The Eagles have not yet made an official announcement, but quarterback Kevin Kolb is preparing as if he will start this Sunday against the Cowboys. Michael Vick suffered a quad contusion Tuesday night against Minnesota and the Eagles are locked into the No. 3 seed for the playoffs.
"If I approach it any other way, then I'll be a step behind," Kolb said. "I want to approach it like I'm going to be out there, take all the reps mentally that I can. Make sure I'm paying attention to the details."
Kolb is in line to make his fifth start of the season. For the year, Kolb has completed 63.4 percent of his passes for 1,035 yards with six touchdowns and four interceptions. Against Atlanta in Week 6, Kolb completed 79.3 percent of his passes for 326 yards with three touchdowns and an interception for a 133.6 passer rating in a 31-17 win. Kolb earned NFC Offensive Player of the Week honors for his performance against Atlanta.
"Kolb is a great quarterback, man," said offensive tackle Winston Justice. "I think this team is fortunate enough to have two really good quarterbacks."
Kolb was the starter for the season opener against Green Bay. He suffered a concussion in the first half and Vick played brilliantly in his stead and earned the starting job for the remainder of the season. In the process, Vick became one of the most prolific players in the league earning the starting nod on the NFC Pro Bowl team as well as consideration for league MVP honors.
Should Kolb get the start Sunday, he is not looking at this as a chance to audition for other teams. Kolb was signed to a one-year extension this past offseason through the 2011 season.
"I like this team so much and I enjoy being around Mike so much that I think it's an injustice to the team to put my focus anywhere else because what happens if they call on me this week, in the playoffs, whenever," Kolb said. "There's plenty of time for that this offseason. When that time comes, I'll give it thought but right now I'm focused on winning this next football game and hopefully going to win a Super Bowl."
Kolb doesn't care that this Sunday's matchup has no impact on the Eagles' playoff seeding. The Eagles will host a team (either Green Bay, New York or Tampa Bay) the weekend of Jan. 8-9. He wants to lead them to a win and end the regular season on a positive note.
"There's so much pride on the line with teams and coaches and players that you do everything you can to win the game every week. You really do," Kolb said. "For the most part, we are going to cut loose and go out there and try to win."
-- Posted by Chris McPherson, 1:55 p.m., December 30
