Login

Register | Forgot Your Password? | Close
ESPN NFL analyst Merril Hoge says the Arizona Cardinals will have to run the football this season because of their limitations in the passing game.

Those limitations, of course, are due to the team's issues at quarterback, which the former NFL running back says will hold the team back.

"Their offense is extremely handicapped," Hoge told ESPN Radio's Mike and Mike Tuesday. "There's going to be a lot of things they can't do because of all the things they can't do at the quarterback position."

Can you really argue with the guy?

One of the problems, according to Hoge, is how much Kevin Kolb has regressed since heading to the Cardinals. The analyst said he was a believer in the QB when he was traded from Philadelphia to Arizona last summer, but not now.

"Even watching Kolb last year he was so undecisive, and he has not improved," he said. "For a guy who has as much experience as him, he declined when he went to the Cardinals."

Hoge said Kolb looked like a rookie last season, and that hasn't changed.

"His decision-making has been poor," he said.

All told, Hoge said it seems like Kolb is still not comfortable running the offense in Arizona.

"He plays almost with a sense of uncertainty, almost somewhat scared as he plays the game," Hoge said. "There's no decisiveness, there's no certainty as to when the ball should come out and how the offense should be run."

Unfortunately for the Cardinals, while none of this is a ringing endorsement for Kolb, Hoge said John Skelton shares some of the same issues.

Still, if it was up to Hoge, the third-year pro would get the nod.

"He doesn't play as scared," Hoge said. "But he does hold the football too long, he doesn't make the greatest decisions, so I'm going with Skelton.

"But I'm not expecting a lot of great things here and I'm going to have to protect him and hide him."

4 Comments   |   Join the conversation »
  • Add A Comment 
  • Abuse
    OpinionH8d wrote...
    Another Handicap
    is Whiz. He may run the ball a little more than normal, but not enough to matter. He loves the passing game and he will call too many passing plays. He did it with Derek Anderson and Max Hall and he'll do it again.
  • Abuse
    hugUhbear wrote...
    We have Larry Fitzgerald on this team for
    the idiots that have forgotten. No friggin way do we stop throwing to the best WR in the game. These idiots/talking head idiots, that keep popping their mouths off don't know anything about "our team" other than what someone has told them is the issue to talk about. Their jobs are dependant on them squirting out their mouth diarhhea hoping that people will listen and respond. Sad small word hacks that really are pathetic in their limited knowledge of the game they act like they represent.
  • Abuse
    thorjeremy501 wrote...
    Skelton
    Last year he had Skelton makes some difficult passes even after a bonehead INT. Last year he had faith in him to play QB like a pro and not like an inexperienced young man. Skelton just does not seem to focus until it becomes necessary. The Cards will lose some early games with Skelton but the team will bounce back.
  • Abuse
    Think4URself wrote...
    Statement, Question, then another statement.
    I would say that Megatron, Andre Johnson, and Larry Fitzgerald comprise the elite WRs in the game. Let consider these Tier 1 guys. Then, there are a plethera of very good, but not quite Tier 1 guys...Holmes, Welker, Cruz, S Smith, B Marshall, M Wallace, etc...you get the picture (Tier 2). These guys get paid a little less than the big boys. And it varies. The funny thing is, Do you know how many Superbowls Tier 1 WRs have played in? 1. Do you know how many SB wins these Tier 1 WRs have? 0. Now, people can argue all they want, but paying top end Rcvrs has a price.
close

Share: