Cardinals QB battle on national radar
Jun 13, 2012, 4:07 PM | Updated: 7:41 pm
We are not the only ones interested to see how
the Kevin Kolb versus John Skelton battle plays out.
The two are expected to continue their competition for the
team’s starting QB role all through training camp, with
neither supposedly having an edge as of now.
It’s a situation worth keeping an eye on, that’s for sure,
and as Bill Barnwell of Grantland.com puts it,
the Arizona job is fifth on the list of The Top Battles
to Be QB1.
Once the Cardinals financially committed to keeping Kevin
Kolb on the roster this year, the issue of actually
playing him became a sunk cost. At this point, they need
to just play whichever quarterback actually looks best in
camp. That should favor Kolb, who looks like a legitimate
NFL starter when there’s a half-speed pass rush bearing
down on him, but he’ll also have to stay healthy for the
next three months to ensure that he lines up in September.
Health might be John Skelton’s biggest asset in this
competition.
Makes sense.
While the Cardinals may say otherwise, most feel it is
Kolb’s job to lose. The team is heavily invested in the
former Eagle, and must figure out if he’s capable of
leading this team back to the postseason.
Unfortunately, there’s a good chance we won’t know
anything until the games start. Kolb looked good in camp
last year, too, and the comment Barnwell makes of “when
there’s a half-speed pass rush bearing down on him” is
legit.
According to ProFootballFocus.com, Kolb was sacked on
30 of 115 drop backs last season, a percentage that was
second-worst in the NFL.
However, they note, he had the 11th-best TD:INT ratio when
pressured and the 10th-best completion percentage,
signifying that when he was actually able to get rid of
the ball good things tended to happen.
Of course, the biggest thing that could potentially hold
Kolb back are injuries. He played in just nine games
(finishing eight) last season, missing time due to turf
toe and a concussion.
But the hope is those issues are in the past. The
Cardinals do not need to name a starter until September 7,
giving Coach Whisenhunt and staff plenty of time to make a
decision.
Will it be Kolb? How about Skelton? Arizona is waiting for
an answer and, apparently, we’re not alone.
