Former Cardinals quarterback Kurt Warner had three good seasons playing in Ken Whisenhunt’s offense in Arizona, and he says Kevin Kolb can have plenty of good seasons playing in that offense, too. It’s just that Kolb has to learn the offense first.
Warner said on NFL Network that Kolb is expected to win the starting job in training camp despite having a disappointing season in 2011. The problem with Kolb last season, Warner says, is that Kolb never really grasped Whisenhunt’s offense.
“I think this is going to play out with Kevin Kolb becoming the starter for the Arizona Cardinals,” Warner said. “When I talk to people in the organization and what I’ve seen, everybody believes that Kevin has everything you need to be a starter in the NFL. He’s smart, he works hard, he’s got accuracy, he’s got mobility to run around and make plays, which we saw him do a number of times last year. The biggest problem was, the offense in Arizona was completely different than what he ran in Philly, and it was tough for him to pick up that offense, and the nuances of that offense, and he really struggled with that last year, never got fully comfortable.”
Kolb is now getting a full offseason in Arizona, and Warner said he should beat out John Skelton in training camp and become the starter.
“Although John Skelton played well, especially down the stretch in games, I don’t think he offers them the consistency that Kevin Kolb can -- if he learns that offense,” Warner said.
Warner is probably right: Kolb appears to be the strong favorite in the quarterback competition. Still, “if he learns that offense” is a pretty big “if.”
