With the injury report being released by the Arizona Cardinals yesterday, one of the things all fans had their eyes on was the status of starting quarterback John Skelton. Depending on his health, Ken Whisenhunt noted that he will retain the starting job once he returns from his low ankle sprain.
But with Kevin Kolb being on such a roll right now, don't expect Skelton back this week -- whether he is healthy or not.
Skelton did not participate in Wednesday's practice, as he is still nursing the ankle injury, according to team scribe Darren Urban. That means that Kolb took the reps with the first team and is, for now, slated to be the starter against his former squad, the Philadelphia Eagles.
And we should expect him to start for a variety of reasons. Whisenhunt will not take out the hot hand, despite what he said about Skelton retaining his position. That would be foolish. Kolb was able to lead a game-winning drive against the Seahawks and then take the field in Gillette Stadium and shock the Patriots. He has done everything the coaches could have asked of him.
So why rush Skelton back when his replacement is playing so well? Skelton, in my opinion, will be "injured" until Kolb stumbles. If that takes more than a couple of weeks, then Skelton will relinquish the starting job to Kolb on a permanent basis.
Also, think about the hunger that Kolb has to play against his former team. If there is any question as to who the starting quarterback will be, it is a foregone conclusion that Kolb will lobby to his coach to play against the Eagles.
So even if Skelton is healthy and ready to go for Sunday, don't expect him to play. The coaches will give Kevin Kolb another shot at the starting job -- and that is exactly what they should do.
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