The first half of the Arizona Cardinals season is a mirror image to that of their starting quarterback Kevin Kolb.
It’s been a case of the good, the bad, the ugly and the painful.
Right now the latter stands out more than anything to Kolb who missed Sunday’s loss to the Vikings with a rib injury sustained late in the fourth quarter two weeks ago against the Buffalo Bills. After sparking an early-season rally against the Seahawks which turned into an improbable four-game win-streak to start the season, Kolb finds himself back on the sidelines sitting, watching, and hoping to get healthy.
“I’ve had great progress the last three days,” Kolb told Brad Cesmat Tuesday on ‘Big Guy on Sports.’ “[The trainers] made me just rest and ice for the first six or seven days [after the injury]. I’ve been more pro-active, more aggressive over the weekend and I’m very pleased with the way it’s gone.”
Kolb said he wasn’t sure when he would be returning to the field and says it’s tough not being out there to help his teammates snap their current three-game losing streak. The injury which separated three of Kolb’s ribs is unique in the sense there is no designated timetable for return.
He admitted this year, much like his time with the Cardinals, has been a roller coaster and frustrating at times. Kolb says he understands the fans frustration with his lack of consistency and promises it isn’t from lack of effort or preparation.
To this point his season has gone relatively well throwing eight touchdowns to just three interceptions in five games, but he’s been sacked a jaw-dropping 27 times and hit dozens more often having to run for his life after the pocket collapse.
Through it all, Kolb refuses to point fingers at his o-line which has been decimated by injuries to key starters like Levi Brown and Jeremy Bridges.
“They’re warriors, they really are,” Kolb told Cesmat. “That’s why you don’t see myself or John [Skelton] or our coaches ranting and raving on the sideline like you may see on other teams. We know what these guys have in their heart. If you give me five guys who want to go to war every Sunday I’ll take that over talent any day. We hold ourselves accountable at every position.”
Kolb said he doesn’t expect to play Monday night when the Cards host the NFC West-leading San Francisco 49ers (5-2) in Glendale.
