Stepping into the breach will be three-year veteran Kevin Kolb, a second-round pick in 2007 out of Houston. The 25-year-old was a starter his true freshman year and would later lead Houston to a Conference USA championship in his senior year. Kolb was named the conference's offensive MVP in 2006 after throwing 30 touchdowns against just four interceptions. He graduated with a degree in business.
Kolb was then drafted by the Eagles with the 36th overall pick and was immediately anointed as McNabb's successor. The Eagles received the No. 37 overall pick plus a conditional third- or
fourth-round pick for McNabb.
This upcoming season has the potential to be a huge one for Kolb, and not just because it will be his first year as a starter. Kolb is an impending free agent and could be in line for a major payday if he can establish himself as a frontline starter.
Kolb's pro career prior to 2009 was rather nondescript. He was a young quarterback whose job was to watch and learn.
His first career start came on Sept. 20, 2009, in Week 2 against New Orleans, after McNabb went down with an injury the previous week against Carolina. While the team would lose 48-22, Kolb went 31-of-51 through the air for 391 yards and two touchdowns. The following week, he torched the Kansas City Chiefs for another 327 yards and two scores.
Kolb is considered to be more accurate and agile than the outgoing McNabb, although he lacks the arm McNabb boasts. The Eagles run a West Coast-style offense, which is less about arm strength and more about accuracy and throwing slants, which plays to Kolb's strengths, according to the Philadelphia Inquirer.
In his free time, Kolb enjoys hunting wild hogs, according to the Eagles media guide.
"One hog can ruin an entire field of crops in just one night," Kolb said. "They dig up and eat the roots. They need to be controlled."
Now, Kevin Kolb will get to battle against a different kind of hog — the Washington Redskins, along with their new quarterback, Donovan McNabb.
