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Arizona Cardinals' Kevin Kolb under repair
by Kent Somers - Oct. 17, 2011
The Arizona Republic
The Cardinals have numerous problems to solve as they emerge from their off week.
They need better pass protection from their two tackles. They need a pass rusher off the edge, or from anywhere. They need to reduce mental breakdowns in pass coverage, the two young corners need to tighten coverage and make plays on the ball, and strong safety Adrian Wilson needs to return to Pro Bowl form.
But nothing is more important, or will have more impact on the final 11 games, than fixing whatever is wrong with quarterback Kevin Kolb.
In the first two games, he completed 61.4 percent of his passes, threw four touchdown passes and had one intercepted. In the last three games, his completion percentage dipped to 57.3 and he had just one touchdown pass and four interceptions. Those are Derek Anderson-type numbers. In five games, Kolb's fumbled six times and lost three.
Granted, we all can make statistics dance, sing and carry out the garbage if we want. In the second game, for instance, Kolb completed 17 of 30 (56.7) percent of his passes. At this stage of the season, one performance, good or bad, can skew statistics. But those of us who have watched the Cardinals can trust our eyes, and what we've seen from Kolb lately hasn't been good.
He looks uncomfortable in the pocket and he's not making plays when he's on the move. But If I'm a Cardinals coach or player, what's most troubling to me is that Kolb is missing open receivers. In Minnesota, he missed tight end Rob Housler twice: once wide open in the end zone and another time down the seam. (The Cardinals have tried hard to hit that tight end seam pass all year. Doing so a few times might make opponents think twice about keeping a safety over the top on Fitzgerald.) He's thrown behind and ahead of receivers.
Kolb's short history suggests he's due to get hot. In his short time as a starter for the Eagles, there were lows and highs. He didn't put together strings of poor performances, or exceptional ones.
What Kolb hasn't done is produce on a consistent basis. That's understandable. He's 27 and this is the first season in which he's started more than four consecutive games. This is a new offensive system that puts considerable responsibility on a quarterback, moreso than many other schemes.
But the time to improve is now. Excuses abound, but the Cardinals are behind the 49ers (5-1) by 3 1/2 games. The Cardinals don't need to be reminded that the 49ers have a new coach with a new system, but I just did anyway.
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by Kent Somers - Oct. 17, 2011
The Arizona Republic
The Cardinals have numerous problems to solve as they emerge from their off week.
They need better pass protection from their two tackles. They need a pass rusher off the edge, or from anywhere. They need to reduce mental breakdowns in pass coverage, the two young corners need to tighten coverage and make plays on the ball, and strong safety Adrian Wilson needs to return to Pro Bowl form.
But nothing is more important, or will have more impact on the final 11 games, than fixing whatever is wrong with quarterback Kevin Kolb.
In the first two games, he completed 61.4 percent of his passes, threw four touchdown passes and had one intercepted. In the last three games, his completion percentage dipped to 57.3 and he had just one touchdown pass and four interceptions. Those are Derek Anderson-type numbers. In five games, Kolb's fumbled six times and lost three.
Granted, we all can make statistics dance, sing and carry out the garbage if we want. In the second game, for instance, Kolb completed 17 of 30 (56.7) percent of his passes. At this stage of the season, one performance, good or bad, can skew statistics. But those of us who have watched the Cardinals can trust our eyes, and what we've seen from Kolb lately hasn't been good.
He looks uncomfortable in the pocket and he's not making plays when he's on the move. But If I'm a Cardinals coach or player, what's most troubling to me is that Kolb is missing open receivers. In Minnesota, he missed tight end Rob Housler twice: once wide open in the end zone and another time down the seam. (The Cardinals have tried hard to hit that tight end seam pass all year. Doing so a few times might make opponents think twice about keeping a safety over the top on Fitzgerald.) He's thrown behind and ahead of receivers.
Kolb's short history suggests he's due to get hot. In his short time as a starter for the Eagles, there were lows and highs. He didn't put together strings of poor performances, or exceptional ones.
What Kolb hasn't done is produce on a consistent basis. That's understandable. He's 27 and this is the first season in which he's started more than four consecutive games. This is a new offensive system that puts considerable responsibility on a quarterback, moreso than many other schemes.
But the time to improve is now. Excuses abound, but the Cardinals are behind the 49ers (5-1) by 3 1/2 games. The Cardinals don't need to be reminded that the 49ers have a new coach with a new system, but I just did anyway.
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