Eagles quarterback Kolb has many fans in heart of Cowboys country

STEPHENVILLE, Texas - It seemed like such a simple request of the kids at Kevin Kolb's second annual football camp. Yet, it was with reluctance that the 8- to 11-year-olds did what Kolb asked.

"Go Eagles!" was more like "go eagles?"

"I can tell you I'm the biggest diehard Cowboys fan there is," said Kreg Kimple, a Stephenville coach whose son, Payton, was participating in the camp. "But for what Kevin does for the community here, I'm pulling for the Eagles for 14 games a year, and I want him to do well in the two games against the Cowboys. I just hope the Cowboys win."

Kolb might have a harder time converting his hometown into Eagles fans than he will of fulfilling a goal of becoming a Pro Bowl quarterback. The Eagles handed Kolb the starting job on Easter when they traded Donovan McNabb to the Washington Redskins.

After 3 years of sitting, watching and waiting, Kolb no longer is the heir apparent. His future is now.

"I appreciate the trust Andy [Reid] has in me," Kolb, 25, said. "That's my mentality. I'm not a big rah-rah guy, but when somebody steps out on a limb like that, I want to prove them right. That's what I look forward to doing."

The welcome sign on Highway 377 touts this town of 15,000 as the home of Kevin Kolb. The No. 4 jersey he wore for the Stephenville High Yellowjackets hangs on a wall in the school, alongside that of Tampa Bay Buccaneers rookie quarterback Jevan Snead.

This still is home, even though Kolb resides in Granbury, about an hour away heading northeast up 377, during the offseason, and his parents now live in South Texas.

While Stephenville might have a hard time rooting for the Eagles, townsfolk are behind Kolb 100 percent. Cade Smith, 9, professed his love for the Cowboys with a baseball cap and his support of Kolb with his T-shirt.

"I'll root for both of them," he said.

Kolb's friends, neighbors and supporters in Stephenville have known almost as long as he has that he was going to be a starting NFL quarterback one day. He began practicing his signature and was first asked for his autograph when he was a sophomore in high school.

"I was shocked," Kolb said.

Kolb said he and McNabb have talked on the phone a couple of times and have traded several text messages.

"One thing he told me was, 'Man, I just want to make sure you have fun,' " Kolb said. "It's actually a good piece of advice. I know sometimes he gets ridiculed for having too much fun, but he's got a good point. One of my biggest downfalls is I take things a little too serious sometimes. I need to get better at enjoying the ride a little bit."

Kolb has had the ride of his life so far this year, with a new daughter - 2-month-old Atley Rose - a new job and a new contract. But Kolb is hardly satisfied.

"Being a starter in the NFL is not my goal," Kolb said. "My goal is to win the Super Bowl, be a Pro Bowl player, have longevity. I just want to keep flipping the pages. I never want to settle and say, 'It's been a great year.' I want to always keep going, keep moving forward, keep getting better."