Most fans in Arizona are excited by the thought of Kevin Kolb lining up under center for the Cardinals this season. Many of those same people think the new quarterback will lead their team back to the top of the NFC West.

Local fans are buying into the hype but many national media members are questioning just how effective the unproven quarterback will be in his first season as a Cardinal.

One of the national media members questioning Kolb is the NFL Network’s Michael Lombardi. The former general manager of the Browns and Raiders wonders if he’ll live up to his potential.

“I don’t know how you can be sold on Kevin Kolb,” Lombardi told Sports 620 KTAR’s Doug and Wolf. “You’ve got seven games to sell yourself on. Three he played well. Four not so good. He’s a prospect. You’re buying him on potential. Which is fine. You’ve got to be able to do what he does well. That starts with protecting him.”

Lombardi may not be sold on Kolb but he does see a few things the Cardinals can do in order to help him succeed in his first year in the desert.

“It’s critical that he has comfort in the pocket,” he said. “It’s critical that he feels good. Last year in Philadelphia they were sacked an awful lot. That offensive line was not very good in Philly and he paid a price for it. Maybe that’s why he wasn’t that effective. Ultimately it’s going to take some protection and it’s going to take some time for their offense to gel and come together.”

That may be a tall order for the Cardinals. Their offensive line gave up 50 sacks in 2010, second most in the NFL.

The Cardinals added Daryn Colledge to the offensive line and brought back Lyle Sendlein and Deuce Lutui but numerous question marks still remain. If the team wants Kolb to reach the potential that made him one of the hottest commodities in the NFL this offseason, the o-line will need to step up its game.

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