Former Cardinals GM Graves: Kolb has ability, coaching staff has to adapt to him
Feb 1, 2013, 9:10 PM | Updated: 10:03 pm
When the Arizona Cardinals acquired Kevin Kolb from the Philadelphia Eagles before the 2011 season, they did so hoping he would be the franchise quarterback the team lacked.
Two years into the player’s Arizona career, the results have been rather underwhelming.
Fifteen games (14 starts), completed 255-of-436 pass attempts, thrown for 3,124 yards and 17 touchdowns. Kolb has tossed 11 interceptions and fumbled 10 times.
Both of Kolb’s seasons with the team have been cut short due to injury, and while it’s fair to question whether or not he will ever play a full season, it doesn’t take a genius to know better play from the offensive line would help the passer out.
As former Cardinals GM Rod Graves told CBS, keeping Kolb healthy is not the only thing new coach Bruce Arians can to do in order to get production from the QB.
“I think that Kevin is a guy that has ability, but the coaching staff has got to be willing to adapt to what he’s capable of doing,” Graves said. “I think he’s more of a West Coast-style type of quarterback.”
Graves said if Arians can get Kolb “to an area of comfort” the team may have its answer at the position, which begs the question of why the team would trade for a QB who didn’t fit their system in the first place.
But that’s in the past, and for now Kolb is not only on the roster, but might be the team’s best option at the position.
And if Arians wants to win with him, the trick (besides keeping him healthy) may be as simple as creating a system around his players rather than trying to get his players to fit into his system.
