The Arizona Cardinals struggled for much of the season at the quarterback position. Part of that was how often the QBs were under pressure and didn't have time to throw. How do Kevin Kolb and John Skelton measure up to one another when it comes to throwing stats? Pro Football Focus showed the number for all starters at QB and how they all did under pressure.
Turns out that neither was particularly effective.
To start off, both Kolb and Skelton were sacked a lot. However, Kolb shows up as the weak link in comparing the two. Kolb was the second worst in the league at avoiding sacks. If he was pressured, over 26 percent of the time he got sacked. Skelton was not much better. He was sacked just over 19 percent of the times he was pressured.
Advantage: Skelton
Looking at TD/INT ratio would be the next thing to look at. If you get pressured, then the likelihood of a turnover is increased. Kolb threw five TDs and four INT under pressure. Skelton threw three TDs and four picks.
Advantage: Kolb
Something important to look at is how well players do at completing passes while pressured. Kolb was actually among the best in this part. At 48.8 percent, Kolb was the 10th most effective QB at completing passes under pressure. Skelton completed just under 44 percent of such passes.
Advantage: Kolb
PFF gives grades or ratings based on whether they were no factor, a positive factor or a negative one on individual plays. The grades under pressure have Kolb at a -7.3 and Skelton at -14.1.
Advantage: Kolb
Sure it is just in one phase of throwing the football, but Kolb has a slight edge overall for next year. Neither was particularly effective. In fact, in almost every single of these statistics, the guys at the top of the list were the names you would expect -- Eli Manning, Tom Brady, Aaron Rodgers and Drew Brees.
Cardinals fans everywhere and even the two QBs involved hope to see improvement, as this will elevate the level of play overall and improve the team's chance of success.
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