Mitch
Crawled Through 5 FB Fields
"These were the best of times and the worst of times..."
The immediate translation and application of the famous Dickens quote is that it is the best of times for the Arizona Cardinals because they have never had a more talented roster...and potentially the worst of times because as of right now, the Cardinals have no idea who their starting quarterback will be. Quite a conundrum indeed.
Looking back to last season---the best of times was the team's 7-2 remarkable resurgence over the last nine games---the worst of times was the dismal 1-6 start. A tale of two seasons, for sure.
But that was then---and this is now.
The quarterback competition, no matter how unsettling the situation is---remains something straight out of a storybook.
It is a tale of two young Texans---
The son of a head football coach---who put up gawdy numbers at Stephensville High School (2 time UIL District 8-4A Offensive MVP) and was highly recruited by Division 1 colleges. He elected to stay in the state and play for the University of Houston, where once again he put up big numbers and was highly acclaimed (2006 Conference USA Offensive MVP)---so much so that he was drafted in the second round by the Philadelphia Eagles, a team that groomed him to be their quarterback of the future once the incumbent, Donovan McNabb, was traded.
The other played at Barges High in El Paso (his dad was an asst. coach) where he was named 1st Team All-District offensive MVP, but he was left out of the Division 1 college recruiting party...and rather conspicuously so...to the point where his best option was to sign on with Fordham University, an unheralded Division I AA college. This young man had a very successful career at Fordham (As a senior in 2009 led NCAA FSC in passing yards per game, at 337.1 and yards, at 3,708 and broke almost all of Fordham's career passing records)---but hey, after all, it was only Fordham, so it was no big deal, right? The Arizona Cardinals had just lost Hall of Famer-to-be Kurt Warner to retirement and was preparing to hand the QB keys over to Matt Leinart, their 2006 first round pick and former Heisman Trophy winner. But they needed a backup---a young "project-type" QB to groom, so they traded up in the 2009 draft to select him in the 5th round. And as horrendous as the QB situation was in Arizona during this young man's first year, and getting beat out on the depth chart by the diminutive Max Hall, an un-drafted college free agent, when there was no other choice but to start this young man in the 15th game of the season---he had never been given a single practice snap with the first team the whole season long---which, in addition, prompted the head coach to consider starting Rich Bartel instead, a street free agent who had just been signed on the Monday after Game 14.
Kevin Kolb versus John Skelton: The Prodigal Son versus Cinderella.
Contrast in Styles:
Kolb is a smaller, more mobile QB who likes to throw the ball on the run.
Skelton is a taller, thicker pocket passer.
Contrast in Demeanors:
Kolb mixes a little swagger with at times a tangible skittishness.
Skelton plays with a smile on his face and a calmness that may be too calm at times.
Contrast in Records:
Kolb: 6-11
Skelton: 8-4
Contrast In QB Productivity:
Kolb: 572/340, 59.4%, 4,037, 7.1 ypa, 20/22 td/int, 78.7 QB rating
Skelton: 401/211, 52,6%, 2,575, 6.4 ypa, 13/16 td/int, 66.8 QB rating
Contrast in Career Come From Behind Wins:
Kolb: 1
Skelton: 6
Contrast in Salaries:
Kolb: $10,500,000
Skelton: $495,000
What Kolb Must Overcome To Win The Job:
* durability issues: concussions---both of which forced him out of the starting lineup in successive years---that and a foot injury last year.
* the perception that he flushes out of the pocket too quickly
* some fans' disdain for the level of his play---i.e.---the boo birds
* the propensity to throw untimely interceptions
What Skelton Must Overcome To Win:
* the slow starts
* perceptions that he will always be inaccurate
* the perception that he is doofy
* the fact that national coaches, scouts and pundits have always had their questions about his ability to be an effective starting QB in the NFL
The Prodigal Son.
In essence Kolb has been given every vote of faith that Skelton hasn't. The Eagles, in Kolb's fourth year, after they traded McNabb and handed Kolb the QB keys, signed Kolb to a 2 year $12M contract which paid him more than $10M in the first year. After losing the starting job to Mike Vick, the Cardinals traded for him and could have had Kolb play out his contract at $1.4M for the last year of it---but instead, committed big money to him in the form of a 5 year $63M contract. make no mistake about it: both his teams in the NFL have laid out the red carpet for him and thus far he has done little more than trip on it.
As we know one of the biggest motivators for players in the NFL is to play at a high level in order to earn themselves the "big money" contract. Kolb has landed two big money contracts and has been paid well over $30M in the last three years. Kolb is set financially.
What needs to kick in his pride---because that is essentially what he is playing for now. Like the saying goes: "For whom much has been given---much is expected."
Add to pride---a sense of loyalty to the Arizona Cardinals for showing so much faith in him---not once, but twice in that after last year they could have cut ties with Kolb and not paid him the second year $7M bonus.
Kolb---who must still be understandably nervous about sustaining a third concussion in three years, especially when the symptoms of last year's concussion lasted nearly two months---needs to summon up the courage. moxie and resolve to shut the boo birds up.
In Stephen Crane's The Red Badge of Courage, how does Henry Fleming transform from a brooding, fearful soldier to a resolute and stalwart war hero?
The turning point occurs when he and his fellow soldier, Wilson (the loud soldier), are filling their canteens at the river one day and they overhear the colonel asking the lieutenant which regiment he can most easily spare---in other words, which regiment can they throw as a front line into the next fray. The lieutenant replies: "the 34th regiment---they're a bunch of mule drivers."
Henry and Wilson's reaction to hearing their regiment called a "bunch of mule drivers" is unpredictable and stunning. Where once they would have been the first soldiers to run away, especially if they knew they were going to be sent out for slaughter---now instead, they return to the regiment with the determination to show that lieutenant a thing or two.
So what kicked in? Pride and loyalty.
Therefore, maybe the best thing that's happening to Kevin Kolb right now is all the scrutiny and the booing. If his pride and loyalty kick up, we are apt to see the best of him---and we are apt to see what scouts have always liked about him. Like Henry Fleming who suffered through what he called an "eternal camp"---because it gave him too much time to think about whether he would be brave or run away in the face of battle, Kolb over the course of five seasons has had too much time to stand on the sidelines and think.
He now has to get angry---and all the more determined to live up to the expectations that his coaches and teammates have in him.
He has to feel especially angry that his own All-Pro WR Larry Fitzgerald has advised fantasy football participants to draft Calvin Johnson over him.
He has to feel angry that Willie McGinnest has stated that the Cardinal locker room is in favor of Skelton.
In essence, he has to show his teammates that he is just as tough as they are---and that he has their backs all the way.
Cinderella:
The story fits---no one has wanted to take this bumpkin to the ball. For whatever reason, in other people's eyes he has lacked the look of a keeper. And yet---to his credit---he has shown that when he has been able to attend the dance, that he can overcome apprehensions and early miscues and still manage to save the day by the stroke of midnight.
What Skelton needs to do is put a midnight curfew on every quarter that he plays. And in order to do that he needs to stop being so careful and cautious---he's got to take the reins of the carriage himself, much the way Kurt Warner did. He has to stand up to his detractors and stop allowing them too much authority and freedom to do with him as they will. This is his big chance---and he has to believe that he is the prince, and not the pumpkin.
Skelton will need his pride to kick in as well.
Skelton needs to remind himself that last year after leading the 1-6 Cardinals to a 3-1 record in his first 4 starts (with only one home game in that stretch)---that the coaches burst his bubble and started Kevin Kolb at home versus Dallas.
And Skelton needs to remember how he atoned for his one miserable loss at SF in that stretch, by coming in for the injured Kolb three weeks later and leading the Cardinals to a stunning 21-19 come from behind victory over the then 10-2 49ers.
He needs to remind himself of the streaks he broke:
1. Ended a 7 game losing streak in his first ever start in Game 15 of 2010.
2. Ended a 6 game losing streak in his first start in Game 8 of 2011.
3. Ended the East Coast losing streak to Philadelphia on the road.
4. Ending the 5 game losing streak to the 49ers.
5. Ended the 3 game losing streak to Pete Carroll's Seahawks.
John Skelton needs to remind himself: he has an uncanny ability to bust his rival's bubbles.
So---who will win the job?
Will the scrutiny be stifling for both QBs?
Once the games start will the fans be crying out for the other QB every time the starter makes a mistake?
Will these QBs be playing so carefully and cautiously that the offense will sputter?
Will the coaches ever learn to be confident in one of these QBs?
Will we be looking for a new starter again next year?
From what we have seen thus far---Skelton has shown an ability to believe in himself when no one else has, especially when the chips are down---and Kolb, thus far with two different teams, has shown that he has not been able to live up to the belief and impressive financial commitment the teams have had in him.
From here, however, anything can happen. We don't know how Skelton would respond if the expectations were switched over exclusively to him and we don't know whether Kolb has a self-belief that has yet to be manifested to the fans in Arizona.
The immediate translation and application of the famous Dickens quote is that it is the best of times for the Arizona Cardinals because they have never had a more talented roster...and potentially the worst of times because as of right now, the Cardinals have no idea who their starting quarterback will be. Quite a conundrum indeed.
Looking back to last season---the best of times was the team's 7-2 remarkable resurgence over the last nine games---the worst of times was the dismal 1-6 start. A tale of two seasons, for sure.
But that was then---and this is now.
The quarterback competition, no matter how unsettling the situation is---remains something straight out of a storybook.
It is a tale of two young Texans---
The son of a head football coach---who put up gawdy numbers at Stephensville High School (2 time UIL District 8-4A Offensive MVP) and was highly recruited by Division 1 colleges. He elected to stay in the state and play for the University of Houston, where once again he put up big numbers and was highly acclaimed (2006 Conference USA Offensive MVP)---so much so that he was drafted in the second round by the Philadelphia Eagles, a team that groomed him to be their quarterback of the future once the incumbent, Donovan McNabb, was traded.
The other played at Barges High in El Paso (his dad was an asst. coach) where he was named 1st Team All-District offensive MVP, but he was left out of the Division 1 college recruiting party...and rather conspicuously so...to the point where his best option was to sign on with Fordham University, an unheralded Division I AA college. This young man had a very successful career at Fordham (As a senior in 2009 led NCAA FSC in passing yards per game, at 337.1 and yards, at 3,708 and broke almost all of Fordham's career passing records)---but hey, after all, it was only Fordham, so it was no big deal, right? The Arizona Cardinals had just lost Hall of Famer-to-be Kurt Warner to retirement and was preparing to hand the QB keys over to Matt Leinart, their 2006 first round pick and former Heisman Trophy winner. But they needed a backup---a young "project-type" QB to groom, so they traded up in the 2009 draft to select him in the 5th round. And as horrendous as the QB situation was in Arizona during this young man's first year, and getting beat out on the depth chart by the diminutive Max Hall, an un-drafted college free agent, when there was no other choice but to start this young man in the 15th game of the season---he had never been given a single practice snap with the first team the whole season long---which, in addition, prompted the head coach to consider starting Rich Bartel instead, a street free agent who had just been signed on the Monday after Game 14.
Kevin Kolb versus John Skelton: The Prodigal Son versus Cinderella.
Contrast in Styles:
Kolb is a smaller, more mobile QB who likes to throw the ball on the run.
Skelton is a taller, thicker pocket passer.
Contrast in Demeanors:
Kolb mixes a little swagger with at times a tangible skittishness.
Skelton plays with a smile on his face and a calmness that may be too calm at times.
Contrast in Records:
Kolb: 6-11
Skelton: 8-4
Contrast In QB Productivity:
Kolb: 572/340, 59.4%, 4,037, 7.1 ypa, 20/22 td/int, 78.7 QB rating
Skelton: 401/211, 52,6%, 2,575, 6.4 ypa, 13/16 td/int, 66.8 QB rating
Contrast in Career Come From Behind Wins:
Kolb: 1
Skelton: 6
Contrast in Salaries:
Kolb: $10,500,000
Skelton: $495,000
What Kolb Must Overcome To Win The Job:
* durability issues: concussions---both of which forced him out of the starting lineup in successive years---that and a foot injury last year.
* the perception that he flushes out of the pocket too quickly
* some fans' disdain for the level of his play---i.e.---the boo birds
* the propensity to throw untimely interceptions
What Skelton Must Overcome To Win:
* the slow starts
* perceptions that he will always be inaccurate
* the perception that he is doofy
* the fact that national coaches, scouts and pundits have always had their questions about his ability to be an effective starting QB in the NFL
The Prodigal Son.
In essence Kolb has been given every vote of faith that Skelton hasn't. The Eagles, in Kolb's fourth year, after they traded McNabb and handed Kolb the QB keys, signed Kolb to a 2 year $12M contract which paid him more than $10M in the first year. After losing the starting job to Mike Vick, the Cardinals traded for him and could have had Kolb play out his contract at $1.4M for the last year of it---but instead, committed big money to him in the form of a 5 year $63M contract. make no mistake about it: both his teams in the NFL have laid out the red carpet for him and thus far he has done little more than trip on it.
As we know one of the biggest motivators for players in the NFL is to play at a high level in order to earn themselves the "big money" contract. Kolb has landed two big money contracts and has been paid well over $30M in the last three years. Kolb is set financially.
What needs to kick in his pride---because that is essentially what he is playing for now. Like the saying goes: "For whom much has been given---much is expected."
Add to pride---a sense of loyalty to the Arizona Cardinals for showing so much faith in him---not once, but twice in that after last year they could have cut ties with Kolb and not paid him the second year $7M bonus.
Kolb---who must still be understandably nervous about sustaining a third concussion in three years, especially when the symptoms of last year's concussion lasted nearly two months---needs to summon up the courage. moxie and resolve to shut the boo birds up.
In Stephen Crane's The Red Badge of Courage, how does Henry Fleming transform from a brooding, fearful soldier to a resolute and stalwart war hero?
The turning point occurs when he and his fellow soldier, Wilson (the loud soldier), are filling their canteens at the river one day and they overhear the colonel asking the lieutenant which regiment he can most easily spare---in other words, which regiment can they throw as a front line into the next fray. The lieutenant replies: "the 34th regiment---they're a bunch of mule drivers."
Henry and Wilson's reaction to hearing their regiment called a "bunch of mule drivers" is unpredictable and stunning. Where once they would have been the first soldiers to run away, especially if they knew they were going to be sent out for slaughter---now instead, they return to the regiment with the determination to show that lieutenant a thing or two.
So what kicked in? Pride and loyalty.
Therefore, maybe the best thing that's happening to Kevin Kolb right now is all the scrutiny and the booing. If his pride and loyalty kick up, we are apt to see the best of him---and we are apt to see what scouts have always liked about him. Like Henry Fleming who suffered through what he called an "eternal camp"---because it gave him too much time to think about whether he would be brave or run away in the face of battle, Kolb over the course of five seasons has had too much time to stand on the sidelines and think.
He now has to get angry---and all the more determined to live up to the expectations that his coaches and teammates have in him.
He has to feel especially angry that his own All-Pro WR Larry Fitzgerald has advised fantasy football participants to draft Calvin Johnson over him.
He has to feel angry that Willie McGinnest has stated that the Cardinal locker room is in favor of Skelton.
In essence, he has to show his teammates that he is just as tough as they are---and that he has their backs all the way.
Cinderella:
The story fits---no one has wanted to take this bumpkin to the ball. For whatever reason, in other people's eyes he has lacked the look of a keeper. And yet---to his credit---he has shown that when he has been able to attend the dance, that he can overcome apprehensions and early miscues and still manage to save the day by the stroke of midnight.
What Skelton needs to do is put a midnight curfew on every quarter that he plays. And in order to do that he needs to stop being so careful and cautious---he's got to take the reins of the carriage himself, much the way Kurt Warner did. He has to stand up to his detractors and stop allowing them too much authority and freedom to do with him as they will. This is his big chance---and he has to believe that he is the prince, and not the pumpkin.
Skelton will need his pride to kick in as well.
Skelton needs to remind himself that last year after leading the 1-6 Cardinals to a 3-1 record in his first 4 starts (with only one home game in that stretch)---that the coaches burst his bubble and started Kevin Kolb at home versus Dallas.
And Skelton needs to remember how he atoned for his one miserable loss at SF in that stretch, by coming in for the injured Kolb three weeks later and leading the Cardinals to a stunning 21-19 come from behind victory over the then 10-2 49ers.
He needs to remind himself of the streaks he broke:
1. Ended a 7 game losing streak in his first ever start in Game 15 of 2010.
2. Ended a 6 game losing streak in his first start in Game 8 of 2011.
3. Ended the East Coast losing streak to Philadelphia on the road.
4. Ending the 5 game losing streak to the 49ers.
5. Ended the 3 game losing streak to Pete Carroll's Seahawks.
John Skelton needs to remind himself: he has an uncanny ability to bust his rival's bubbles.
So---who will win the job?
Will the scrutiny be stifling for both QBs?
Once the games start will the fans be crying out for the other QB every time the starter makes a mistake?
Will these QBs be playing so carefully and cautiously that the offense will sputter?
Will the coaches ever learn to be confident in one of these QBs?
Will we be looking for a new starter again next year?
From what we have seen thus far---Skelton has shown an ability to believe in himself when no one else has, especially when the chips are down---and Kolb, thus far with two different teams, has shown that he has not been able to live up to the belief and impressive financial commitment the teams have had in him.
From here, however, anything can happen. We don't know how Skelton would respond if the expectations were switched over exclusively to him and we don't know whether Kolb has a self-belief that has yet to be manifested to the fans in Arizona.
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