Revisited Post: Kevin Kolb Trade Speculation

While this blog was still in its infancy (many could argue it still is), we wrote an article that speculated the potential landing spots for then-Eagles quarterback Kevin Kolb (to view that article, click here). Now that Kolb has taken flight from the birds of the northeast to the birds of the southwest, here is a follow-up look at how other possible landing spots for Kolb have shaped up their quarterback situation.

PHILADELPHIA
The Eagles were the ones who held the rights to the Kolb sweepstakes, and they could have understandably just kept Kolb all along (especially due to the extended labor negotiations). However, once it was realized that Kolb's potential could attract quarterback-hungry teams even more, the option of keeping a second starting quarterback behind Michael Vick became moot. For a while, it seemed that Kolb's replacement would be Mike Kafka, but the Eagles then picked up Vince Young during their massive overhaul to become a team of all-stars. Vince Young is somewhat of a downgrade from what Kolb offered, but he does fits the system that Vick runs better than Kolb does.

MIAMI
The first team we speculated as a possible Kolb landing spot was Miami, given the inconsistency of Chad Henne. While this still remains true, Henne still remains quarterback. We still believe Henne is not the long-term solution in Miami, but either way this team must rely on him, or try to see if Matt Moore can lead them.

CINCINNATI
We never could have imagined that Palmer would actually stick to his word and retire before he plays another down with the Bengals, but apparently that's the case. The story isn't over just yet, as rumors persist that Palmer is working out with former Jets quarterback Ken O'Brien, but that's a discussion for another day. Turns out the Bengals did draft their guy; Andy Dalton of TCU. Dalton has struggled mightily in the preseason, but with a slew of young receivers, this team will take time to develop.

JACKSONVILLE
With David Garrard gone, the Jaguars have gone with Luke McCown as their Week 1 starter. Kolb would definitely have been a fit here, if not for Blaine Gabbert waiting in the wings. Gabbert has shown some potential during the preseason, but throwing him into the fire is probably not the best idea. McCown will fill in early, and depending on how much the Jaguars struggle, Gabbert will inevitably replace him. Look for the Gabbert era to begin sometime around Jacksonville's bye week.

TENNESSEE
The Titans face a completely new look at the quarterback position. Gone are Vince Young and Kerry Collins. The Titans decided to go the safe route and develop a young quarterback through the draft, in Jake Locker. Locker has shown abilities to extend plays, but his accuracy is always a question. Fortunately, the Titans also reached out to former Seahawk Matt Hasselbeck, who should fill in nicely as an early game starter. Hasselbeck has still shown the ability to lead a team to the postseason, so he should be able to mentor Locker into a quality NFL starter. Kolb wouldn't have fit into either position in this dynamic.

MINNESOTA
Gone are Tarvaris Jackson, Rhett Bomar, and Patrick Ramsey. Joe Webb is still here, but currently as a third stringer. The Vikings decided to solve their post-Favre situation at quarterback by both bringing in a veteran (Donovan McNabb) and drafting a quarterback (Christian Ponder). Ponder hasn't been stellar during the preseason, so it's a good thing the Vikings reached out for McNabb. Unfortunately, McNabb may be asked to simply be a placeholder until Ponder can contribute, and this may be the beginning of his career as a backup (which he has already gotten a taste of in Washington). The Vikings overreached to grab Ponder in a flurry of early quarterback picks in last year's draft, meaning expectations will be much higher for him than his current abilities allow. The Vikings will hope for the best with this one.

CAROLINA
The Panthers drafted their future guy with the number one overall pick in the draft. Cam Newton may have been a one hit wonder in college, but he will be pressured to succeed in Carolina like never before. The Panthers have decidedly thrown Newton into the fire, as there is little experience behind him (Derek Anderson will never live up to his '07 campaign, and Jimmy Clausen has taken too long to develop). Newton will take time to develop his accuracy, and against some tough foes in the NFC South, don't expect this team to break .500.

ARIZONA
Looks like Kolb is that new quarterback Arizona needed. The Cardinals opted to bring in Kolb over a veteran, with the hope that Kolb can keep backups John Skelton and Richard Bartel at bay (last year, the revolving door at quarterback was an epic failure). Kolb brings a much better game to the offense that could use a better transition from the Kurt Warner era.

SAN FRANCISCO
The 49ers weren't willing to pull the trigger, and thus Alex Smith returns as the starter (Troy Smith is in the UFL and David Carr is in New York, backing up another former number one pick). Smith will obviously be playing for his job this year, with rookie quarterback Colin Kaepernick ready to take his place. Unfortunately, it looks as if neither quarterback will be ready to fully handle the load of starting week in and week out. Smith has slowly been improving in his maturity and leadership, but his slow progress should allow Jim Harbaugh to make the switch eventually.

SEATTLE
So looks like Seattle wasn't high on Hasselbeck after all, who landed in Tennessee. Former Carroll pupil Matt Leinart has decided to remain in Houston backing up Matt Schaub, and Carson Palmer is still in a battle with the Bengals. But with Hasselbeck gone, and the Seahawks not entirely sold on Whitehurst, the Hawks brought in Tarvaris Jackson from Minnesota. Jackson hasn't looked all that great during the preseason, but the Seahawks have also overhauled their receiving core, adding former Viking Sidney Rice and former Raider Zach Miller into the fold. Jackson doesn't look to be an improvement from Hasselbeck, and the Seahawks could regret not chasing after Kolb as soon as Week 3 (when Arizona comes to town).