A Salute To Captain Checkdown

Added on Oct 05, 2010 by Scott in

NFL

Watching the Eagles weak attempt at a comeback on Sunday, it became painfully obvious why Andy Reid made the quarterback switch to Michael Vick. Kevin Kolb has not a clue what he’s doing out there. He holds the ball too long; spends way too much time diagnosing the defense; senses pressure when there isn’t any; fails to see open receivers downfield; is afraid to make the tough throw; has no confidence in his own ability and acumen. Other than that, he’s great! Ugh.

The most puzzling thing about this whole quarterback fiasco in Philly is that nobody in the organization expressed an iota of concern over whether or not Kolb could be the man prior to week one. All we heard was flowery praise and the utmost assurance that #4 was the heir apparent to Donovan McNabb.

Three ho-hum preseason games and one half of uninspiring play versus Green Bay was all it took for Andy Reid and Howie Roseman and Joe Banner to see the error of their ways. Exit Kevin Kolb. Enter Michael Vick. Vick, a guy not known for being especially accurate or disciplined, and a guy who had been away from the spotlight since 2006, was deemed miles ahead of Kolb. Oh boy.

Two and a half games and one Vick injury later and Kolb was given another shot to seize the job he lost and prove his coaches and the army of naysayers wrong. His performance left much to be desired as he checked down time and time again, completing twelve passes to running backs and only six to wide receivers.

Kolb dinked and dunked one of the league’s most explosive offenses down the field and eventually found the end zone. But his seemingly efficient numbers don’t tell the whole story. Sure, he came close to engineering a miraculous comeback. Yeah, the Redskins defense gave up underneath routes. But there were open receivers to be found. There were big plays to be completed. And yet Kolb was either incapable or too scared to make it happen.

As an Eagles fan, it was a sad sight. I feel cheated for being sold a bill of goods. Kolb, barring an amazing turnaround, looks nothing like a starting quarterback. Maybe the pressure got to him. Maybe he’s thinking too much. Maybe he needs to meditate before games. Or maybe he’s too timid to get the job done. At this point, he remains an enigma.

By most accounts, Kolb will be under center Sunday night in San Francisco. The Niners are 0-4. They have looked awful in portions of every game this season. They will be desperate to get a win at home in primetime.

The grains in Kolb’s hourglass are running out. If he’s legit, he’ll play well and come away with a victory. If he’s legit, he’ll get the ball to DeSean Jackson and Jeremy Maclin. If he’s legit, he’ll finish drives with touchdowns, not field goals.

If he’s not legit, Kolb will don his Captain Checkdown costume and the Eagles will drop another ugly game to an inferior opponent. How long does it take rib cartilage to heal? Anybody know?