The Long Kolb Goodbye

So the reports on the wires are that Kevin Kolb is finally going to make that long trip west to Arizona, for the long rumored price of cornerback Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie and a draft pick. This fills the biggest hole on the defense to a reasonable degree, keeps Kolb from haunting the faithful for more then two games a year, and resurrects Larry Fitzgerald's fantasy value. It's all good, really.

It is, of course, a big deal in town for this to happen already, since Seattle went for the Tarvaris Jackson mistake quickly, which seemed to limit the Eagles' leverage at getting a reputable starter for a backup QB. But after a year of watching Derek Anderson Et Al throw away a very winnable division championship year for the Buzzsaw (remember, the Seahawks won this division and a playoff game despite not finishing at .500 or better), paying a reasonable price for a reasonably exciting QB1-ready talent seems like a no-brainer. But then again, so did backing up a Brinks truck to Kurt Warner's door to keep him from retiring, or making a move 12 months ago to prevent Anderson in the first place. The idea that a team actually gave that guy a starting job, let alone in a division that was easily winnable with only competent QB play, still boggles the mind.

In Arizona, I think Kolb becomes the big fantasy money man that the world wants, with more or less the same story that he had in Philly a year ago: high expectations, lots of yards and scores, and probably too many turnovers to make for real world happiness. But at least the Cardinals will go back to resembling an NFL team, and it's not like the NFC West is actually difficult to win.

From a pure fiscal and talent standpoint, you can't argue with Kolb moving on. The team has far too many holes, of which CB2 was merely the most obvious, to keep the apparent luxury of a credible backup QB around, and the nature of the Eagles OL in 2010 was such that a back up QB better be able to move. But there's still a sense of miss here, that we never actually saw what could have been, and the not-insignificant dread that Kolb will be the player move we all regret, the QB equivalent of Cris Carter. (Rather than, say, AJ Feeley.)

That's not to say we won't wish him well. There's no real bitterness here now, and so long as Kolb doesn't beat Green in a playoff game while being a jackass, there won't be later. Personally, I hope he winds up being the second-best QB in the conference, especially if he winds up on my fantasy team. And it's pretty obvious who I'm hoping he'll be second to.

Oh, and one last thing: Arizona comes to Philly for a Week 10 game on November 13. Kolb could easily have his revenge. But so could DRC.