Rich Hofmann: Eagles' Kolb doesn't let backup role bug him
THE EAGLES DRAFTED Kevin Kolb in the second round and, well, he is a competitor. He wants to play quarterback. He had a chance to play quarterback last year for one tantalizing half, 30 minutes that could have changed everything if they had gone well (Andy Reid's denials notwithstanding). But they did not go well, and Kolb waits.
Donovan McNabb is the quarterback. He has 2 years left on his contract and wants an extension. This will be the third year for Kolb on the bench and, if McNabb were to get that extension, it could be 4 years or more.
And it is . . .
"I don't know if 'frustrating' is the word, but I'm getting a little bit antsy," Kolb said. "I think the reason is, you can only train so hard in the book. That's why these minicamps are so important for me because when I get on the field I can learn by trial-and-error rather than learning by film or watching Donovan or whatever. I need that next step.
"When it comes, I don't know, but I'll be ready," he said.
We all know what happened last year. McNabb was terrible in the first half at Baltimore, capping off a month in which his performances downspiraled, week by week. Reid benched him at halftime. Since then, the coach has said that whatever happened against the Ravens, McNabb was starting the next game. And, well, let's just say that it was an easier thing to say after Kolb threw a pass that Ravens safety Ed Reed picked off in the end zone and returned for a touchdown, and after everything fell apart from there.
It was a terrible spot, against a voracious defense, for a kid quarterback to be thrown into. Still, it was a chance. And in the aftermath, Kolb now admits that his confidence might have taken a bit of a beating.
"The biggest thing for me was just rebuilding that confidence through the offseason," he said. "I've always been a very confident guy. When you get that one shot and it doesn't work out for you, it's easy to get down.
"I just want to continue to work and prove to myself that I can do it and get that mental aspect, that mental edge back. I think I've gotten that back. Now I've just got to get the speed of the game down when I get in there, in the full-time game situation. I think that's what was holding me back in that Baltimore game a little bit."
The Eagles are paying him good money, and he is getting good teaching, and there are 31 other places where he might eventually end up and years and years to go before this is over. It is not as if Kolb's biological clock is ticking or anything. He's only 24.
At the same time, though, he wouldn't be human if he weren't at least "antsy" at this point. And if McNabb does get the extension, well, what is the next level beyond "antsy"?
"That'll be frustrating," Kolb said. "But, shoot, what are my options? I'll just come out here and execute and show them I can be the guy they want me to be."
He is a guy who has, from the beginning, been pretty comfortable in acknowledging his feelings about things. Maybe that changes when you get the big locker. Maybe then it becomes a fatal flaw to admit your confidence took a hit after a tough game. Maybe that is when Kolb becomes a name, rank and serial number guy in the McNabb mold.
Until then, though, Kolb continues to sound like a human being, with hopes and disappointments and plans and an overall sense of confident optimism that even if he doesn't exactly have the road map, he can sense the destination.
Kolb says he wants to be "a starter in this league and be a star in this league." He says, "I just have to continue to prove to them the trust factor - that they can trust me to be out there, to run the offense, to win games and to lead us to a Super Bowl. If I just focus on that, the rest will take care of itself, even if there is a [new McNabb] deal done. I'll just keep working hard."
He says the situation has made him tougher. He says the town has made him tougher. He says that watching a guy like Aaron Rodgers sit behind Brett Favre for all those years in Green Bay before getting his shot has made him hopeful and taught him a few things, too. He says he has talked to people about all of this. He says he has talked to Andy Reid about all of this.
"I'm trying not to get impatient because I know that a quarterback can have a long career," Kolb said. "But I also understand that I'm young, I'm energetic, I want to be out there right now. Regardless of other teams, I want it to work here. I want to be a successful quarterback here and lead this team to a Super Bowl."
In the meantime, rookie minicamp continues. For now, that is Kevin Kolb's time. *
Send e-mail to hofmanr@phillynews.com,
or read his blog, The Idle Rich, at http://go.philly.com/theidlerich.
For recent columns go to http://go.philly.com/hofmann.
