rams defender Will Witherspoon(notes) in October. Whatever plans the offensive brain trust had for Michael Vick seemed to go awry; for the most part, Vick was less a "Wildcat" option and more a speedbump for every offense drive in which he took part. Depending on what happens with Vick's current legal issues, he may not be on the team in time for the 2010 season. The Eagles scored just seven rushing touchdowns in the red zone (as many as little-known Cardinals running back Tim Hightower(notes) did all by himself), continuing a longstanding issue with short-area conversions.

Most of the blame for a season that ended in a 34-14 wild-card loss to the Dallas Cowboys fell on the shoulders of quarterback Donovan McNabb, which is something McNabb got used to a long time ago (Perhaps the Eagles should have looked harder at a defense that allowed five straight scoring drives in the second quarter of that game). Despite his status as the best quarterback in franchise history (and a 2009 season that saw him throw 22 touchdowns and just nine interceptions), McNabb had seen the writing on the wall for a while. First, when the team drafted Houston quarterback Kevin Kolb in the second round of the 2007 draft, and second, when head coach Andy Reid benched McNabb in a Week 12 loss to the Ravens in 2008. Eventually, the Eagles wanted to see what they had in Kolb, and they cut bait with McNabb after the 2009 season in order to move forward with the man they perceive to be their next franchise quarterback.

But did the Eagles move too quickly in going to Kolb full-time? He was the first quarterback in NFL history to throw for at least 300 yards in his first two starts when he took the helm early in 2009 as McNabb recovered from a rib injury. But in those two games, Kolb faced the moribund Kansas City Chiefs defense (in Week 3) and the defense of the eventual Super Bowl champion New Orleans Saints (in Week 2). The word on Kolb is that he will present more short-level accuracy than McNabb, but against New Orleans, he looked better throwing longer to his own receivers on a first-quarter touchdown to DeSean Jackson(notes) than he did throwing short on a fourth-quarter interception to Darren Sharper(notes).

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