Kolb: 'It's Pretty Tough'

The warmest day yet for Eagles' informal lockout workouts was spiced this morning by the debut of quarterback Kevin Kolb on the Burlington County, N.J. field.

Kolb, who wants to be traded, is perhaps the most visible victim of the NFL lockout, as Rich Hofmann posited today.

He has been at home in Texas since shortly after the Birds' season ended in a wild card playoff loss to the Packers, mostly refusing interview requests.

Kolb and Mike Kafka threw today to a half-dozen or so targets, including Jason Avant, Brent Celek and Jeremy Maclin. Michael Vick, who organized the workouts, was not present for today's session.

"'It's pretty tough, but y'all have known me for a long time, and the way that I handle things is that I kind of keep things out of my life. I don't pay too much attention to it. It's hard, when it has to do with my life, but I keep a positive attitude and keep moving forward, and whatecver happens, I'll be ready to roll," Kolb said afterward.

Kolb said he has been throwing in Texas to friends, including Eagles wideout Chad Hall.

Eagles coach Andy Reid has indicated he intends to trade Kolb, giving Kolb the chance to start that Kolb glimpsed briefly last season, before he suffered a Game 1 concussion and Michael Vick took over. But there are no guarantees; the lockout could continue long enough that teams might balk at paying a lot for a presumptive starting QB who is only going to have a few weeks to learn a new offense.

"If the situation (of staying with the Eagles) can't be avoided, I'm not going to sit there and be a turd," Kolb said. "That's not my style. I think that I've voiced my opinion, and there's nothing more I can do. Just like always, whatever situation arises, I'll just have to roll with the punches ... To say that it didn't cross my mind, I'd be lying."

Hypotheticals can drive you crazy, said Kolb, who laughed when asked if he has been pricing real estate in Arizona. The Cardinals have been widely mentiioned as a likely destination.

"There's a list of questions, and nobody knows the answers," Kolb said.  "A lotta unknowns."

Kolb has kept in touch with teammates and knew Vick was organizing informal workouts starting last week. A few days ago he called Celek, asking the tight end to pick him up at the airport and host him for a few days. Celek, Kolb and offensive lineman Todd Herremans played golf in Philadelphia on Wednesday.

"I was workin' out about a week and a half ago, and said, 'Man, it's time,' " Kolb said. "So I booked a flight and came on up."

Kolb's teammates were glad to see him. This is an extreme situation where nothing seems particularly awkward, Avant said.

"There's guys all over this country right now working out with quarterbacks, maybe from high school," Avant said. "If they'll throw it to us, we're willing to catch it."

Avant said he would like to keep Kolb as a teammate, but respects that he wants to start.

Look for more in Friday's Daily News.