The Eagles felt they needed to keep Michael Vick and pay him more than any backup quarterback in the league this side of Kerry Collins because the team didn’t want to rely on a rookie quarterback to take the role.
But what if the rookie is different than most?
Eagles offensive coordinator Marty Mornhinweg was asked about fourth round pick Mike Kafka’s ability to pick up the playbook and get rid of the ball quickly.
“Within that realm, I think he could be -- I’m trying to think back -- the best rookie that I’ve ever had in 15, 16, 17 years or something like that,” Mornhinweg said. (Keep in mind that Mornhinweg was around for the great Joey Harrington’s first season.)
“So, Kafka is really sharp. Now, he’s sharp book-wise, but he’s also very intelligent in a football sense. He’s really picked it up very quickly. He’s had just terrific minicamps. He started hot and stayed hot,” Mornhinweg said.
No, we don’t have a backup quarterback controversy on our hands yet. But we do get a feeling Kafka will eventually become the most popular Eagle on the team, especially after a so-so week from Kevin Kolb.