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AP: bf67b5ef-e95e-4cf5-b2f3-8a1b2814f3b6
Arizona Cardinals quarterback Kevin Kolb (4) is helped by a team trainer after being hit by New Orleans Saints defensive tackle Sedrick Ellis (98) during the first quarter of the NFL Hall of Fame exhibition football game, Sunday, Aug. 5, 2012 in Canton, Ohio. (AP Photo/Scott Galvin)
To say Kevin Kolb had a rough night Sunday would be an understatement.

Just two of the four passes thrown by Arizona's starting quarterback were caught, with one of them being hauled in by Saints cornerback Malcolm Jenkins. Not long after that Kolb exited the game following a hard tackle that left him with what has been diagnosed as a rib contusion.

The poor performance coupled with yet another injury has many questioning if the 27-year-old can ever be an effective NFL QB, though NFL Network's Michael Lombardi has felt that way for a while.

"When I watched Kevin Kolb play with the Philadelphia Eagles I would always say...I was more impressed with what [Eagles coach] Andy Reid did to make him look good than I was with Kevin Kolb actually looking good," Lombardi told ESPN Radio's Colin Cowherd Monday. "And I think that's the challenge as an evaluator you must go through: is this the player or is this the scheme enhancing the player?

"Clearly in Philadelphia it was that Andy was doing the right things for Kevin Kolb."

listen Listen: NFL Network's Michael Lombardi w/ Colin Cowherd
Michael Lombardi of the NFL Network has some very serious doubts on whether Cardinals quarterback Kevin Kolb will ever be successful in the NFL.
Lombardi says plays were designed to confuse the defense in a manner that would allow Kolb to focus on throwing the ball to one area and not have to worry about reading the defense.

That's not how the Cardinals do things, though, and the QB is struggling because of it.

"The first interception that he throws last night is, really, it's a high school coverage," Lombardi said.

Ouch.

That Kolb could not figure out what the Saints were doing is an indictment of where he is in his development, according to Lombardi.

"When you make that mistake, as a player who's been in the league as long as Kevin Kolb," he said, "when are you ever going to say to me you're getting better as a football player?

"I think that's where Kevin Kolb is. I think Kevin Kolb benefited from Andy Reid's teaching just like A.J. Feely did."

There were some who compared Kolb to Feely before the Cardinals made the trade, as they were both Eagles at one time who went somewhere else with expectations of being a legitimate NFL starter.

Feely flamed out when given the chance to start in Miami, and it seems Kolb may be on the same path in Arizona.

"Kevin Kolb's biggest problem is he sees color of the other jersey so quickly he wants to run to his right and escape," Lombardi said.

There may be a variety of different reasons for Kolb's struggles, be it injuries, inexperience or a poor offensive line, but at the end of the day he just hasn't given the impression he can be relied on. There is still time to change that perception, but the clock is ticking.

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    hugUhbear wrote...
    Toughest part is admitting you have a mistake
    The rest comes easy. If KK lays another egg as the backup to Skelton against 2nd team offense of KS then I would proceed fwd with Skelton as the starter, getting the starter reps. Looking at KK's performance vs. NO I was just floored at the level of Kolb. It made me think, briefly, that we gave Max hall a 50M dollar contract. We probably did and we need to correct it as quickly as we can so that it does not play out indefinately and be the anchor that sinks us.
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    the cooker wrote...
    keep looking
    Start watching for the guys getting cut by other teams. You know Skelton admitted he has never gotten the playbook down since he has been here.
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    FitzIsMyHero wrote...
    @hugUhbear, it was 63M
    @the cooker, judging by the way Skelton moved the ball on Sunday, it doesnt look like he's having any issues with the playbook. I dont think it is a matter of IF Kolb will lay a egg. I think its a matter of WHEN he will lay a egg. Folks, in case you haven't noticed, he's been sitting on a egg and keeping it warm since the Carolina game last year. On another note, I was happy to see the 2nd, 3rd, and 4th string RB's move the ball effectively. I didnt doubt the talent we had at RB. I was upset with the way the O Line was playing. Its getting better.
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    mesa mad man wrote...
    little early
    @fitzismyhero - idisagree with most of what you said. i didnt think skelton look comfortable out there making good reads (standing tall and comfortable are different things in my eyes). I also didnt think our O-Line played very well against the 1st and 2nd stringers. For our RBs, Smith looked great against the Saints backups, but Powell and Clayton left much to be desired against bottom of the barrell talent
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    Patrick Peterson's Talent wrote...
    mesa mad man
    Agree with your points. Look, it's one preseason game. While Skelton was able to stay in the game longer, he was operating against the Saints backup D. And the reason we marched down there wasn't due to Skelton's arm, it was an effective run game by Alfonso Smith. I'm not happy with Kolb's play, but he was only in there 4 reps. Skelton had some bad reads and a couple open guys he couldn't hit. I want the best QB to lead this team. Let's give it a few more game before we start trying to call the competition over. We need this O-Line to play as a unit this year if either guy is going to succeed.
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    gougly wrote...
    Is it just me or....
    Did Ryan Lindley look really good for his first game. I haven't heard anything about him and he looked much better than KK.
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    Imiss13 wrote...
    Yes Lindley looked good.....
    but he needs some time. It was good to see him play so well. But with KK and Skelton I see us winning 2 games and getting an excellent draft pic next year. I hope they use it wisely. The only hope I have for us winning any more is the fact that we won 5 games in 2010 with a terrible offense AND defense. After this 2-14 season we can cut Contusion Kolb and maybe someone will free up like Sanchez or Campbell. Who knows.
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    Rainex80 wrote...
    hard tackle
    Can we please remove the phrase hard tackle when we refer to Sunday night from now on.
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    AZ_Cisco wrote...
    Imiss13??
    Whoa!! You hope Sanchez is available? Sanchez was one of the top 5 worse quarterbacks in the NFL last year. I am not a fan of Kolb and have never been. I believe Skelton can and has been developing to become a decent QB. We do not need a lights out QB (it would be nice to have one though) we need someone who is not going to lose us the game. Kolb is the guy that loses us the game. He needs to continue running to the right and take a seat next time he is in the game and let someone play the position that is not scared to stay in the pocket.
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    Steve H. wrote...
    Skelton
    I thought the Cards were still playing against the Saints first team defense when Skelton took the field. I could be wrong, and it would be a little disappointing if it was indeed the 2nd team.
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