Kolb expected to start if McNabb sits in Week 2
Kevin Kolb(notes) could soon get another chance to prove he can efficiently engineer the Philadelphia Eagles' offense.
Kolb replaced an injured Donovan McNabb(notes) during Philadelphia's season-opening 38-10 win over the Carolina Panthers on Sunday. If McNabb can't go in Philadelphia's home opener against the New Orleans Saints in Week 2, the Eagles would turn to Kolb almost by default.
With Michael Vick(notes) serving a two-game league-mandated suspension to start the season, the Eagles have only two quarterbacks on the roster. Veteran A.J. Feeley(notes) was released late in the preseason, but could be re-signed depending on McNabb's status.
McNabb left the game against Carolina in the third quarter after suffering a rib injury while running for a three-yard touchdown. He limped from the field and was replaced by Kolb, who completed seven of 11 passes for 23 yards and fumbled twice. After the game, Eagles coach Andy Reid said the team would wait to see how McNabb feels before making a decision on who would start next week.
Kolb struggled as a replacement after McNabb was pulled during last year's controversial game against the Baltimore Ravens. He was less than stellar Sunday, which begs the question: What would the Eagles do in Week 3 if McNabb was still out and Vick is activated? Vick still wouldn't be the choice to start over Kolb, a team source said, because Vick still doesn't know enough of the offense and is rusty from two years away from the game.
"Not now," the team source said via text message. "Wouldn't be fair."
As for next week, there's a chance McNabb could play if he wears a flak jacket to protect his ribs.
