On Opening Sunday 2010, Kevin Kolb threw ten passes, completed five, and covered a total of 24 yards with his arm; the arm that Andy Reid tabbed as the future of Philadelphia football. With seven minutes left in the second quarter Kolb scrambled to his left to elude a Packers' third down blitz, and was chased down by All-Pro linebacker Clay Matthews before he could scamper out of bounds. Matthews mugged him from behind, slammed his head into the ground, and ran away with Kolb's starting role in his back pocket.
Kolb was shaken up, got up slow, and was later diagnosed with a concussion at half time. Michael Vick took the helm with the Birds in a hole and rallied them back in style, in what would later prove to be a losing effort. "The Kolb Era" was over as soon as it had begun. For the remainder of the season he would be successful in spot starts when Vick's injuries permitted him on the field. Regardless, Michael Vick reemerged as the play making Falcon of old, which would keep Kolb's helmet regularly on the shelf.
Thursday, as if Matthews' blow wasn't enough, the Eagles made the end of Kolb official, sending him to Arizona for Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie and a 2012 Second Round pick. Should the anticipated departure of the Birds' back-up QB upset Eagles fans? It's not phasing me. The Kolb era was not only overwhelmingly short, it virtually didn't exist. Kolb's future in Philadelphia seemed bright, and his future in a Cardinals uniform should be even brighter. A 2010 Week 1 sack, and the revival of one of football's most wanted, has steered Philadelphia football in a whole new direction. Kevin Kolb has an arm for the West Coast offense, Reid's offense, but that arm didn't, and never will, fit in Eagles history.
JD
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