One of the biggest surprises from Week 1 was the Arizona Cardinals decision to start quarterback John Skelton over Kevin Kolb considering how much they invested in the former second-round pick when they acquired him from the Philadelphia Eagles prior to the 2011 season. After Skelton suffered an injury against the Seattle Seahawks, it appears Kolb will receive a second shot to make a case for the starting job, but will it be his last?
Kolb looked impressive in the second half for the Cardinals as he led the team on their game-winning touchdown drive with just under five minutes remaining in the game when he connected with Andre Roberts from six yards out. If Kolb had played this well during the preseason, it’s safe to say his job would have never even been in jeopardy for Week 1 and now—Kolb may be receiving one final and unexpected shot to prove he should be the starter over Skelton.
At this point in the week, all signs point to Kolb receiving the starting nod for Week 2 against the New England Patriots as Skelton—which may be favorable matchup considering the Patriots contained one of the league’s worst passing defenses in 2011. If Kolb does end up getting the chance to start, he’ll need to figure out a way to display the game of his career to make Arizona want to go with him over Skelton.
Otherwise—Kolb may have trouble with finding another starting job again in the NFL. If a player can’t win the starting job in Arizona, chances are they won’t win the job elsewhere.
