Seven touchdowns and seven interceptions.
Those are Kevin Kolb’s stats for the 2010-11 season, in which he only played seven games, starting in five of them.
Those stats mean nothing.
Kolb was never really given a chance in Philadelphia. He was stuck between Donovan McNabb and Michael Vick, two of the best quarterbacks in the last decade.
It’s especially not fair to judge Kolb on his stint as the Eagles’ No. 1 with Vick around. Like it or not, Vick is one of the best quarterbacks in the league, and Kolb had never been proven as a starter.
I’d have put Vick in too.
But now Kolb is a Cardinal, and there’s really nobody around to undermine him. It’s his team, and in college, that was when Kolb strived.
He was given the starting job at the University of Houston as a true freshman and went on to throw for 3,131 yards.
He finished his career at Houston with 12,964 total yards.
In comparison, Matt Leinart finished with 10,693 yards over three seasons. However, Leinart also had Reggie Bush and LenDale White with him at USC, two of the best college running backs in history.
It’s easy to throw for 3,000-plus yards a season when teams are constantly worried your backs are going to explode for 40 yards on every play.
Kolb didn’t have that at Houston, and that’s the biggest difference between the two.
Kolb is a gunslinger. McNabb and Vick are not. Kolb was never going to fit in Philly.
On the other hand, the Cards were desperately looking for a gunslinger. That’s what Warner was, and he led the team to heights that most Cardinals fans had never dreamed of.
Arizona is built for a pass-happy QB. There is no Pro-Bowl caliber running back, partly because no self-respecting back would want to have to run behind the Cardinals’ offensive line.
And although Boldin is long gone, Fitzgerald is still out there, praying for a ball to sail his way. Early Doucet is also back, and Stephens-Howling is more a receiver than a running back.
Kolb has the targets. Adjusting to the weak offensive line may be tough, but there is someone who made that adjustment before him.
Apparently, most people forgot how much trouble Kurt Warner had when he first came to Arizona. He got hit and sacked constantly. He had to wear a huge shoulder brace just to keep playing.
But once Warner was given free rein to throw whenever and to whomever he wanted, things took off. He learned to get passes off quick.
Warner threw for 2,747 yards during his senior season at Northern Iowa, another small university like Houston.
Warner also got off to a slow start in his NFL career, losing out to older, more experienced quarterbacks, including Brett Farve.
I’m not saying Kolb will be the next Warner. But what I am saying is that Arizona is a place where pass-happy quarterbacks can thrive, if they can adjust.
And if Kolb can adjust, he will be a perfect fit for a struggling Cardinals team.
Reach the columnist at egrasser@asu.edu
