Kevin Kolb is looking forward to playing deep into the game this Saturday night.

Kolb and the rest of the starters will probably see action into the third quarter, and the quaterback plans on using this extended playing time to his advantage.

“I need to run through the 2 minute drill at least one time with the guys,” Kolb said. “Also just coming out after half-time and having that first drive, that’s always a vital part of the game for getting things kicked off again.”

The signal caller also sees this game as a good way to measure where the Cardinals are as a team.

“When I look down at the scores I say, ‘Okay, we almost really did beat them if we win,'” Kolb said. “Obviously you didn’t finish the game but this is the one you measure everybody up and we want to measure well.”

This will be Kolb’s first game in University of Phoenix Stadium, and he wants make sure there is “no shocks” when the regular season rolls around.

One thing Saturday’s opponent, the San Diego Chargers, may help Kolb with is understanding the defense he’ll be facing in Week 1. Ron Rivera, now the Panthers’ head coach, was San Diego’s defensive coordinator last season.

As far as using this game to maybe peek a glimpse at the defense he could possibly see opening week, Kolb isn’t worried about that.

“It could be a good prep, but you can’t get to caught up in that,” he said.

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