In case you missed it here on ROTB, there has been quite the debate going on about Kevin Kolb. One FanPost describes it as "the ugly truth" saying basically that trading for him, especially a first round or a couple of second round draft picks would be foolish based on the risk he would be and even compares him to Rex Grossman. Personally, as much as Grossman has been killed by fans and the media, he did lead his Chicago Bears to the Super Bowl. And before people remind me that it really was the defense, Grossman was still the guy playing the most important position.
Since we have yet to see Kevin Kolb over a full season as a starter, yes he is a risk. However, a few years ago, there was another young quarterback who was backing up Michael Vick and was traded for a couple of second round draft choices. This guy, Matt Schaub, went to the Houston Texans and took over as their starter and has been, overall, a very good, sometimes great quarterback. Hit the jump to see how Kolb's number match up with Schaub's statstics pre-trade.
|
Player |
Comp/Att, % |
Yards |
TD/INT |
YPA |
QB rating |
|
Kevin Kolb |
194/319, 60.8 |
2082 |
11/14 |
6.5 |
73.2 |
|
Matt Schaub |
84/161, 52.2 |
1033 |
6/6 |
6.4 |
69.2 |
As unknowns go, Schaub had proven even less than Kolb and played behind a quarterback who, while dymanic and talented at the time, had yet to show he was going to win anything. Kolb, on the other hand, played behind Donovan McNabb, who for all the criticism, led the Eagles to a Super Bowl and several NFC Championship games. Then Kolb was named the starter, got hurt, and couldn't get back on the field because Michael Vick had one of the best seasons a quarterback has eve had statistically.
I do not think that even once the Texans have regretted making the trade for Schaub. It was a surprise to see a team give up so much for a guy who had yet to show it on the field. But it was successful because the Texans did their homework.
I have to imagine that the Cardinals have done their work to scout Kolb. While there are mixed reactions in the media, it looks more and more like the criticism is the result of weeks and weeks of nothing and no way for Kolb to prove anything otherwise.
Is Kevin Kolb a risk? Absolutely. Is anyone else any less of a risk? Maybe. But if by looking at metrics alone you disregard him, please remember that he matches up very closely to a pre-trade Schaub, whose performance has been solid. If Kolb is anything like Schaub, you can book a playoff appearance for the Cardinals if there is football in 2011.