John Skelton is the starter once again
When the Arizona Cardinals take the field Sunday against the Minnesota Vikings Sunday, quarterback John Skelton will once again be leading the offense.
Tabbed as the starting quarterback by head coach Ken Whisenhunt before Week 1 of the regular season, Skelton has not started a game since suffering a badly sprained ankle in the September 9 opener.
But, the job is his once again, as his replacement, Kevin Kolb, is now out indefinitely with a variety of maladies.
Though not happy with why he’s the starter again, Skelton admitted he was not fond of sitting and watching from the sideline.
“It’s frustrating, more than anything,” Skelton said Wednesday. “Having put in all the hard work in the past years and the offseason, and then getting named the starter the way I was and then to kind of have it disappear, taken away from you that early, it’s just unfortunate.”
Skelton, though, said he understands injuries are part of the game, and the reason he lost the job is now the reason it’s his once again.
The third-year pro completed just 2-of-10 passes for 45 yards with an interception in relief Sunday, but perhaps more important than the stats is the fact that Skelton was healthy enough to play.
Sunday marked the first time he’d been active for a game since the season opener, and the QB is confident his ankle will not be an issue going forward.
What could be an issue, though, is the offensive line. Cardinals quarterbacks have been sacked 28 times this season, a number that easily leads the NFL.
“A lot of it is getting the ball out of your hands quick,” Skelton said of what can be done to curb the number. “There’s times where you’re going to get sacked and there’s nothing you can do about it, and there’s other times when you can get the ball out of your hand quick, you can throw it away, you can flee the pocket sooner.”
Skelton said it really comes down to everyone doing their job, and now his is to stop the team’s losing streak and turn this season around.
“It’s a team effort, no matter how you look at it,” Skelton said when asked if he feels any added pressure to get a win Sunday. “Whoever’s at quarterback, it ultimately will be a team loss or a team win.”
