Sports360AZ
Kevin Kolb has a lot on his plate, both on and off the field.
Kolb and his wife Whitney are expecting their third child any day now, which is great news for the Kolb’s.
Add to that the fact that it was Eagles week, with Kolb going up against his former team, and you can see the position Kolb was in heading into Sunday’s game versus Philadelphia.
All that weight didn’t seem to affect Kolb at all, as he led the Cardinals to a convincing 27-6 victory over the Eagles, and the team’s first 3-0 start since 1974.
Kolb was very smart and efficient on the day, going 17-of-24 for 222 yards, two touchdowns and zero interceptions.
Those numbers got Kolb a passer rating of 127.4, against the league’s fourth-ranked pass defense.
“He did a really good job today,” Cardinals head coach Ken Whisenhunt said. “He looks more and more comfortable.”
Whisenhunt says he’s always thought players fighting for starting spots – i.e. Kolb and John Skelton – bring out the best in them, which he thinks is bearing fruit right now with Kolb and his play over the first three games.
Kolb targeted wide receiver Larry Fitzgerald nine times on Sunday, completing all nine passes to him. Fitzgerald had 114 yards receiving off those nine catches and one touchdown.
Whisenhunt can see the offense growing with each passing week, as Kolb and Fitzgerald begin to fuse themselves as one.
“We are improving as an offense,” Whisenhunt said. “We are still a work in progress, but it’s a lot better to get Larry more catches than one this week. That’s a good place to be.”
Running back Ryan Williams bounced back very nicely from what could’ve been a horrendous ending last week at Gillette Stadium.
Williams had 13 carries for 83 yards. He sees the deep desire Kolb has to lead this team.
“He [Kolb] wants to be the leader on this team, he wants people to follow him,” Williams said. “I tell him every day before the game, ‘You lead, we follow. He’s becoming a great quarterback, let alone a great leader.”
Kolb’s favorite target, Fitzgerald, knew this was a big week for his quarterback. Fitzgerald said he and his teammates desperately wanted to get this win for Kolb, being that it was the Eagles in town.
“He missed the opportunity to play against them last year [injury], so it was big,” Fitzgerald said. “He really wanted it, he was calling guys to reach down and dig deep and make plays. Today, you could tell that he was actually trying to motivate and go out there and win.”
Kolb is not an attention seeker. All he wants is for he and his team to keep winning.
He’s keeping his mind off 3-0, and on the Cardinals next opponent, the Miami Dolphins.
“I just want to stay focused,” Kolb said. “I’m just going to stay humble and keep working, just like the team is.”
