The Kevin Kolb trade was not only the biggest story of the Eagles offseason so far, it's one of the bigger stories in the NFL period. For one, it had built up from months of speculation, it's a notable player-for-player trade which never happens and it involved a QB and a pro bowler. So understandably there's been a lot of thoughts spilled on the subject. Here's a little roundup of what some of the pundits have been saying
Kevin Kolb is riskiest NFL acquisition - KC Joyner, ESPN
Eagles head coach Andy Reid knows how to get his quarterbacks to effectively manage their risk-taking tendencies. For proof, consider the fact that when McNabb left Philadelphia, he did so with the third-lowest interception percentage in NFL history. Kolb has been under Reid's tutelage for four years now, yet he still hasn't been able to get his risk-taking under control. His 4.0 percent bad-decision rate (defined as when a quarterback makes a mistake with the ball that leads to a turnover or a near-turnover) was tied for the third-highest mark in the league. If Reid could not coach this tendency out of Kolb, it is hard to believe any other coach will be able to do so. Put that together with the high contract and draft pick prices he is all but certain to command and it makes Kolb the riskiest acquisition of the 2011 offseason.
Eagles have history of letting QBs go at right time - NFL - CBSSports.com Football
There might be reason to worry about this deal, and it has less to do with Kolb than it does the team that just dispatched him. When the Philadelphia Eagles give up on quarterbacks, they not only know what they're doing; they usually gain more than fair-market value for them, and let me offer two examples.
Cardinals Big Bet With Kevin Kolb Out Of Character For This Franchise - Desert Dirt - SB Nation Arizona
There's a classic saying which goes a little something like "You've got to bet big to win big" - no I'm not just talking about gambling, we're talking about the Arizona Cardinals acquisition of Eagles backup QB Kevin Kolb.
Grading early NFL moves at QB - NFL - Yahoo! Sports
What does a Pro Bowl cornerback, a second-round draft pick and a reported $63 million get you in the NFL these days? A backup quarterback. Grade: C-.
10 takes on the Kolb trade | ProFootballTalk
I realize that Kolb could end up being the next Joe Montana. If so, the gamble will have paid off. What bothers me is the gamble itself. The Cardinals are taking too much of a risk with too few tangible reasons to assume there will be a reward — and plenty of reasons to fear there won’t be.
Why the Cardinals 'overpaid' for Kevin Kolb | National Football Post
We should all admit that Andy Reid and the Eagles came out looking pretty good on this deal. They just traded a player that was going to start the season as a backup—removed from the game plan. But the Cards made the right move also. Kolb might not be worth the overall value they dished out today, but without him, this team wasn't going anywhere in 2011. And now they at least have a shot in the NFC West to make some noise.
Kolb brings NFL record to the desert - Stats & Info Blog - ESPN
The Kolb trade also shines the light on just how little NFL production the QB draft class of 2007 has posted in its four years in the league.
Kolb-to-Cards is eye-of-beholder deal - NFC East Blog - ESPN
Clearly, that's where the Cardinals are with Kolb. Whether they're right or wrong remains to be seen. But Arizona compensated the Eagles not as if they were getting a backup quarterback, but as if they were getting a starter -- and a long-term one at that. That's the bet they're placing, and if they turn out to be right, then the price they paid today will look anything but silly in retrospect. If Kolb becomes what the Cardinals think he can -- and what Reid thought he could at this time last year -- we could end up looking back on this deal and thinking it was the Eagles who got taken.