Ken Whisenhunt: Kevin Kolb proved his toughness, shouldn’t have to

Quarterback Kevin Kolb was beaten up on national television Thursday against the Rams. He failed to throw a touchdown, was sacked nine times and suffered his first loss of 2012.

But some positive did come from his performance against the Rams. After enduring the kind of pounding he received from St. Louis’ pass rush during the Cardinals’ 14-point defeat, the sixth-year veteran proved he had plenty to offer in the toughness department– an issue plenty questioned during his rough showing in the preseason.

“When you get hit as many times as [Kolb] did, he battled his tail off,” head coach Ken Whisenhunt told Arizona Sports 620’s Doug & Wolf. “You respect that, and he certainly answered the question about his durability and being able to handle that.”

Whisenhunt went on to say that Kolb’s toughness — which was publicly questioned by Raiders’ defensive lineman Tommy Kelly following a Cardinals’ win back in August — was never an issue in the locker room and didn’t need to be validated by the brutal punishment he faced in the team’s worst offensive performance since 2004.

“I wish he never had to answer that question,” said Whisenhunt. “Especially in the way that he did.”

Kolb finished 28-for-50 with 289 passing yards and no interceptions, but his opportunities were few and far between in the second half due to poor pass protection and little threat from the run game.