Arizona Cardinals: Giving Kevin Kolb Another Chance Gives GM Rod Graves a Chance to Save Face

By Bear Heiser
Senior Writer

The ankle injury Arizona Cardinals quarterback John Skelton suffered on Sunday doesn’t appear to be as bad as originally thought.

If you saw Skelton go down, you know that it looked bad, really bad. Initially thought to be a high-ankle sprain, Skelton’s injury is being considered a low-ankle sprain.

Head coach Ken Whisenhunt spoke with Darren Urban of AZCardinals.com Monday morning and actually referred to it as “good news.”

Well, the “good news” Whisenhunt is referring to is the fact that Skelton won’t likely miss a lot of time while recovering from the injury. But he will, in all likelihood, miss some time; we just don’t yet know how much. Whisenhunt hasn’t named a Week 2 starter yet, and he probably won’t for at least a few more days.

Related: Arizona Cardinals: The John Skelton Era Might Be Over, Paging Kevin Kolb

What makes this situation supremely interesting is Kevin Kolb‘s role in it all. Kolb came in after Skelton went down and led the Cardinals on a touchdown drive that eventually sealed the game. Kolb completed 6-of-6 passes for 66 yards with the aforementioned score.

Let’s say that Skelton somehow doesn’t technically have to miss any games because of the ankle, does Whisenhunt then go back to him, even though Kolb finally did something to prove himself worthy of the job? Because, let’s be honest, neither quarterback did anything remotely worthy of earning the starting job during training camp or the preseason. Heck, Ryan Lindley arguably played better than both of them, and he’s a rookie!

The smartest play at this point would be to shut Skelton down for a few weeks and see what happens with Kolb. If Kolb plays well, then general manager Rod Graves saves some face for trading for and then signing Kolb to a long-term deal. If he plays poorly, does it really even matter? Just about everyone in and around the league already considers Kolb a bust; Cardinals fans, too.

Does Whisenhunt give Kolb one final chance to prove to the team and his teammates that he was worth all that guaranteed money? House money says yes; that time is now.

Follow Bear on Twitter: @BearHeiser

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