Kevin Kolb the Least of Philly's Problems

PHILADELPHIA -- Andy Reid did his best to make sure Kevin Kolb didn't have to own this. The Eagles' coach knows how tight the spot is in which Kolb finds himself. And after the Eagles got crushed 48-22 by Drew Brees and the New Orleans Saints on Sunday in Kolb's first career start as an NFL quarterback, Reid made sure everybody knew it wasn't Kolb's fault. He spoke to his team, delivering a stern speech whose central message was, "Nobody goes undefeated -- put this game behind you and forget about it," then he walked out to face the media and did what a coach is supposed to do. He blamed himself.

"I have to make sure this thing is right, and it wasn't right today -- any phase of it," Reid said. "It was an absolutely horrendous performance. This is my football team and I have to make sure they play better than that. I will make sure that happens."

The fact is, he has a lot of work to do, because the Eagles are a mess right now. And while that mess may start with the confused and messy quarterback situation, it doesn't end there.

---

---

The attention this week will be on the QBs. Will Donovan McNabb's cracked rib heal in time to allow him to play next week against Kansas City? If not, Reid said, Kolb will start again. But Jeff Garcia was signed last week, and Michael Vick is eligible to play next week, and the stats say Kolb threw three interceptions in this game to go with his two touchdowns and 391 passing yards. So with the Eagles sitting at 1-1 (and either the Cowboys or Giants guaranteed to be 2-0 on Monday morning), it's reasonable to expect Philadelphia fans to debate whether Kolb deserves another shot.

The feeling in the Eagles' locker room was unanimous in support of Kolb.

"He battled through a difficult situation today," Garcia said. "The offense on the other side of the ball is the toughest offense in the league right now. And the way [the Saints] got out in front early, that's a tough position to be put in, because now you're forced to make every drive count, make every throw count. That's a tough position to be in, especially when you're a guy making your first start."


And it got tougher. The "wildcat" formations the Eagles used in an effort to take some pressure off Kolb served to confuse everything. The Eagles ran wildcat sets 10 times, direct-snapping four times each to receiver DeSean Jackson and running back Brian Westbrook and twice to receiver Jeremy Maclin. They had some success with the formation, but they practically abandoned it in the second half, leaving Kolb to try to come back while Brees and the Saints were toying with Sean McDermott's defense.

"It didn't look like the Eagles that we're used to seeing when Donovan's the quarterback," Garcia said. "Those (formations) gave us some decent plays, but that's not what we're used to seeing. And for Kevin as the quarterback, I don't think it ever allowed him to get into that rhythm that you need to get into. I think Kevin's smart enough to know that he's got enough talent around him that he doesn't have to be the hero, and I think that's why there has to be trust -- just trust him to go out and play football the way he knows how to do it."

Kolb blamed himself for that lack of trust. He felt he made some poor decisions and some poor throws that cost him a chance to turn his opportunity into a real springboard toward bigger things.

"The thing that's frustrating is, they trust me with certain things and I'm not making the throws," Kolb said. "If I don't turn the ball over, that trust grows. And I hate that I put myself in that hole."

Still, Garcia put it best when he said of Kolb, "He wasn't the problem today," and others echoed that sentiment. The Eagles were penalized seven times for 45 yards in the game. Poor play and penalties on special teams gave Brees and the Saints a short field too many times, and the way the New Orleans offense is right now...well, they made the Eagles pay for it.

"We have all the talent in the world, but if you kill yourself on the mental aspect, penalties, mental errors, not blocking the right guy, getting to the right hole, whatever it is..." said Eagles defensive back Ellis Hobbs, whose fumble of the second-half kickoff set up the Saints for an easy touchdown. "This is a game of inches. What you see out there is a bunch of inches, just adding up."

The Eagles' defense, so dominant in Week 1 against the turnover-prone Panthers, looked lost against the Saints' precision aerial attack. The offense, largely as a result of the erratic play-calling, looked erratic. Jackson, who was the best Eagle player on the field all afternoon, left late with a groin injury. Westbrook, who's coming off off-season ankle surgery, left with an ankle injury.

Get the picture? The Eagles are dealing with a whole teetering pile of problems. The best thing they have going for them right now is that next week's opponent, Kansas City, appears to be a pushover. But with McNabb still hurting and Vick coming back, this is guaranteed to be another week of turmoil and controversy in the City of Brotherly Love. Kevin Kolb? Well, he's just a part of that.