So, good or bad news for Arizona Cardinals fans, depending on how you feel about the Cardinals’ expensive acquisition of Kevin Kolb in exchange for Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie and a second-rounder in the 2012 NFL Draft: John Skelton looks a lot like Kevin Kolb in the Cardinals’ Week 9 competition vs. the St. Louis Rams, despite the 9-3 first-half score.
Not better, certainly—Kolb’s actually been pretty solid in his first extended chance to start, averaging more than seven yards per attempt despite a porous offensive line that’s allowed him to go down 24 times for 187 yards. But Skelton, who drove the Cardinals’ downfield in the first drive of the third quarter to cut the Rams’ lead to 9-6, has been considerably more competent than he showed last year, going 10-for-17 for 123 yards in his first start of the 2011 season.
Skelton, undrafted out of Fordham, of all places, averaged 5.3 yards per attempt in four starts as a true rookie in 2010, after Derek Anderson revealed that he was still not an NFL quarterback. It looks, if today’s performance is any indication, like he’s at least a capable backup—which is good news unless you think that’s also Kevin Kolb’s upside.