Sunday could be an ‘audition’ for Skelton

This so-called quarterback controversy for the Arizona
Cardinals won’t go away.

And while it’s not as widespread as say, Team Edward vs.
Team Jacob, the Kolb vs. Skelton argument has been an
intriguing one in the Valley for the last three weeks.

Let me lay my cards on the table: I’m a Kolb guy. Okay,
let me rephrase that. I’m a guy who believes that it’s
way too early to hand the offense over to Skelton,
especially considering Kolb’s injury and the hefty
contract he signed after being traded to the Cardinals.
Eight starts is not nearly a big enough sample size to
form an opinion on Kolb’s future (although I guess the
Cardinals did that when they gave him $63 million, but I
digress).

That being said, if John Skelton can go into San Francisco
and beat the first-place 49ers, it’ll get a lot harder for
head coach Ken Whisenhunt not to give him the job.

Most Skelton supporters point to his 4-2 record as a
starter as a reason that he should be the man steering the
offense. It’s almost like a mini-Tebow
argument (with my sincere apologies to Skelton’s ability
to actually throw a football).

Think about it: Tebow supporters say “who cares what his
numbers look like? He just wins games.” And there is
some
truth to that. Winning is the ultimate statistic in any
sport.

But a little deeper look into Skelton’s win list reveals
that he hasn’t exactly beaten great teams on his way to
that record. His four pro wins have come against Denver
(2010), Dallas (2010), St. Louis and Philadelphia–four
teams with a combined record of 12-29 at the time of the
game.

But a win over the 49ers, a team that is not only 8-1 and
has given up the least points in the NFL, but also has had
the Cardinals’ number over the last two years, might be
enough to turn my thinking around.

And maybe Ken Whisenhunt’s as well.

Follow @Vincemarotta