Despite the fact that Kurt Warner used to be the starting quarterback for the Arizona Cardinals, he has been fairly critical of his former team since becoming an analyst for NFL Network. Warren Sapp, now a teammate of Warner's as an analyst, is never afraid to throw jabs at a team.
Warner believes that Kevin Kolb will win the starting quarterback job for the Cardinals, but his reasoning is not very reassuring for fans. As for Sapp, he doesn't see the defense that the Cards are going to field as being very good at all.
Here is what Warner had to say about Kolb winning the QB job (via Revenge of the Birds):
I think this is going to play out with Kevin Kolb starting for the Arizona Cardinals. I' talk to people in the organization and what I've seen is that everyone believes that Kevin has everything you need to be a great starter in the NFL -- that he's smart, he works hard, he's got accuracy, he's got mobility to run around and make plays, which we saw him do a number of times last year.
The biggest problem was the offense in Arizona was completely different than what he ran in Philly, and it was tough for him to pick up that offense and the nuances of that offense. He really struggled with that last year and never really got comfortable. Although John Skelton played well, especially down the stretch in games, I don't think he offers the consistency that I think Kevin Kolb can if he learns the offense.
Many have claimed that Kolb struggled last year due to the limited amount of time he had in training camp, but it's Warner's jabs at Skelton that come as a surprise. Sure, Skelton was inconsistent at times, but he is still very young. He will continue to get better each season. I think it would be a mistake to write him off so soon.
As for Warren Sapp, he is not a believer in the defense (via Revenge of the Birds):
"I love this defense, but I call them the All-Airport Team. Look at them and they're big and they're scary, but their play on the field does not dictate how they look when they get off the plane. So I'm interested to see if this defense comes alive with those two safeties, Calais Campbell on the front, Darnell Dockett, great players, but they need to put it on the football field."
The Cardinals have a great set of talented players in all levels of the defense and if 2011 is any indication, they should be able to keep their dominance going in 2012. They have the skill and if they can piece it together under Ray Horton, they will be a top 10 defense as he expects.
All of the analysts seem to be coming down on the Cardinals. It will be their job to prove them all wrong next season.
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