Kevin Kolb good read

My dad passed this article on to me from philly.com by Paul Domowitch its a very good read!
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SO, DONOVAN McNABB is out and Kevin Kolb is in, and you no doubt are wondering what effect the quarterback change is going to have on Andy Reid’s pass-happy ways going forward.

Strictly from a numbers standpoint, the answer is very little. Reid firmly believes you win in the NFL by throwing the football, regardless of whether your quarterback is a six-time Pro Bowler with one of the best touchdown-to-interception ratios in league history (McNabb) or a young gun with two career starts (Kolb).

But while the Eagles likely will be throwing the ball as much as ever next season, you can expect some changes in the way they’ll be throwing it with Kolb at the controls.

“No two players are exactly the same,” Kolb said yesterday. “There’s got to be some things that will change. Some for the better, some for the worse. I’m a totally different-style guy than Donovan. Shoot, he’s a heckuva athlete and he makes some plays out there that I’m not sure I can make, running around and scrambling around like he could.

“But I’m hoping that there are things that I’ll bring to the table that maybe he lacked.”

Be forewarned. Kolb almost certainly is going to throw a few more interceptions than McNabb, who heads to the Redskins with the best interception percentage in history. The strong-armed McNabb also was one of the league’s better deep-ball throwers.

What he wasn’t, though, was a very good rhythm passer, which is what the West Coast offense is supposed to be all about but seldom was during his 11 years in Philadelphia.

He was a streaky passer with inconsistent accuracy. McNabb completed better than 61 percent of his passes just twice in 11 seasons. Getting the ball out quickly to his receivers in stride never was his strong point.

Enter Kolb, who is a rhythm passer, who does get the ball out quickly, who is very good at getting the ball to his receivers in stride and taking advantage of their yards-after-the-catch ability.

“This offense is built on rhythm and it’s built on using the short passing game as an extension of the run and just dissecting people,” Kolb said. “There’s a lot on the quarterback’s shoulders. It’s built on the quarterback making decisions at the line. My preparation, nobody’s ever going to outwork me.

“We’ve already watched some film, breaking down things and adjusting things according to my strengths and weaknesses as opposed to Donovan’s strengths and weaknesses.”

What exactly does that mean as far as the Eagles’ offense is concerned? Well, it means you are going to see Kolb throw a lot more slants and crossing routes to DeSean Jackson and Jeremy Maclin than McNabb did. You are going to see him get sacked a lot less because he’s going to get the ball out quicker. You are going to see him throw more interceptions but have a higher completion percentage. And you are going to see him throw the deep ball a little less than McNabb did.

“You always play to your [quarterback’s] strengths,” offensive coordinator Marty Mornhinweg said. “We’ll be a little bit different looking, I would think, even from afar.

“Kevin is a quick decision maker. He typically throws a ball on time with accuracy. And he has some gut instincts. Those are the most important things a quarterback can display.”

Jackson, Maclin and tight end Brent Celek combined for 194 receptions, 2,900 yards and 21 touchdowns last season with McNabb at quarterback for 14 of the team’s 16 games. You’d think they’d all be disconsolate over McNabb’s departure. But all of them are eager to play catch with Kolb.

“The guys upstairs will do some stuff to help Kevin and take advantage of his strengths,” Maclin said. “But he can make every throw on the field. We saw that and we know he can do that. Me and DeSean can stretch the field. So we’re not going to eliminate [the deep pass] from the game plan.

“Kevin knows everybody’s assignment on every given play. I’m not saying Donovan didn’t. But it’s remarkable that a guy who hasn’t played that much knows everything, hands-down. I’m really looking forward to working with him.”

Said Celek: “The way he can study a defense, read a defense, find an open receiver, he can really pick apart a field. He has studied the game. He understands the teams we’re playing and what they’re going to do in certain situations.”

Kolb, a coach’s son, also brings a natural leadership ability to the table, something McNabb often lacked. Oh, he constantly talked about being a team leader. And as the quarterback, he technically was one. But he talked the talk much better than he walked the walk.

Meanwhile, the Eagles’ offensive players can’t wait to follow Kolb.

“When he first came in [as a rookie], you could see the type of leader he was,” Celek said. “He’s willing to work. He wants to be the best. And he’s not going to stop short of that. He’s willing to do what it takes to be the best quarterback in the NFL, and I think he will be that one day.”

“[Leadership] is one of his strengths,” Mornhinweg said. “Some of that’s the environment you grow up in and the experiences you have. Some of it’s natural.”

Even though he has started just two games, Kolb doesn’t need to win over the locker room. He already has done that. He just needs to go out and show he can play.

“There’s a rapport there,” Kolb said. “There’s always been good chemistry between myself and the rest of the team. Being in the locker room from the day I was 6 years old, it teaches you to be a leader by second nature, and not by wanting to be a leader. I feel like my personality always has been built for that.

“I’m not going to change what I do. Guys rally behind me and I think they will rally behind me.”