Just because the Eagles have anointed Kevin Kolb the team's franchise quarterback and armed with a one-year contract extension, it doesn't mean that the spotlight will be off the team anytime soon.
Clark Judge from CBSSports.com listed the Eagles' quarterback situation as one of the five most intriguing in the league along with Chicago, Cleveland, Denver and Seattle.
"For the past 11 seasons Donovan McNabb was the face of the Eagles' franchise. But now he's gone and not because he did anything wrong; the club simply decided it was time to make a change. And change, we're told, is good. Let's see," Judge wrote. "McNabb's successor, Kevin Kolb, allows coach Andy Reid to run more of a traditional West Coast offense, with more short to intermediate passes, slants, crosses and curls. But the question is: Will it allow the Eagles more success than they had with McNabb? That will be difficult."
Paul Domowitch of the Philadelphia Daily News delved into the numbers to take an extensive look at what could change for the Eagles offense in 2010. The Eagles have year in and year out been among the league's top teams in yards after the catch. Since 2004, the Eagles are first in the NFL in YAC per reception (5.7 yards) and third in total YAC yards (11,593) behind only Green Bay and New Orleans. From 2004-2008, the Eagles were in the top seven in the NFL in YAC each season.
However, those numbers might continue to rise in 2010 with Kolb at quarterback. The folks over at IgglesBlog have the 2009 rankings for highest YAC percentage among NFL quarterbacks. With two starts last season, Kolb threw for 741 yards as he became the first quarterback in NFL history to throw for more than 300 yards in each of his first two starts. Of his 741 passing yards, 389 of them came after the catch for an eye-popping 52.5 percent. That ranked sixth in the league, but only two of the quarterbacks ahead of him were full-time starters - Detroit's Matthew Stafford and Washington's Jason Campbell (now with Oakland). The other three - St. Louis' Kyle Boller, San Francisco's Shaun Hill and Buffalo's Trent Edwards - were shuffled in and out of the lineup.
According to the chart, most of the league's top quarterbacks ranged from 44 percent to 48 percent. McNabb was right in the middle of that pack with a 45.5 percent YAC rate.
Why is Kolb's YAC ability so much higher? As Judge pointed out, the Eagles will run a more traditional West Coast Offense to take advantage of what offensive coordinator Marty Mornhinweg highlighted as one of Kolb's strengths - his accuracy.
"My job is to be accurate and get the ball in the hands of these great players. The yards after the catch is going to be a big part of our offense," Kolb said at the post-draft mini-camp. "I know this group will make the plays if I give them the chance to do so."
There will be plenty to watch for at training camp this season as the Eagles quarterback position remains one of the league's top storylines.
-- Posted by Chris McPherson, 12:00 p.m., May 13
