Expectations for Kevin Kolb against the Saints

While we aren't yet sure that Kevin Kolb will make his first NFL start this Sunday against the Saints... most signs seem to be pointing that way. So the question we ask now is, what performance can we expect from Kolb this Sunday and what performance is acceptable?

There's two major stints in the McNabb/Reid era in which backup QBs came in and did what we all agreed was a good job. There was also the year Mike McMahon filled in for McNabb, but we dare not speak of that time...

Let's take a look at those stints after the jump...

The first was was when second year man A.J. Feeley started his first NFL game in week 13 of the 2002/2003 season.

In 5 starts Feeley threw 5 picks and 5 TDs. He averaged 6.5 yards per pass. He fumbled twice. He threw for just under 200 yards a game & had a QB rating of 75.

Most importantly, he went 4-1. Overall, Feeley's numbers weren't very impressive, but his record was and in the end that's what matters for a backup QB. Whether he makes plays or just limits mistakes, if a backup QB leaves Sunday with a win people are going to be happy.

The other notable McNabb fill in was of course, Jeff Garcia in 2006/2007. Kanye West was especially impressed with Garcia...

In 5 starts(not including the final game where he was pulled after just one series), Garcia threw 9TDs and just 2 INTs with an impressive QB rating of 105.8.

Again, most importantly he went 4-1. Easily the most impressive stat for either of those guys is their win and loss record. So what constitutes an acceptable start from Kolb if these are the benchmarks? Certainly if he plays more like Garcia did, we'll probably start to look favorably on his chances to be the eventual starter on this team. If he plays more like Feeley, I doubt may people will complain if that means the Eagles win.

In the end, that's pretty much all Kolb has to do Sunday to make most Eagles fans happy with him. He just has to win.

Now, certainly Kolb could still look pretty impressive in a loss. For me, that would include being virtually turnover free. Turnovers have been Kolb's #1 problem in the few spurts of action he's seen in his career & if he can just prevent that, then I'll feel that he's at least taken a step in the right direction even if the Eagles lose.