IS BUYING CROSS-COUNTRY SKIS
When it comes to assessing quarterbacks on a small body of work, there is the cautionary tale of Bobby Hoying.
Hoying's brief tenure as an Eagles quarterback has resonance this week as Kevin Kolb gears up for what will likely be his first NFL start.
Kolb, thus far in his NFL career, has been judged on the basis of two relief appearances. Fair or not, the appraisal has been low, one that the Eagles quarterback said was entirely just. If that's not a difficult enough situation, Kolb may see his value hinge on Sunday's game against the New Orleans Saints. Perform well and win, and you have a future as a starter. Crumble under the pressure and lose, and your prospects are limited.
"That's just the situation I'm dealt," Kolb said yesterday after taking all the first-team repetitions during practice. "I've gotten opportunities and haven't done the best job with them. No excuses."
There are, of course, examples of quarterbacks starting off like gangbusters only to flame out quicker than you can say Joe Montana. After his first three starts in 1997, Hoying was being compared to the Hall of Famer in some circles. Instead, he came down to earth the next three games, was exposed early the next season, and by 1999 was out of town.
Sean Payton, then the Eagles' quarterbacks coach, remembers the atmosphere in Philadelphia.
"I think we were getting ready to anoint Bobby Hoying mayor after three starts," said Payton, now the Saints head coach. "I think there is a body of work a quarterback puts together. As coaches, you see the training-camp practices and all those things that go into knowing whether you have what you're looking for or not."
Payton has the unenviable task of having to prepare for three quarterbacks. Starter Donovan McNabb, nursing a fractured rib, is considered doubtful for Sunday's home opener, but the Eagles are leaving open the possibility of his being ready. Kolb is the No. 1, as coach Andy Reid reiterated yesterday, but there is reason to believe that the newly acquired Jeff Garcia could be called upon if Kolb gets off to a slow start.
"It's a little bit more challenging trying to envision which quarterback, but I think it starts with preparing for the offense first," Payton said.
If starting in your first game isn't pressure enough, Kolb has the prospect of an early hook to consider. When the Eagles signed Garcia on Monday, the move may have been viewed as a lack of confidence in the third-year pro.
"We had to have a backup," Kolb said. "We had to have a guy that was experienced in this offense."
Still, with the suspended Michael Vick one game away from being reinstated, there could be a rubbernecking quality to Kolb's performance. Reid disagreed.
"I would say you take it the opposite way and think about the knowledge that you can grasp from those guys," he said. "All of those quarterbacks are willing to share. . . . So, [Kolb] looking over his shoulder, I don't think he's too worried about that."
All this becomes moot if McNabb can heal in three days. Reid said the quarterback was feeling better three days after the injury occurred. The coach said a decision could be made as late as Sunday, which would mean McNabb would not practice all week - something he's done before.
"If he were OK'd to play and felt OK, I think he could go out there with very little practice and perform at a high level," Reid said.
All signs, however, point to Kolb. Garcia and Vick, who was removed from the exempt list on Tuesday, split reps with the scout team. Even though Vick can't play Sunday, the 39-year-old Garcia understood why the team activated him.
"I know there's a preparation that is taking place," said Garcia, who guided the Eagles to a 5-1 record and a playoff win in relief of McNabb in 2006. "I'm sure they want to get him on the same page with the team."
Reid is confident that Garcia, who has years of training in the West Coast offense, can fill in on short notice if need be. He remains committed to Kolb, however, even though the book on the 25-year-old is slim and may not get much thicker if he fails in what could be a one-game audition.
"Right now, he hasn't done it, so this is all speculation here as we talk," Reid said. "I'm not very good with that. But I can tell you that I have confidence that he will go in and do a good job. We go from there."
Contact staff writer Jeff McLane at 215-854-4745 or jmclane@phillynews.com.
