It's likely that Kevin Kolb is going to be one of those players who never has it easy in his career.
He already has had to deal with backing up Donovan McNabb for three years, earning a starting spot, having it taken away and then getting it back only because the man who replaced him — Michael Vick — got hurt.
But watch and listen to Kolb and you do not see a complainer, an excuse maker or a pouter.
Instead, Kolb has shown himself to be a battle-hardened, thick-skinned leader and a player who knows life is less like a box of chocolates and more like — to use a sport Kolb really can relate to — a box of fishing lures: On one day, one lure seems to pull every fish out of the lake, and the next, it drags on every weed.
The Kolb we saw in Week Five was a different quarterback than the one who struggled to replace an injured Vick the week before. Kolb had been put in an extremely difficult position, having to come in against the Redskins, considering all the drama and buildup of Donovan McNabb's return to Philadelphia. Though Kolb had his team in a position to win, he simply didn't make enough plays.
But he was strong against the 49ers, far more confident and focused. Right from the start, it looked like it was his offense, not like one he was borrowing for a few weeks. Kolb connected on his first six passes on the opening scoring drive and drove through most of his throws with conviction.
The TD pass, on which he threw back against the grain into traffic, likely earned him some time with head coach Andy Reid, offensive coordinator Marty Mornhinweg and a video clicker. But it was a gutsy throw, the kind of pass he wouldn't have made a week earlier.
Working in front of an offensive line that had a first-time starting center, a replacement right guard and an inexperienced left tackle (King Dunlap) who had to come in when Jason Peters hurt his knee, Kolb looked undaunted, even with 49ers pass rushers breathing down his neck much of the game.
Heck, he even flashed a little Vick, scrambling for 19 yards and a key first down on 3rd-and-18 in the second half.
The truth of the matter is that the starting job belongs to Vick when he comes back, and if he's feeling any better at all, you just know that Vick will want to get the start against the Falcons.
If that happens, Kolb likely will do what he did when he first lost the job: go back to work, support his teammate and get ready for his next opportunity.
It might never be easy, but Kolb will get another chance to be a starting quarterback in this league. It could come next week, later this season or maybe next year. That's the life of the backup QB, living moment to moment and always having to wait for the other shoe to drop.
Kolb's personality suits that role well. The confidence and toughness he showed in Week Five tells me that he'll be ready for his next assignment. Life isn't fair, and the NFL is perhaps even more unfair than that. Nothing is given to anyone, and everything can be taken away from a player on the next snap.
Though it might never be easy — when is it ever for an Eagles QB? — Kolb has the temperament to be a success again. Whenever that chance presents itself.
Emmy Rossum Erica Leerhsen Erika Christensen Estella Warren Esther Cañadas
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