Kolb: 'I'm ready to roll'
The Philadelphia Daily News - Eagletarian
Kolb: 'I'm ready to roll'
Daily News staff
Kevin Kolb met the media for the first time since the Eagles traded Donovan McNabb to the Redskins on Sunday.
Coach Andy Reid has talked about how much confidence he has in Kolb and the control that Kolb has over the offense.
"Everything I've done in my life has led to this," Kolb said. "I'm ready to roll and lead this team."
"I didn't even blink when Andy told me. I really didn't," he said. "I'm excited about it. I'm sure it will have a little drama, but it will be a fun ride. I truly have that outlook on it. I think this team will surprise some people.”
Kolb said several times that he does not think this is a rebuilding year and that the moves the organization have made are a symbol of the team’s confidence in the younger players.
“[Winning the Super Bowl], that’s been our goal since I've been here, since Andy’s been here," he said. "That's not going to change because we're going younger … We will have the same focus day in and day out like when we were when we were trying to make those runs with all the veterans.”
Kolb said he understood the situation whe returned to the bench last season after becoming the first QB in NFL history to throw for more than 300 yards in his first two starts.
"I trusted the organization, I trusted Andy to get me here one day," he said. "The times last year when I started that I felt I was ready, but the team wasn't ready, maybe the city wasn’t ready. I knew Andy would put me in the situation to be the starter."
He also talked often about the other players rallying around him and the relationships he has formed.
He also said he benefited from being able to watch for the last few years and hoped to talk to Green Bay's Aaron Rodgers and New Orleans' Drew Brees about the adjustment from backup to starter.
"You get to sit back and get to watch the peaks and valleys," he said. "The way people ride your bandwagon and jump off. It always comes back to your core -- those guys sitting here on Wednesday morning when we have our meetings. That’s all that matters. It's not always most talented team out there that wins the Super Bowl. It's the team that gels. We’re on the right track … We’re going to come together and run with this thing."
Asked about going into the final year of his contract, Kolb said he would leave those discussions to his agent.
"There is only one thing on my mind and that's getting this team ready to win the Super Bowl and win football games," he said.
Kolb said he has not yet spoken to McNabb, but that the two exchanged text messages earlier today and hope to talk later.
“Donovan and I have always had a great relationship … I want to wish him the best. He’s been nothing but a 100 percent professional to me and a good friend. I honestly will always look back to way he treated me and hopefully I go can do that for some other kids.”
Kolb said he was by himself when he got the call from Reid, about 15 minutes before the news broke, which “was a nice place to be, to let it soak in for a minute before I started making phone calls and answering texts.”
Kolb said his first call was to his wife and then called his father, who was his high school coach.
Asked what he learned from McNabb, Kolb said, “I think the one thing he does is he handles every situation
that the NFL, the city, the media has put on him with a smile. That’s one thing that I noticed right away is, man, he’s always in a good mood. That portrays well in the locker room because it doesn’t show to anyone that that’s affecting
him, even if it is. He’s real good about keeping that under his skin and making sure that everything is real smooth in the locker room. So, that’s something I need to work on, I have worked on and will take from him as the starting quarterback.”
Kolb also said preparation will be different for him as the starter.
"You have to find your groove as a starting quarterback at this level, in this league -- what fits you preparation wise, rest wide, weight training," he said. "You have to find your own routines week to week and see what works for you. I want to get that ironed out as soon as possible."
He also said no two quarterbacks are the same.
"Something has to change, some for the good, some for the worse," he said. "I'm a totally different style guy ... There are differences but at the same time as long as it leads to the Super Bowl, that's all we're after."
Poll: Will McNabb haunt the Eagles?
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and a new era begins......maybe KK can lead us to the Promised Land..— JustaTXjock- No excuses kiddo, I don't want to hear you don't have weapons, and o-line, defense, etc. McNabb did it for 11 years, now it's your turn...Let's Go Birds!!— EaglesBleedMoney
- Oh, you'll be rolling....on your back in pain, when you get hit over and over. Good luck.— philly449
- Who will back up Vick?— blueye7
- Good to see Kolb be rewarded for his patience, but let's not kid ourselves everyone, he is going to be very raw and there will be growing pains. Let's not expect an overnight Pro-Bowler here. That said, Kevin, this is YOUR team now. I'm excited for a new era of Eagles football.— mikemimbs
- Who said it was the "Promised" Land. Before McNabb came here we SELDOMLY won the division, much less make it to 5 NFC Championships. So to talk as if we have such high expectations is arrogant.— matic18
he better be ready from jump. donovan's 1st year as a starter was 11-5, with a playoff birth. i dont want to hear any excuses for the kolb lovers. as a life long eagles fan, i hope kolb is great, and i will definitely root for him to do well, but if he's stinking it up, BENCH HIM!- this aint the tumbleweeds of Texas. he needs to take the chew out of his mouth, shave his lip and learn some english...my man..wolf~out— Lonewolf10
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- Let's hope so, for all the Donovan haters, those who don't know jack about football, just classless, racist idiots. Donovan did more with less. Teams had to scheme because of Donovan and his football playmaking abilities.For those idiots who say he was soft ask any of his former teammates or other NFL players those who would know if he was soft not some know it all Donovan hater if the guy was soft. I guess if he wasn't beating his wife, getting arrested, bad mouthing his teammates he was soft. Playing with numerous injuries, (broken leg game against the Cardinals, thumb injury on throwing hand,etc doesn't mean anything. You so called Donovan Haters better hope Kevin Kolb is for real because you'll know by week six if he's another Aaron Rodgers or countless bums who've played quarterback and think they can start and compete and succeed as a NFL Quarterback, I'm talking about you AJ Feeley. You so called Donovan haters have your wish. Life sucks when you don't know what you have and hope Kevin Kolb will be good, never had that feeling with Donovan. For all his haters, you idiots are just that, idiots!— dcjedi
- Here we go lonewolf strutting around like a peacock,they did my baby wrong,I know he wasn't that accurate but he was a clutch player and a leader,he was a probowl alternate 5 times!,they did my baby wrong.BM5.— bigmama5
