Before I go into what that dilemma is, let me reiterate that Whiz has accomplished what I did not believe he could possibly do. He has reached the .500 mark in wins and losses this season, after starting with one win and six losses. I know that much of this has been due to Horton's new defense, but Whiz hired Horton to do just that, and it worked. That coupled with the emergence of Skelton as a QB has made this team respectable, and a force to be reconned with throughout the league. Whiz deserves his due credit for this.
Now, after 14 games, our record is 7-7. Kolb is on the verge of being healthy enough to return to playing again. Whiz has stated that he hates to see a man lose his starting position because of injury. The dilemma that Whiz now faces is, does he now bench Skelton in order to start Kolb, if Kolb is cleared by the medical staff.
I would agree with Whiz, that it seems unjust to bench a QB just because he suffered an injury. But, (at least in my estimation), there is more to this situation than simply having suffered and injury. First, Kolb has yet to prove that he has truly mastered the QB position. His play, (at game speed when under fire), leaves much to be desired, even at this point. He has yet to show that he can overcome his skittishness when the pressure comes, and step up into the pocket and go through his progressions to find the open receiver. Granted, he has made progress to that end, (and may in fact have been on the verge of proving that very point), when he suffered his injury. But the truth is, that he has not yet proven that the QB job should be given to him.
Skelton, on the other hand, has been given nothing, (least of all the respect that he deserves for having accomplished what no one believed he could), posting a record of 6 wins against only 1 loss over the last 7 games.
Some of these games, he has had to do so the hard way, without getting the practice reps of the starter during the week leading up to the game. He has been unflappable under pressure. He clearly works through his progressions, all the while staying within the pocket until it becomes clear that he needs to move. Even then, he has been successful in using his feet to get him out of trouble as often as not. He has produced a decent, although slightly erratic passing game, (occasionally showing the ability to throw a beautiful long ball). He has been quick to own up to his mistakes, especially to his linemen, a fact that has endeared him to them, as they have had their own problems in the passing game. They seem to understand that, like them, he is giving his very best, ALL the time.
It is my belief that Skelton's performance under fire should be sufficient for him to retain the starting QB position on this team until he is outplayed by someone else. His statistics and his record as a starting QB are far and above those posted by either Kolb or Bartel. When you consider that playoffs are not yet out of the picture, I believe this decision should be a no brainer. Yes, Kolb lost his starting position due to injury. But the facts are that he was given that job. He did little to warrant keeping it, whereas Skelton was given nothing, and has posted the numbers to show that he has earned the starting QB position.
There will be plenty of time, during the upcoming off-season to have Kolb and Skelton compete for the position for next year. That would seem to me to be reasonable and fair, considering there was no real off season this year. But for now, Skelton has earned the starting spot in the lineup. I would hate to see that taken from him and given to an unproven player, injured or not.
