Cardinals Vs. Raiders: Quarterback Battle Preview

The prevailing storyline this offseason has been about who will lead the Cardinals from the quarterback position. At this time, it is a two horse race between the incumbent Kevin Kolb (I guess he's an incumbent...) and the young, physically gifted, John Skelton.

So far this preseason, neither of them have really shown that they are ready to take the reins. But as the Cards host the Oakland Raiders tonight, one of them desperately needs to step up.

Head Coach Ken Whisenhunt announced that the starters will play until he sees what he wants out of his main unit. He really did not go into specifics on what it is that he would like to see, but one could guess that some offensive flow would be a great start. So far during the preseason, Kevin Kolb, tonight's starter, is 2-9 with a 0.0 QB rating. None of his 'drives' have resulted in scores.

Kolb will be asked to lead plenty of talented offensive weapons including Larry Fitzgerald, Ryan Williams, Andre Roberts, Todd Heap, etc. down the field and finally score a touchdown. If he cannot, I would expect for him to remain in the game for at least the entire first half.

For John Skelton, he has put together one good drive (against the Saints), but his consistency, or lack thereof, is still an issue. His pocket presence is far to superior to that of Kolb's, but his accuracy is not always on point and his decision making can be poor at times as well.

Skelton will likely get on the field tonight. It would be VERY surprising if he didn't. Once he does, it would behoove him to prove Adam Schefter's report of him being the favorite right.

As for the battle between Richard Bartel and Ryan Lindley, that might be put on hold until the team travels to Tennessee. They each may see a little time in the fourth quarter, but that is in jeopardy due to what Whisenhunt said.

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