ARIZONA CARDINALS

Coach Whisenhunt: Best QB will start when Skelton returns

Sep 21, 2012, 4:33 PM | Updated: 5:47 pm

Ken Whisenhunt doesn’t believe in letting a player lose his starting job due to injury.

He does, however, believe in letting the best player play. Period.

With John Skelton getting back on the practice field it would seem he’s getting closer to being able to play again, meaning the Cardinals will have a decision on their hands.

Go back to Skelton, who won the starting job in the preseason, or stick with Kevin Kolb, who has led the Cardinals to a couple of wins to start the season.

“It’s going to be the same thing we always do,” Whisenhunt told the NFL Network Friday morning. “We’re going to go with the player that we think gives us the best chance to win.”

Vague? A little. Coach-speak? For sure. Unreasonable? Not really.

Skelton was injured in the fourth quarter of the Cardinals’ Week 1 win over Seattle, leaving the game after completing just 14-of-28 passes for 149 yards and an interception.

Since then all Kolb has done is complete 21-of-35 passes for 206 yards and two touchdowns. He led the game-winning drive against Seattle and was under center when the Cardinals upset the New England Patriots in Foxborough.

“Kevin has done exactly what we expected him to do, and that’s come in and play well,” Whisenhunt said. “I don’t have any expectation of John doing anything different than wanting to get back healthy and compete for the job.

“Once we get to that point then we’ll make that decision.”

Another solid effort from Kolb Sunday against the Eagles would make the choice a little tougher for the coach, but it’s a problem he’d be happy to deal with.

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