Training camp is three weeks old yet the Cardinals’ competition at quarterback remains murky.
Neither Kevin Kolb nor John Skelton has distinguished himself in practice or the two games. Kolb has completed two of nine passes for 25 yards, with no touchdowns and one interception.
His passer rating is 0.00.
Skelton has fared slightly better, completing 7 of 13 for 67 yards. He also has an interception and no touchdowns. Skelton has benefitted from better pass protection, but then he also has been better at moving around the pocket than Kolb has.
After the loss to Kansas City last Friday, coach Ken Whisenhunt said his quarterbacks missed opportunities to make big plays. He didn’t name the responsible party – Skelton, Kolb, rookie Ryan Lindley and Rich Bartel all played – but it sounded as if Whisenhunt was talking about early in the game.
That would include Skelton or Kolb or both.
“We had some one-on-one matchups with receivers downfield tonight and we didn’t get to them; we didn’t throw them,” Whisenhunt said. “So those are things that are frustrating.”
It’s especially frustrating for the Cardinals because coaches and other players believe they are good enough elsewhere to contend for an NFC West title.
If they could get just competent quarterbacking, the belief is that the defense and running game should be enough to make this team a playoff contender.
In the first two preseason games, however, the Cardinals have looked awful.
“I don’t know what it is, the slow starts, but obviously we need to get it fixed pretty quickly,” said receiver Larry Fitzgerald. “There are plays there to be had. There are lanes to run in, there are opportunities to make plays.
“I’m not about to jump off any bridges yet, but we definitely need to improve.”