Kolb, Reid won't look beyond Eagles games against Titans

THE QUESTIONS remain, which was why they were asked again yesterday.

If Kevin Kolb adds to the luster of his last two starts with another impressive performance Sunday at Tennessee, could Kolb possibly get back the starting job? The one he lost when Michael Vick played well for a game and a half, after Kolb suffered a concussion in the season opener?

Andy Reid has been asked this several times now - after Sunday's impressive, 31-17 Eagles victory over Atlanta, on Monday, and again yesterday. Reid, who confirmed Kolb definitely will start again, as Vick recovers from a rib-cartilage injury, still hasn't given anything close to a "yes" or "no" answer.

"I haven't even thought about that," Reid said yesterday. "We're worried about Tennessee right now and we're not worried about starting jobs. You guys can worry about all that. We're worried right now about trying to put together a game plan, learn the game plan and execute the game plan. That's what I think Kevin is focused in on; that's what we're focused in on as coaches."

Kolb has completed 44 of 60 passes (73.3 percent) for 579 yards, four touchdowns and one interception the last 2 weeks, compiling a 118.7 passer rating. Yesterday, he was named NFC offensive player of the week for his performance against Atlanta. Kolb now has won the award twice in five career starts, and he is the first quarterback to pass for 300 yards three times in his first five career starts since Kurt Warner in 1999.

Kolb said he will "continue to prepare like a starter, and that way, I'm ready when my name's called. Whatever [Reid] decides, he decides. It's just my job to go play good football and get another win."

Of course, whatever Reid decides likely will have a huge impact on the careers of both men.

Yet, "it's really not as hard as what people think" to focus on the week ahead, and not the larger picture, Kolb said.

"It helps me to just take it 1 week at a time," he said. "Especially being somewhat of a young player, that has to be your focus.

"You see that nothing's ever promised from week to week, and I think that's the one thing I've learned. You have to bring it - this league is a 'what can you do for me next' league. We have to forget about last week, as good as it was, and go prove ourselves again against the Titans."

They will do that without DeSean Jackson. Reid confirmed what had widely been assumed - that the Eagles' wide receiver, who suffered a concussion on a train-wreck collision with the Falcons' Dunta Robinson on Sunday, won't play at Tennessee. Asked whether the players not expected to play Sunday - Jackson, defensive tackle Brodrick Bunkley (elbow) and left tackle Jason Peters (knee) - will be back for the Indianapolis game after the bye, Reid said: "You know, I think so. I've learned in this thing just to take it day by day and just see how it goes."

With no Jackson against the aggressive, 4-2 Titans, "it is going to change some, but not drastically," Kolb said. "We're still going to do our thing. We believe in who we've got."

The pass defense's focus presumably shifts to Jeremy Maclin, who lacks Jackson's startling speed, but has 25 catches for 416 yards (16.6 yards per catch) and six touchdowns in six games.

"One thing that helps Mac a lot is his focus and determination," Kolb said. "When he gets to the ball, he doesn't think anybody can cover him. He doesn't think anybody can get past him when he's blocking. That aggression he brings to the field helps with all aspects. That's why he finds himself so wide open sometimes."

Reid talked of how Jackson and Maclin push each other - "they have a great friendship, but they like to compete against each other and challenge each other [to see] who has the best game."

Kolb agreed.

"You see it all the time out there - they're talking who's faster and who's more explosive," he said. "Those two guys do a great job of pushing each other and making sure they're on the right mark every time they step on the field."

Neither Jackson nor Maclin will ever be accused of being too humble.

"When you have two guys with as much talent as we do, I think you kind of feed off each other," Maclin said. "You see him make big plays out there, I want to make big plays. He sees me, he wants to make big plays."

Maclin said he will not be used differently in the formation without Jackson, just as he stayed in his regular spot when Jackson went down early in the second quarter against Atlanta.

"There may be a few things [different] here or there, but we're pretty much still doing the same type of plays that we usually run, and I'm pretty much in the same position," he said.

Is Maclin, who worked hard with Kolb all offseason, raising his leaguewide profile? He already has surpassed his rookie touchdown total of four, and he's averaging 2.8 yards per catch more than in 2009.

"I don't know, you tell me. I don't think much about how I'm perceived," Maclin said. "I go out there and I try to be reliable. The number of balls I get is just depending on the type of day it is."

Maclin has prospered since Kolb returned to the starting spot; 13 of Maclin's 25 catches and 254 of his 416 yards have come the last 2 weeks.

Vick, who started the Detroit and Jacksonville victories before being injured against Washington, was a partial practice participant yesterday.

"Feeling better," Vick said when he encountered a reporter in passing. A team spokesman said Vick was not available to speak at length.

Reid said he didn't know yet whether Vick will be listed as the second or third quarterback at Tennessee.

"We'll just see," he said. "Kevin's going, and that's the main thing."

Asked how Vick was dealing with the Eagles' ever-changing QB situation, Reid said: "I think his primary thing is just getting back to where he feels healthy enough to go out there and contribute in some ways. He's working overtime in the training room and trying to make sure all that's right. There's no conflict between the two or worry between the two right now. He's just trying to get himself healthy." *

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