When Arizona Cardinals head coach Ken Whisenhunt named John Skelton as the team's starting quarterback, more questions arose than answers.

Skelton, like his counterpart Kevin Kolb, didn't exactly set the football world on fire during the preseason. In fact, his numbers left much to be desired. He finished 14-for-25 passing for 131 yards with 1 TD and 2 INTs.

Still, Whisenhunt remained impressed by Skelton's work ethic and felt it was the right choice to give him this chance to prove himself.

"[Skelton]'s been in here working," Whisenhunt told Arizona Sports 620's Doug & Wolf Show Monday. "You can see his confidence in how he's approaching this right now. It's his opportunity to take it and run with it."

Whisenhunt said it will be critical for Skelton to gather as much information as he can regarding the Seahawks scheme before Sunday's match-up.

"It's really going to be important for him this week to know as much as he can about Seattle because when they throw us a wrinkle he's got to be ready to adapt to it," Whisenhunt said. "I think the most important thing that we've got to hammer home is turnovers. Got to be smart with the football and if we can do that, we'll have a chance."

Those turnovers have been one of the biggest knocks on Skelton. The 24-year-old signal caller has thrown two interceptions this preseason and has made some poor choices that have cost the Cardinals.

"We had a couple of plays during the preseason where he didn't make the smartest decision on a couple of throws and he got criticized for it," Whisenhunt stated. "He understands now that he can't do that going forward."

While Whisenhunt said no quarterback will get through a season without throwing an interception, the key for Skelton will be to minimize those mistakes early and build momentum throughout the game.

"What [Skelton]'s got to do is limit those plays earlier in games," Whisenhunt said. "He did a great job at the end of the games and it's obvious that he's more comfortable in what we're asking him to do. The next step for him is taking it in the position as the starting quarterback and seeing how he handles it from there."

Whisenhunt and the Cardinals faithful will see how Skelton fares in his first true test as the team's starter Week 1 against divisional foe Seattle on Sunday.