The big question at the Arizona Cardinals training camp today was, 'How is Kevin Kolb feeling?' Kolb was removed from practice towards the end of yesterday’s scrimmage when he took a knee to his right thigh from defensive tackle David Carter. Team representatives said that this type of injury is typical for this time of year, as players get more and more amped in anticipation of their first preseason game. The removal of Kolb from the remainder of yesterday’s practice was only a precautionary measure, but Kolb was noticeably limping around practice this afternoon. His injury has been labeled as a right quad contusion, but Kolb is expected to resume practice as early as tomorrow.
As the afternoon practice began, dark clouds hovered overhead and lightning struck in the not too far distance. During the walkthrough, the rain began to fall, but that did not deter the Cardinals from practicing outside. After about fifteen to twenty minutes, the rain subsided, but many of the players were having a difficult time getting their footing on the wet field. It made for a sloppy practice, but there were some good signs as well, as Larry Fitzgerald and rookie wide receiver Michael Floyd made some nice plays.
During practice, Kolb rode a stationary bike for a while, threw a few passes without dropping back or moving his legs much at all, and the rest of the time he basically watched his teammates practice. John Skelton and Richard Bartel took almost all of the snaps at quarterback, while rookie QB Ryan Lindley did get in some reps during some of the drills. Both Skelton and Bartel looked better today as their consistency continues to improve, yet there are still some plays where a receiver is standing all alone, and the ball is either under or over thrown. Much of the inconsistency is due to the mad rush the defense puts on the quarterbacks in practice, causing them to step up or move out of the pocket on almost every play. Hopefully the accuracy and the time given the quarterbacks to complete their passes will both improve throughout the weeks ahead.
Now that the Cardinals are into the second week of training camp, they have officially released their first depth chart, and Kevin Kolb is listed as the starting quarterback. If things progress as planned, and practice goes well tomorrow and the remainder of the week, Kolb will be starting and playing in the Cardinals first preseason game on Sunday, August 5, against the New Orleans Saints. The amount of playing time for each quarterback during the game has yet to be determined.