Patient Kolb waiting for chance to quarterback Eagles

He is also the Eagles' backup. Though no one has designated him as McNabb's understudy, Kolb worked with the second team at the Eagles' mini-camp earlier this month and will take over for A.J. Feeley as the team's No. 2, with Feeley moving down the depth chart.

That means if McNabb is hurt, the first quarterback off the bench is not Feeley, who started twice a year ago. It is Kolb. And, yes, he believes he's ready.

"I just feel like I will get better with every day," he said. "If the time comes ... if God throws me in there when he wants me to; if Andy (Reid) thinks I'm ready ... I just trust the people around me to make the right decisions."

A year ago, the Eagles played with Kolb tethered to the bench. He saw action in one game, an early blowout of Detroit, but did not throw a pass. For the most part, he played the part of Carson Palmer as a rookie -- studying the starter as he learned his position.

Only there's a difference: Palmer's predecessor, Jon Kitna, held the job only until Palmer was ready. That's not the case here. McNabb holds the job indefinitely, moving aside only when Reid believes Kolb gives him a better chance to win.

And that could take some time.

"He should be a starter in this league," Reid said. "He either replaces Donovan, or he plays somewhere else."

Reid is happy with Kolb, as are others on the Eagles' coaching staff. He is eager to learn and accurate with his passes. But he is also patient, content to sit behind McNabb and Feeley in 2007 to absorb the game from two experienced teachers.

Sitting wasn't easy, but it was necessary. And Kolb knows it.

"I really like the fact that when I went to college, I didn't have to sit out a year,' he said. "Because when you do that, you lose a little bit. I don't want to lose anything. I just want to keep pushing as hard as I can because I think a lot of kids, when they come in and sit for awhile, lose that natural instinct -- especially if the organization doesn't give you the time to get that back over a certain amount of games.

"But (last year) definitely helped me. No doubt about it. That's why I'm not anxious or frustrated right now. I think I will gain from it and get better.

"There's a familiarity now with everything now that I'm doing. A year ago it was a new city. New media. New house. New wife. New car. Everything was new, and there were a lot of unknowns. Now I feel comfortable. Now I can focus on details. And that's what makes you a better player."

The Eagles last summer played Kolb more than a half in a preseason game with Pittsburgh, and he responded well in the face of the Steelers' blitzes -- completing 26 of 37 for 248 yards and a touchdown and leading the Eagles on a come-from-behind rally that fizzled when a fumble was returned for a touchdown.

"I liked what I saw," said Reid.

The smart money is on Kolb to play at least as much this summer as he did last and certainly to play more than McNabb and Feeley. If you think about it, it makes sense. If the Eagles are making an inexperienced quarterback their second-stringer, they better find out what they have now.

Reid is quiet about his plans for his young quarterback but is revealing when asked about what he lacks.

"He just needs to play," he said.

Somehow, I think that will happen this year, and not because I don't have faith in McNabb. I do. I just don't have faith in his body. Remember, the guy's been in the league nine years, absorbed a lot of hits and hasn't completed any of the last three seasons without injuries.

In the meantime, Kolb continues to practice, complete a slew of passes and await his turn.

"I think a lot of guys make a mistake and get frustrated because they want to be out there, and they want to be ready," he said. "But you have to wait. You're going to have a long career if just go out there and wait."

"So you're a patient guy?" I asked.

"Yeah, I'm pretty patient," he said, "but I'm also competitive. I want to get out there and do what I can and show what I can do."