http://espn.go.com/blog/nfcwest/post...zona-cardinals
Got a kick out of how he's tried to get Larry Fitzgerald to try chewing tobacco.
Got a kick out of how he's tried to get Larry Fitzgerald to try chewing tobacco.
FLAGSTAFF, Ariz. -- Kevin Kolb has accomplished something not even Kurt Warner always managed during his five-year run with the Arizona Cardinals.
He has brought clarity to the quarterback position.
What a relief for Arizona.
This training camp marks only the second in five under coach Ken Whisenhunt with a clearly defined, secure starter behind center.
Matt Leinart was the man in 2007 until an injury sidelined him. Whisenhunt propped up Leinart heading into camp the following year, but Kurt Warner won the job and kept it through 2009. Warner's retirement thrust Leinart back into the starting role again last offseason. The team cut him following a nondescript 2010 camp.
Tension and uncertainty have surrounded the position most years. That changed when the Cardinals traded for Kolb and signed him to a five-year, $63 million contract. Just as Kolb was desperate for a starting job while parked behind Donovan McNabb and Michael Vick in Philadelphia, the Cardinals have been starved for quarterback stability.
"When you look in his eyes, you can tell he really wants it," receiver Larry Fitzgerald said. "We're going to follow his lead."
There is some blind faith involved. Kolb has only seven regular-season starts to his credit. He played well in some, not as well in others.
Can he get it done? It's too early to say. It did become clear right away upon visiting camp that Kolb is comfortable with himself and adept at relating to teammates. That separates him from Leinart and 2010 starter Derek Anderson.
It was telling, I thought, when newly signed guard Daryn Colledge cracked wise on Kolb's fat salary.
"I'll blame one of my cadence [misunderstandings] on him," Colledge joked. "I'll do that right away since he makes more money than me."
There's an obvious comfort level with Kolb already, even if Fitzgerald resisted his new quarterback's attempts to enjoin him to chew tobacco. Kolb clearly has the requisite moxie. Then again, so did Max Hall. A quarterback must play well for any of it to matter.
"He has that 'it' factor, the confidence quarterbacks that need to be successful in this league," said new Cardinals linebacker Stewart Bradley, who was also Kolb's teammate with the Eagles. "He can make all the throws, he has all the intangibles."
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3. Does Kolb fit the scheme? The West Coast system Kolb learned during his time in Philadelphia differs from the one Whisenhunt installed in Arizona. I questioned heading into free agency whether Arizona would be the best landing spot for Kolb. In general, proponents of traditional West Coast systems seek to run the same plays from different formations with more precision than the defense can muster. Out-executing opponents trumps out-scheming them. A quarterback can become as good as the system allows him to be.
The Cardinals' offense relies upon matching route concepts to specific coverages. Kolb: "I like the way they put it on the quarterback to get into those concepts. As long as your quarterback can think quick on his feet, a lot of times you are going to be in the right play in the right position. It just clicks with me. ... Look at what Kurt did. He understood it. He did it at the top level and look how successful they were. There is never a ceiling of how good you can get. It’s just however much you can handle as a quarterback. That is what is exciting for me."
He has brought clarity to the quarterback position.
What a relief for Arizona.
This training camp marks only the second in five under coach Ken Whisenhunt with a clearly defined, secure starter behind center.
Matt Leinart was the man in 2007 until an injury sidelined him. Whisenhunt propped up Leinart heading into camp the following year, but Kurt Warner won the job and kept it through 2009. Warner's retirement thrust Leinart back into the starting role again last offseason. The team cut him following a nondescript 2010 camp.
Tension and uncertainty have surrounded the position most years. That changed when the Cardinals traded for Kolb and signed him to a five-year, $63 million contract. Just as Kolb was desperate for a starting job while parked behind Donovan McNabb and Michael Vick in Philadelphia, the Cardinals have been starved for quarterback stability.
"When you look in his eyes, you can tell he really wants it," receiver Larry Fitzgerald said. "We're going to follow his lead."
There is some blind faith involved. Kolb has only seven regular-season starts to his credit. He played well in some, not as well in others.
Can he get it done? It's too early to say. It did become clear right away upon visiting camp that Kolb is comfortable with himself and adept at relating to teammates. That separates him from Leinart and 2010 starter Derek Anderson.
It was telling, I thought, when newly signed guard Daryn Colledge cracked wise on Kolb's fat salary.
"I'll blame one of my cadence [misunderstandings] on him," Colledge joked. "I'll do that right away since he makes more money than me."
There's an obvious comfort level with Kolb already, even if Fitzgerald resisted his new quarterback's attempts to enjoin him to chew tobacco. Kolb clearly has the requisite moxie. Then again, so did Max Hall. A quarterback must play well for any of it to matter.
"He has that 'it' factor, the confidence quarterbacks that need to be successful in this league," said new Cardinals linebacker Stewart Bradley, who was also Kolb's teammate with the Eagles. "He can make all the throws, he has all the intangibles."
...............
3. Does Kolb fit the scheme? The West Coast system Kolb learned during his time in Philadelphia differs from the one Whisenhunt installed in Arizona. I questioned heading into free agency whether Arizona would be the best landing spot for Kolb. In general, proponents of traditional West Coast systems seek to run the same plays from different formations with more precision than the defense can muster. Out-executing opponents trumps out-scheming them. A quarterback can become as good as the system allows him to be.
The Cardinals' offense relies upon matching route concepts to specific coverages. Kolb: "I like the way they put it on the quarterback to get into those concepts. As long as your quarterback can think quick on his feet, a lot of times you are going to be in the right play in the right position. It just clicks with me. ... Look at what Kurt did. He understood it. He did it at the top level and look how successful they were. There is never a ceiling of how good you can get. It’s just however much you can handle as a quarterback. That is what is exciting for me."
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