A lot has been written and debated here on the site regarding the performances of quarterbacks Kevin Kolb and John Skelton as starters. The most glaring stat that any are looking at is the win/loss record. Kolb so far in seven starts is 1-6, while Skelton is 3-2 in his five starts over the last two seasons. At the end of the day, wins are the goal and what a quarterback should be judged by, right?
Or is it exactly that? Thanks to Vince Marotta (previously from Fanster.com, Chuck and Vince Live and now at arizonasports.com), we get a glimpse into perhaps what the quarterback should be judged by more than anything -- offensive production.
Why is that? Simply because the quarterback has nothing to do with special teams play or what the defense does. He is the benefactor of good play in those areas and is left to deal with their failures, but at the end of the day, he runs the offense.
Let's look at the important offensive numbers.
In John Skelton's five NFL starts, do you know how many offensive touchdowns the Cardinals have scored? Four, with half of them coming in the 43-13 drubbing of the Denver Broncos late last season. Five starts, four TDs.
In those games, the Cardinals defense and special teams scored five touchdowns.
You know what that is? Max Hall winning. But not NFL starting QB stuff...at least not yet.
What about Kevin Kolb? In his seven starts with the Cardinals, he has led the offense to 16 touchdowns.
When Skelton starts, less than one offensive touchdown a game. When Kolb starts, just over two.
So, putting poise and grasp of the offense aside, guess what? Kolb is the more productive QB. It's great when the defense and return teams score touchdowns, but you want a QB that can lead the team into the end zone. While Skelton may yet do that, he has not done it yet. Kolb has. This is why there is no quarterback controversy with the team.
Any thoughts?