Back at work, Kevin Kolb talks Peyton Manning

TEMPE, Ariz. — Kevin Kolb understands why the Cardinals
pursued quarterback Peyton Manning in the offseason.

“Everybody knows what this league’s about,” Kolb said
Monday at the team’s voluntary workout. “If you’ve been in
it for a while you understand that you have to fight for
your job every single day and every single year.

“It’s management’s job here and every organization to make
sure that they do their best to improve every position,
and in my mind it’s their right to go look wherever they
need to look.”

However, that does not mean he was necessarily OK with how
it all went down. Kolb said there were a few things that
could have been handled differently while the team was
trying to woo Manning, at least in terms of communication.

“We’ve discussed those and look forward to the future and
win a lot of football games together,” he said.

Kolb did say that he did end up speaking with head coach
Ken Whisenhunt, which made things better.

“He called me right off the bat, and of course I respect
that as well,” Kolb said. “That’s the way you get through
things. You can’t get your feelings hurt in this business,
it’s just the way it is.

“Everybody’s going to be held accountable at some point
and you just can’t get your feelings hurt. And I didn’t. I
didn’t take it as that and I won’t ever take it as that.”

Kolb said it is all now past him, and he is looking
forward to improving and winning a lot of games with the
team.

That process started, at least somewhat officially, Monday
at the Cardinals’ Tempe training facility, where a
motivated Kolb was working out in hopes of improving on
what could only be classified as a disappointing first
season in the desert last year.

Combine that with the knowledge that the team was hoping
to replace him, and you have a QB who is not lacking
motivation.

“You get fueled by a lot of things,” he said. “Sure,
[Manning] will add some sort of spark, but I’m fighting
for my job anyways.”

Indeed he is, as head coach Ken Whisenhunt said at the
conclusion of the 2011 season that Kolb would be battling
John Skelton for the starting job. Skelton, you may
remember, started seven games last season (and played in
8), coming away with six victories.

Kolb knows the Cardinals gave up a lot to acquire him last
summer, and though he was not able to prove much in his
first year with the club, he now has a second chance to
show they made the right decision.

“Look, nobody wants it more than me than to come in here
and play great and to win a lot of football games and go
win a Super Bowl,” he said. “That’s just the way I
approach things; I don’t approach it like I’ve got
something to prove to fans or other people that are out
there.”

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