The Philadelphia Eagles started their season on the road against the Carolina Panthers today in what was supposed to be one of the better games of week one in terms of evenly matched teams. That proved not to be the case as the Eagles crushed the Panthers in a 38-10 victory. The Panthers, however, did some crushing of their own as Donovan McNabb suffered a broken rib when he ran the ball in for a three yard score in the third quarter of Sunday’s contest.

ESPN and Comcast Sportsnet in Philadephia reported the broken rib at 5:07 PM today but Eagles coach Andy Reid downplayed the injury in his postgame press conference. An update on McNabb’s condition is expected to be released tomorrow.

This is certainly worrisome news for Eagles fans as McNabb is known for his durability issues, having only completed four full seasons in his ten years in the league. The positive news is that after being attended to by Eagles trainers, McNabb walked off on his own power and returned to the bench in the fourth quarter with all of his pads still on.

What is perhaps more worrisome than McNabb’s injury is the fact that Kevin Kolb is Philadelphia’s second string quarterback. The man has shown not even a drop of promise since he was drafted number 36 overall in the second round of the 2007 NFL draft. I still can’t believe the Eagles picked a no name quarterback that high, as their first pick of the draft no less. 2007 wasn’t a particularly good draft year for quarterbacks (11 drafted) but players like current Bills starter Trent Edwards and Heisman Trophy winner Troy Smith were drafted well after Kolb who played his college ball at Houston. I’m not an NFL scout but I’m confident Kolb wasn’t that high on other teams’ draft boards and I think most people will agree after watching his performance in the infamous “McNabb benching” game in Baltimore as well the relief work he did today.

After watching Vick in the preseason, I’m not excited about him being our backup either since he has clearly lost a step and needs more time to get back on track but I would certainly rather have him under center than Kevin Kolb. But remember, Vick is suspended until week three so if McNabb isn’t cleared for next week, Eagles fans will be forced to settle for Kolb.

The silver lining in this cloud is the Eagles defense. With season ending injuries to key players like MLB Stewart Bradley and the passing of legendary defensive coordinator Jim Johnson, fans were worried that the normally stout Eagles defense might lose a step this year. But new defensive coordinator Sean McDermott had his boys ready to play as the Eagles picked off Jake Delhomme four times, recorded five sacks and returned a fumble for a touchdown. The Eagles look to be just fine without Brian Dawkins and the defensive squad looks primed to return as one the elite units in the league.

The Eagles special teams play was also strong as DeSean Jackson was able to break off an 85 yard punt return for a touchdown but the gravity of the situation still lies with McNabb. He is the at the center of this football team. He is the heart and soul (and ribs I guess) of this football team whether fans like to admit it or not and without him calling the shots, the Eagles aren’t going to be as high up on their perch as people thought they would be.