Philly’s Quarterback Quandary
As the NFL enters its off season one of the most polarizing topics is who will be the quarterback of the Philadelphia Eagles when the 2010 season kicks off. Ever since Kevin Kolb was drafted after the ’06 season the “this is McNabb’s last year in Philly” speculation has run rampant. With each passing year that he fails to deliver a Super Bowl the speculation ratchets up another notch above and beyond what it was the year before. Believe it or not the answer to this quandary of sorts may lie in what the Eagles decide to do with Michael Vick over the next two weeks.
Conventional wisdom says that as long as Donovan McNabb is healthy and is showing no signs of a diminishing skill set you ride with him. After all he is one of the winningest quarterbacks of the last ten years, had gotten the team to its only Super Bowl since the 1980 season, and has led the team to five NFC Championship games. Go with the devil you know as opposed to the devil you do not know.
Kevin Kolb showed signs of his potential in limited action in place of McNabb early in the 2009 season. He threw for over 700 yards and four touchdowns in two starts against the Saints and the Chiefs. The downside to Kolb’s performances are that he threw three interceptions against the Saints that came when the Eagles were still in the ball game. His other performance also came a against a very mediocre Chiefs defense.
It remains to be seen whether or not Kolb is someone who can keep the team in Super Bowl contention the way McNabb potentially does. There truly are benefits to going with either quarterback at this juncture.
There is a school of thought that McNabb has had ample opportunity to close the deal and bring a Lombardi Trophy to Philly and that his ship has sailed. There are those who think it is for Reid to give someone else a shot at the brass ring. Maybe Kevin Kolb re-energizes the team and the fan base and gets the team headed back towards a Super Bowl. Maybe not.
Besides the experience factor my other knock on Kolb is he is either afraid to stand in the pocket and throw the ball down field or he lacks the arm strength to do so. When he came off the bench in week one against Carolina he had a couple of passes that looked woefully underthrown. The passes the he completed that went for big gains were short routes that went for big plays due to blown coverages and DeSean Jackson’s ability to out run the other team’s defense. I have yet to see him complete a pass down the field.
The ability to throw the ball down field is the one thing McNabb excels at that Kolb has yet to show he can consistently due in a game.
Andy Reid maintains that McNabb is still his guy and he will be the Eagles starting quarterback this season. We all know that could just be window dressing. If the Eagles intend on entertaining offers for McNabb they need to take the stance that he is not available in order to get the best possible deal. If teams feel like Philly is desperate to unload him then they will not offer much by way of a trade to get him.
My gut tells me that if the right deal comes along the Eagles are not adverse to dealing McNabb. It would likely take a at least a first round draft pick, if not more, to land McNabb. It was rumored that the asking price for Donovan a couple of years ago was multiple first round picks. If the Eagles are able to get a high draft pick with a player or another mid round pick thrown in they take the deal and the Kevin Kolb Era officially begins in Philadelphia in 2010.
This is where we get to how Michael Vick plays into this whole scenario. Since the season ended it has long been speculated that Vick’s days in Philadelphia are over, and, if 2010 were shaping up to be a season where a salary cap played a role in the decision I would agree with that assessment. It was one thing to have Vick on the active roster at a minimal salary, but, there is no way they could afford to hang onto to him and take the $5 million cap hit. But, without a salary cap to worry about and plenty of cash to spend the Eagles may be more inclined to give Vick his roster bonus and ride things out for the time being.
At worst they eat some of the cash and end up dealing him for a mid-round draft pick to Buffalo, St. Louis, or another team looking for a short-term solution at quarterback until they find their next franchise QB. However, if they end up cutting Vick loose or trading him by the March 5 deadline then rest assure McNabb will be the starting quarterback in Philadelphia next season.
You see Andy Reid never goes into a season without a veteran quarterback on the roster who knows his offense. It seems highly unlikely that he would feel comfortable going into the season with Kevin Kolb being the only quarterback seasoned in his offense. He has been bailed out on more than one occasion by having a seasoned backup quarterback at his disposal. It seems highly implausible that the Eagles would dump Vick and McNabb in the same year.
Now, if Vick is retained then all bets are off and any of the three quarterbacks could be dealt before the season. The Bills and Cardinals have already reportedly expressed some interest in exploring a deal for McNabb’s services. The Rams supposedly have an interest in Vick and the Browns are reportedly interested in both McNabb and Kolb.
If a team like the Bills or Browns are willing to offer up a top ten pick for McNabb one has to imagine Reid is going to listen. There are a bevy of game changers on the defensive side of the ball that the Eagles could potentially land if they manage to get into the top ten of the draft. A team like the Cardinals would probably have to sweeten the pot a bit to land McNabb.
Another team that could have an interest is the 49ers. They have a pair of first round picks and Mike Singletary has never been terribly enamored with either Alex Smith or Shaun Hill and with no sure fire prospects at QB in this draft the Niners might be willing to part with one of the first round picks to land McNabb.
The Vikings are another team that could have an interest in McNabb if Brett Favre decides sooner rather than later to hang ‘em up.
One thing is for certain though. If McNabb returns as the starting quarterback in Philadelphia next season it means that Reid does not believe he can win next year with Kolb at the helm. In McNabb he knows he can win 10 to 12 ball games and at least make it to the playoffs. If McNabb is dealt it means that Reid thinks he can make the playoffs with Kolb running the offense.
However it all plays out the Eagles are in a pretty rare situation in which they have three quarterbacks on their roster that teams are interested in and that puts them in a position to potentially upgrade their roster in other areas. The next couple of months leading up to the draft is definitely going to be an interesting one in Philadelphia to say the least.
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