| Number Two With a Bullet - Thursday, June 05, 2008
349 Views :: 1 Comments ::  :: Michael Bradley Even though the Eagles won't admit it, there can be little argument the '08 season will be the end of an era. Several players on the team -- Jon Runyan, William Thomas, Brian Dawkins, L.J. Smith among them -- are in the final years of their contracts, and recent draft-day behavior has indicated the Next Generation is being assembled. The one person whose name is never mentioned, at least by the organization, as being on his way out is QB Donovan McNabb. Neither he nor the team gives any indication that he will do anything other than finish out the final three years of his contract (through '10), this despite the fact that the Eagles spent their top 2007 draft pick on a passer, Kevin Kolb. McNabb hasn't been shopped (not actively, anyway), and he has issued no edicts regarding his desire to leave town. Has the relationship been strained over the past 18 months? Absolutely. The Eagles didn't tell McNabb they were drafting Kolb, and the QB responded by becoming more outspoken in the months following the selection. Wednesday brought a new twist to the Birds' quarterback saga. Speaking after another of those mandatory voluntary minicamp practices, Andy Reid made it clear Kolb was now the team's number two QB. On the NFL seismograph, the announcement barely registered. In the Eagles' world, it had great significance. By bringing Kolb up to the first backup status, Reid not only pushed aside A.J. Feeley; he also made it clear Kolb was progressing toward what everyone has figured would be the ultimate outcome: Kolb as starter in 2009. McNabb may have two years remaining on his contract, but he will cost $19.2 million in pure cap money. That's not the best thing for a team so cost-conscious. Further, McNabb turns 32 this fall, which might as well be 52 the way the Eagles treat the over-30 crowd. Even if McNabb is electrifying this year -- a distinct possibility now that he's healthy -- it isn't unreasonable to think the Eagles will jettison him and go with Kolb, if only because Kolb will have two more years left on his deal, and the team will want to divine whether he's worthy of long-term investment. All of this is speculation, but it is grounded in the team's recent history and the sense that Reid woudn't have drafted Kolb without planning to use him with the varsity at some point during his first contract. If the Eagles are indeed going to re-tool the roster after this season and get much younger, it would make perfect sense to install Kolb under center, even if it meant passing up a Pro Bowl QB with some good (if not great) years left. The Kevin Kolb Era will be on us soon, for better or worse. Wednesday was just another step in that direction. |
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