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Arizona Cardinals' Jay Feely, center, celebrates their 24-21 overtime win over the Miami Dolphins with Kevin Kolb, right, and Mike Leach after an NFL football game, Sunday, Sept. 30, 2012, in Glendale, Ariz. (AP Photo/Ross D. Franklin)
Kevin Kolb, meet Jake Plummer. Jake, Kevin.

"Woah, it's like looking in a mirror."

Plummer, who quarterbacked the Cardinals from 1997-2002, and Kolb, who has been in the Valley for less than two years, have much in common.

They're about the same size (Plummer 6'2", 212 lbs. and Kolb 6'3", 218 lbs.), they were both selected in the second round of their respective drafts, and they tallied identical 3-6 records as starters in their first year with the Cardinals.

And they drive fans and coaches up the wall.

"I'm going to tell you honestly, he can't make some of those throws that he made," Cardinals coach Ken Whisenhunt said after the win over the Dolphins Sunday. "He's been better about that coming into this game. Going forward, he will continue to work not to do that.

"He responded big on that last drive."

Follow up some horrid mistakes with an amazing rally. Yeah, that's how Jake did it.

Of Plummer's 30 wins as a Cardinal, 15 involved a fourth quarter comeback/game-winning drive. The same can be said for three of Kolb's six wins as a Cardinal.

Truth be told, while many of us were in awe with the way Plummer used to lead the Cardinals to wins late in games, much of the time it was necessary because of the quarterback's own mistakes. He threw 15 interceptions in those 15 wins, and one could easily make the case that better QB play early would have led to not needing heroics late.

The same could easily be said for Kolb -- especially in the win over the Dolphins -- as without the bone-headed pick in the end zone there's a good chance the Cardinals would have increased their lead and won the game fairly comfortably.

But no QB is perfect, and the ability to bounce back after mistakes -- yours or someone else's -- is an important trait to have for any person, let alone an NFL QB.

And Kolb, like Plummer many times before him, did exactly that. He led the Cardinals on a 10-play, 51 yard scoring drive that started with the QB being sacked twice and ended with him throwing a dart to Andre Roberts for the game-tying touchdown on fourth down.

"Looking back on it now and the circumstances, it's probably the most special in my career," Kolb said of the touchdown pass. "Now, the one before that was probably the worst in my career.

"That's definitely the worst in my career."

The former Eagle got a second chance because his defense forced a fumble, and took advantage of it by showing the same resiliency that led many to believe John Skelton was the team's best choice at the position.

Who knows, he still might be. But for now Kolb has certainly done enough to warrant a continued grasp on the starting job. He has led the team to a 4-0 start, and is coming off two of the best games of his Cardinal career. The 28-year-old should now get the benefit of the doubt from fans, as he has the full confidence of his teammates.

Guess it comes with the territory when you take the beating Kolb did -- physically and emotionally -- and still come out on top.

"It feels really good to know that even when the game is on the line we've got a quarterback that can make that throw," Cardinals running back Ryan Williams said of the game-tying touchdown to Andre Roberts, adding that the entire play was right on the money.

"It feels good to know that we have guys that are not going to quit."

Larry Fitzgerald joked after the win that fans pay to see close games, that the barnburners are more fun -- with the caveat that the Cardinals come out on the winning side.

Back in the late 90s, the Cardinals were rarely on the right side of the scoreboard, but when they were it was largely due to some late-game magic from Jake Plummer that followed some early game disaster. With "The Snake" under center you knew the team was never out of the game, even if the QB himself appeared to put it out of reach, and that meant something.

Kevin Kolb followed a similar pattern Sunday against the Dolphins, and while it may have made things more stressful than necessary, it may have been necessary for Kolb to cement himself as the guy in Arizona.

18 Comments   |   Join the conversation »
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  • Abuse
    theoriginalcardsfan wrote...
    Dude.. not cool.
    Don't insult Kevin Kolb like that by saying he's a clone of Jake Plummer. Take out the playoff game against Dallas, and Jake's never won against better teams. Jake couldn't read a defense, but it's evident Kolb can. I find it hard to believe someone like Jake would win in Foxboro, or light up the Eagles without throwing at least 2-3 INTs per game.
  • Abuse
    bluehonda27 wrote...
    The comparison is apt...
    That is funny how similar the two were, haha. +1 for this article.
  • Abuse
    SafteyE wrote...
    LOL @theoriginalcardsfan
    No. Those Cards teams (after the playoff run of 98, when management made the decision to break up the team), NEVER had half as much talent on it as this one does. Not even close actually. If you really were the "original Cards fan," you'd know that. Jake was never a great QB, but just cause you're a hater doesn't mean should should omit the facts to get your hate across.
  • Abuse
    JeffStrohmeyer wrote...
    Blaming Jake...
    for the lack of success of this franchise when he was the QB, is like blaming the Bidwills now for the last 2 seasons of mediocrity. It's ridiculous.
  • Abuse
    PRH wrote...
    Ahhh to have a selective memory....
    "Jake's never won against better teams." Really? He did in Denver, when the team actually had talent. If Kolb QB'd those Cards teams Plummer had to, that 0-16 mark the Lions got a few years ago, would've been a multiple year trend here for the Cards.
  • Abuse
    DanTheTimid wrote...
    My Opinion
    Lots of varying opinions flying around the comments. Mine? The reason for Jake's successes and failures can both be summed up thusly: he specialized in attempted high risk, high reward, passes. When they worked, he was a hero, when they didn't, he was the town punching bag. Kolb's style was actually pretty similar last year, but it feels like he's changed this year. Unlike Jake, Kolb's found success this year by making more cautious choices in his passing, aided by an understanding that the D is good enough that he doesn't need to take those risks to get Ws.
  • Abuse
    DanTheTimid wrote...
    The result
    The result, when you're not constantly throwing into tight coverage, is a lower Int rate, but also a lower passing yards per game and TD rate as well. The thing is, a lot of people like to glance over those Ints and focus on the yards and TDs, which is why guys who make a living on making high risk passes tend to get better publicity then guys like Kolb (at least this years version) who are willing to take the coverage sack or throw the ball away when nothings there.
  • Abuse
    DanTheTimid wrote...
    Don't misunderstand
    That's not to say I think Kolb is necessarily a great QB, or even necessarily better then "the snake", those were some pretty painful Ints he through last week and the guy can't seem to toss a simple screen pass to save his life, but I do feel like he's under rated. Like him or hate him, Jake got a lot of hype during his time with the Cards. Conversely, outside of a few truly dire hard Kolb fans, Kolb's reception has been anywhere from "meh" to "Burn the witch, we want Skelton/Lindley/Bartel". Kolb has certainly deserved better.
  • Abuse
    theoriginalcardsfan wrote...
    Whatever... @ SaffeyE, PRH, et. al...
    Let's see.. selective memory, etc. etc. Looks like ASU homers are the ones that have the selective memory on Jake. I'm as big as a Cards fan as anyone - but don't try to sell me Kolb = Plummer. It's more like Plummer = Skelton. Fortunately, Plummer does rank better than Tom Tupa and Stan Gelbaugh.. and Schroeder, and King, and *throws up*.
  • Abuse
    theoriginalcardsfan wrote...
    More like Plummer = Skelton
    The facts are (part 1 of 3): * Jake couldn't read a defense. Kolb can and has proven it this year. Anyone care to mention a big game (be it Cards or Broncos) where Jake was picking quality defenses apart when it when the opponent's D wasn't in a "prevent" situation? I highly doubt it. Kolb has done better than average against NE, PHI, and MIA (and his QB rating reflects that). If that was Plummer manning the helm this year, the Cards would undoubtedly be 0-4.
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