With McNabb gone, Eagles about to embark on Kevin Kolb era

OFFICIALLY, Kevin Kolb became the Eagles' starting quarterback on the evening of April 4, when Donovan McNabb was traded to Washington. In another sense, though, Kolb is still becoming the starting QB.

Easter Sunday was the "paperwork" date of Kolb's ascension. The unofficial part of the organization's most significant transition in more than a decade - you could call it the "real" part - started with minicamps, but it accelerates this coming week at Lehigh, when the team reports for training camp.

This will be the first camp the Eagles have opened without McNabb since 1999, when the franchise quarterback was a rookie holdout. Next week, for the first time, fans will watch the team work out under Kolb, who will begin to set forth his expectations, to set his tone, with a young team that figures to need plenty of direction.

It's going to be different, obviously, for everyone.

"How can it not be?" asked radio talk show host and former Eagles linebacker Ike Reese. "You're so used to Donovan being the first guy to speak [to the media] after Andy [Reid]. But in this case, I think it's a good difference. There's an energy, an excitement the fans need and the media needs, and the players, too. The players needed that cloud [of uncertainty] removed from over their heads."

Reese perceives "a steady decline" in Lehigh fan enthusiasm since the Super Bowl year of 2004, something he thinks the change in leadership might start to reverse.

"I can't wait to get up there, to see what the actual buzz is from the fans," he said.

Kolb said he has thought about that as well, the fans' first glimpse of him in charge.

"It'll be exciting," he said. "Everybody, including ourselves, will get geared up for what's to come."

Kolb said he has no plans to formally address his teammates next Thursday evening, when the veterans join the rookies, who will report Monday.

"That's not really my style. I'm not really a rah-rah guy. I'm more of a lead-by-example, let things come naturally [person]," Kolb said. "I don't think that's expected of me. If I thought that it was needed, I would do so. I feel like at this point, guys know what they get from me and they trust me."

It isn't like Kolb is new to the locker room, having been drafted in 2007, even if he has just played in a dozen games, starting two.

"We haven't even played a game yet, and I think he's earned the respect of everybody on our team," second-year wideout Jeremy Maclin said. "He's definitely showed me stuff that's just really, really what you look for in a quarterback . . . real sharp dude."

When asked what he thinks he needs to establish right away, Kolb said: "I want to go practice-in, practice-out, just consistent progression. Just make sure we're getting better and as prepared as possible."

Tight end Brent Celek might be as close to an established veteran leader as the Eagles have on offense right now. Celek said when he thinks of Kolb, he thinks of "a hard-working, humble guy who's going to be a great quarterback in the NFL."

How does Celek know Kolb is going to be "great?"

"Because he won't stop short of that," Celek said. "He'll work as hard as he needs to work to get there. Kevin's got a lot of talent, but I think he adds to that with his work ethic . . . He's willing to do [extra work] every time."

During minicamps, offensive coordinator Marty Mornhinweg said Kolb "handles things pretty naturally. I think the players rally around him a little bit, because of his personality."

In spite of those testimonials, Reese said Kolb still will have to do something during camp to nail down what he expects and whom he is going to be.

"It could come after a couple of bad practices by the offense. He'll have to put his stamp, his mark on this team," Reese said. "You have DeSean [Jackson] as a rising star, you have Maclin, who thinks he can break out this year, you have [second-year running back] LeSean McCoy - a lot of young players who almost feel as if stardom is going to be given to them. It's going to be up to [Kolb] to keep their nose down."

Kolb is older than any of his key weapons - he turns 26 in August- even if he isn't more experienced.

"Things will have to be addressed," Reese predicted. "And it has to be natural. It can't be Andy saying, 'This has to happen.' ''

Kolb said he knows that while he still wants to be essentially the same guy he was as the backup, he also has to be different in some ways.

"I think it's natural to present yourself a little bit differently. There's a lot of questions directed your way. Guys are asking, 'What do you like on this, what are you looking for on this?' You have to have an answer for them every single time, and it has to be the right answer," he said. "Your preparation has to kick up a notch."

Kolb recognizes that his relationship with Reid has to evolve, as well.

"We've always had a very solid relationship, but the first [different] thing is, there's trust involved now," Kolb said. "He's got to trust me to do the right things as one of the leaders of the ballclub. I want him to trust me that the things he wants portrayed and that he wants us to focus on, that I can help him get those points across. I think that's part of your responsibility as a leader, is to make sure that you have the eyes of a coach."

Part of the quarterback's job is representing the team to the public, through the media. Has Kolb thought about how he wants to be perceived? McNabb seemed constantly aware of his station as the Eagles' quarterback when he addressed any topic; he almost never spoke informally, which led to something of a stiff, careful tone many fans did not appreciate.

Kolb said he won't consciously craft a persona.

"People bring it up and things are talked about, but I don't ever do anything just for that reason. I try to be as honest as I can with the media. I try to open as many doors as I can. I feel like there's really not a whole lot to hide," Kolb said. "There's an open relationship, and the things I'm portraying is the person that I am. I'm not trying to portray something different from what I am at home with my kids and my wife."

Fans recognize him more now, Kolb said, in the Philadelphia area and even in Texas, where he and his wife, Whitney, live in the offseason with their two daughters. What does he say when people back home ask him about the pressures of being the Eagles' QB, about the Philadelphia fans?

"My first answer is, they're passionate," he said. "I enjoy [them] being that way. There's a lot of expectations, but there's a lot of expectations within myself, as well. It's not like the fans are asking anything different of me than what I am and what coach Reid is . . . to this point, it hasn't bothered me at all. Now, I know there'll be some circumstances to come up, but that's all part of the position and part of the situation."

Kolb doesn't pretend he isn't stepping into a high-pressure situation.

"There's a lot of expectations and a lot of desire to win, just with the Eagles' organization," he said. "Of course, that starts, in my opinion, with the head coach and the quarterback. That desire and that 'want,' is sometimes pushed and pressured on you, but again, I sat here for 3 years; I've seen it happen. I've seen the ups and downs, and gotten to figure out how I want to handle certain things. I feel like I'm as prepared as I can be."

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