Evaluating Kolb's performance
How did Kevin Kolb perform in his second preseason game as the Eagles' starting quarterback? Here's a look at all 17 of his pass attempts against the Bengals.
Evaluating Kolb's performance
Sheil Kapadia, Philly.com
Kevin Kolb went 11-for-17 for 126 yards against the Bengals.
For the second straight game, he failed to throw a touchdown, but also avoided throwing an interception. Through two preseason games, Kolb is 17-for-28 for 221 yards.
I took a look back at all 17 of his throws against Cincinnati, and once again, detailed what I saw in the space below.
But here are some things that stood out overall.
1. There was very little opportunity for receivers to pick up yards after the catch in this one. Not necessarily because of Kolb's throws, but probably more because of the calls, protection and timing.
2. Kolb threw six incompletions. But really, there was only one throw (you could argue a second) where he misfired to an open receiver. Of course, that throw was big, as it was the ball to Jason Avant in the end zone that could have been a touchdown. The others were either bad decisions (throwing to crowded areas/covered receivers) or other circumstances, like when he threw the ball away, or when Leonard Weaver dropped a pass that would have resulted in a loss if completed.
3. Michael Vick came into the game in the third quarter and scrambled for 13 yards on a 1st-and-10. Kolb re-entered the game and threw three straight incompletions, including the miss to Avant. Coincidence? I'm not sure. Marty Mornhinweg admitted last week that disrupting Kolb's rhythm could be an issue, but he thought the Eagles' starting quarterback would be OK. Something to keep an eye on for sure when the Eagles shuffle Vick in and out with the first unit.
4. Kolb has been extremely impressive throwing on the run. When he's had to scramble or roll out, he's been on the money with his passes. On the flip side, he definitely had some happy feet (and admitted as much in the in-game TV interview), where he moved out of the pocket even though there was not a lot of pressure. It's understandable, considering how the offensive line played at times, but something he will have to get a good feel for. In other instances, he showed that he has no reservations about standing in the pocket, releasing the ball and taking a hit.
Here's the breakdown of all 17 passes:
Throw 1: On the first play of the game, Stacy Andrews was bowled over by Bengals defensive lineman Jonathan Fanene, who got a good shot in on Kolb just as he released the ball. Kolb, working out of the shotgun, took a shot deep to DeSean Jackson, as the Eagles were backed up at their own 7-yard line. The Bengals had two DBs near Jackson, and the pass (which traveled about 38 yards) was incomplete. I have no problem with Kolb taking a chance deep here.
Throw 2: On the very next play, Kolb felt some pressure from the Bengals' left defensive end. It looked like LeSean McCoy didn't get a very good chip on the play. Once again out of the shotgun, Kolb stepped up, rolled to his right and made a good throw to McCoy, who was pushed out of bounds 1 yard short of the first down marker. Good job to avoid pressure and make a strong, accurate throw to the sideline.
Throw 3: Kolb took a short drop in the shotgun and hit Jeremy Maclin's outside shoulder for a gain of 6. Nice, high-percentage throw on first down.
Throw 4: This was one of the throws I mentioned earlier where Kolb stayed in the pocket, got rid of the ball just in time and took a hit. We saw him do this in the two starts last season. Lined up under center, Kolb took a short drop and hit Jackson for 7 yards over the middle on 2nd-and-8. Linebacker Rey Maualuga came untouched from Kolb's blind side and got a hit on him.
Throw 5: Kolb lined up under center and drew the defense offsides on 3rd-and-1. The Eagles were lined up with two running backs, two receivers and a tight end. It looked like the Bengals safety was responsible for Leonard Weaaver if he went out into his route, but when Weaver stayed in to block, the safety blitzed Kolb. Kolb sensed it from his left side and rolled to his right immediately, bought some time and hit Jackson for an 18-yard gain. Good recognition, good athleticism and good throw.
Throw 6: This was probably one of those where Kolb could have stayed in the pocket longer. The Eagles ran play-action and Kolb rolled to his right immediately. Winston Justice had the left defensive end blocked upfield, but when Kolb rolled out, the pressure was in his face. Kolb flung it to Weaver, who was behind the line of scrimmage and looked like he wisely might have dropped the ball on purpose.
Throw 7: The Eagles faced a 3rd-and-9, and it looked like Kolb might have changed the play at the line of scrimmage. Lined up in the shotgun, he hit Maclin on a wide receiver screen to his left. QBs sometimes struggle with this throw. It's important to get the receiver the ball quickly and in a place where he can immediately turn upfield. Kolb did that. Maclin fought to get to the first-down marker, but ended up fumbling and turning the ball over.
Throw 8: Not much to this one. A screen to Weaver that went for 8 yards on 2nd-and-12.
Throw 9: Another one where it looked like Kolb felt more pressure than was really there. On 3rd-and-4, he backpedaled frantically until he was about 14 yards behind the line of scrimmage. At that point, he threw off his back foot and hit Maclin, who was at the line of scrimmage. This was the play where Maclin got injured and was short of the first down.
Throw 10: Maybe his most impressive throw of the night. The protection was good on this one. Kolb lined up in the shotgun on 2nd-and-13 from the Eagles' 20. He couldn't find a receiver and scrambled to his right, before making a terrific throw to Jackson down the near sideline for 28 yards. Good job by Jackson to keep working after he was covered on his initial route.
Throw 11: Kolb had to throw the ball away here. He ran play-action but had Bengals defenders in his face immediately and had to sling it out of bounds, taking a hit as he released the ball.
Throw 12: This was the miss to Avant. The Eagles had a 2nd-and-10 from the Cincinnati 22. They went with one running back and four wide receivers out of the shotgun. Kolb overthrew Avant in the end zone, or the Eagles would have had six. On the replay, it looked like Riley Cooper was wide open, but that could have just been because the safety started moving towards Avant once the ball was in the air. Good protection, bad throw.
Throw 13: Probably his worst decision and worst throw of the night. Kolb had time, but couldn't find anyone. He ended up trying to force the ball into Jackson near the goal line. Jackson had three defenders around him, and the ball went right through the hands of one of the defensive backs. Could have easily been an INT.
Throw 14: With under two minutes left in the first half, the Eagles had a 1st-and-10 from the Bengals' 42-yard line. Kolb lined up under center, joined by two running backs, two wide receivers and a tight end. He ran play-action and made a good, patient throw to Jackson 21 yards downfield. Jackson ran out of bounds, stopping the clock.
Throw 15: Another good job on the very next play. This time from the shotgun, Kolb found Brent Celek over the middle for 14 yards. It was the only time he targeted Celek all night, setting up the Eagles with a 1st-and-goal from the Bengals' 7-yard line.
Throw 16: One more time when I thought Kolb probably moved out of the pocket before he needed to. With a 2nd-and-goal from the Cincinnati 7, he rolled to his right and looked for Jackson near the goal line. The throw was off-target, and Kolb threw into a crowded area for an incompletion.
Throw 17: Tough spot for the Eagles: 3rd-and-goal from the Bengals' 12 after a penalty. Kolb gave a shoulder fake before settling on a 5-yard completion to Avant. I know some ask why he wouldn't throw it in the end zone, but there was likely no one even close to being open. It's actually a good move to settle on the short gain and kick the field goal. The key here was the penalty that put them in such a bad position in the first place.
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kolb will not last the season..he has much to learn... to be cerebral qb..you cant take every snap in shotgun..donnie sure didnt...wolf— wolf 4
EAGLES will be an average team. 8-8 Kolb will be an average QB which is ok for him. It's not ok for fans like myself. We want a superbowl! Reid will be exposed this year! I hope I am wrong. Due to a lack of a threat to run the ball. The redzone will continue to struggle.- Time to send Kobb back to the county fair and start getting Kafka more snaps with the young guns.— del ravio 100%
- bwahahahah, you looking back and evaluating all his throws, like you are some kind of talent evaluator. get over yourself, you're a writer. stick to what you can't do.— spittooncj
I'm sure most people realize the offensive coordinator calls the formation unless the QB changes it after the play is sent in. I doubt Kolb is going to change much in preseason since it's just as likely the coaches want to see how other players respond in the formation as much as what he does or how the play goes.- Kolb needs experience but you can see that he's got the talent to win. We'll see how things turn out but I can see Kolb ending up a better QB than McNabb was for the Eagles. Kolb will pass McNabb in a couple years but maybe not this season or next. The offense need to focus on consistant execution and not worry about the score. And concentrate on technique. We can't have players carrying the ball away from their bodies and fumbling. The offensive line will get much better but might have a ways to go when the season starts. It's a long stretch through the end of the season. Players need to keep focused on execution and not get distracted by the short term stuff. The offense sputtered but I can see it getting in a rythm and being very hard to stop. Just a matter of when.— MikeP
- Kolb completely does the offense a disservice by continually rolling right, not to mention his happy feet and breaking the pocket. By not being able to throw the ball left, he cuts the field in half for the defense. The only time they throw left is by design, and it's a WR or RB screen. Easy for a defense to defend half the field.— beegal99
Comment removed.- Comment removed.
- There were a lot of throws without setting the feet, moving baackwards. This is going to be big trouble in bad weather. Mostly due to that O-line, a work in progress..— gubbers97
- considering the O-line blows Kolb played well i thought— fatjoey
- haha, you guys are so funny!! before, kolb was the second coming now after one mediocre performance he will be on the bench by week 2! most philly fans have got zero clue about football. kolb was never gonna be the man. mcnabb was done in this city i agree but his replacement has not been found yet. let's hope it won't take 10 years of QB dreck to find him.— XPHAT
- I think you guys are all wrong...his throw on the run last night was on the money and impressive and was something McNabb could never do....Their off scheme was conservative...Kolb is definately a pro caliber QB— briman
- Great article. These idiots don't realize that Kobb had no time on alot of throws and made great reads. No ints in two games and a good completion percentage without j. jackson and herramins. Djax is going to have a big year and so is Celek. Sheil - can you write about the use of the rbs - mccoy and weaver. Weaver seemed alot more involved last night? Any reason? Could weaver be taking over for mike bell as our rb2?— phillydopes
- mike bell is hurt, dope.— XPHAT
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