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Bucky Brooks of NFL.com wrote one of the most useful pieces of the
off-season; a period marked by countless “yes you did/no you dint”
back & forth ad nauseum between pro-Kolb and pro-Skelton Cardinal
fans. What Bucky did was “go to the tape” and put together an
objective, low-key, fact-based analytical comparison of both players
before arriving at a conclusion.
He astutely observes that the outcome the QB dual will have a
significant impact on the style and function of the Cardinals'
offense. Here’s what Bucky had to say:
Kevin Kolb
Acquiring Kolb was widely hailed at the time as a great move
for the team, despite the fact that he entered 2011 with only seven
career starts under his belt. He had shown outstanding talent and
potential in limited action, putting together three 300-yard games
with a 60% completion percentage in four starts.
From Bucky’s
perspective, Kevin, when an Eagle, was accurate and effective running
their quick-rhythm passing offense
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“He was efficient with
his reads and routinely got the ball out of his hands before the
pocket collapsed. Although he didn't display the strongest of
arms, his superb timing and anticipation allowed him to squeeze
the ball into tight windows. He played with confidence and
poise, and appeared to make sound decisions under duress,
despite having a high number of interceptions” in his final two
starts in Philly.
As a Cardinal starter, however, he looked inexperienced and
overwhelmed last season. Part of his problems might have been due to
a lockout-created condensed offseason which hampered his ability to
fully grasp the Cardinal offense.
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“For instance, he didn't appear to have a complete mastery of
the Cardinals' passing game, so he would struggle moving on to
his second or third read in the progression when the primary
target was covered. As a result, he took a number of hits and
sacks within the pocket, and appeared jumpy when rushers closed.
In looking at the majority of his interceptions from last year,
it was the threat of the rush that led him to toss errant passes
into traffic. If Kolb is going to blossom into the franchise
quarterback Cardinals officials envisioned, he must rediscover
his nerve within the pocket.”
The Cardinals' Offense Under Kolb:
1.
Look to Empty Formations.
The Cardinals, under Wiz, “have routinely used variations of the
Empty formation…Bucky points out that this simplifies Kevin’s reads
and will allow him to quickly target vulnerable coverage-areas. Kolb
“thrived” while operating from the Empty set, with both of his
70-plus-yard completions coming from passes this formation.
Brooks points out that “Kolb is very comfortable operating from
Empty sets because it makes it easy for him to identify the coverage
prior to the snap.”
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(Video vs. the Panthers): “Kolb sees six defenders in the box
and knows his receivers have one-on-one coverage across the
board…When Kolb sees the Panthers' linebackers blitz through the
A-gap, he quickly gets the ball to Early Doucet on the slant
before the pressure gets home for a 70-yard catch-and-run
score.”
2. Expect more quick-rhythm 3 & 5-step throws to the wide
receivers, (which is what he did in Philly).
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“He shows
little wasted movement getting to the top of his drops, which allows
him to quickly get the ball into the hands of his playmakers on the
move. While most of his throws fall in the short-to-intermediate
range, he displayed outstanding touch and accuracy on the fade,
particularly to Larry Fitzgerald against press coverage. He is
adept at making those throws from the shotgun or under center."
3.
Expect greater use of play-action passes.
“The Cardinals want to morph into a blue-collar team behind a
physical running game that forces opponents to utilize eight-man
boxes on early downs. This will give Kevin the opportunity to create
big plays in the passing game off play-action.
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“For instance, the Cardinals love to run the inside zone play
out of their "12" personnel package. They complement the running
play with a "Flood" pass that starts with a strong run fake in
the backfield, as the "Z" (Andre Roberts) runs a post route to
clear the zone with the "H" (Todd Heap) running a "Sail" route
and the "Y" (Jeff King) running to the flat. The concept creates
a high/low read on the flat defender, which makes it an easy
completion for Kolb.”
Summary: If Cardinals
can create easy opportunities for Kolb,, the offense will regain
some of the potency that has been missing since Warner.
John Skelton
Skelton was praised by scouts for his imposing physical
stature (6-foot-6, 244) and strong arm, but evaluators were
concerned about his ability to acclimate to the pro game.
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“Coming out of college, Skelton could make all of the throws
from any range and distance with excellent velocity, but he
struggled with ball placement and accuracy. He relied
extensively on his superior arm strength and didn't utilize
proper footwork in the pocket. As a result, his balls sailed on
him on intermediate throws and he failed to string together
completions.”
But in the pros, he significantly improved his mechanics,
displayed better footwork and balance in the pocket, and was more
effective throwing balls inside the numbers. This, in turn enabled
Wiz to incorporate square-ins, seam routes and skinny posts into the
game plan to take advantage of the superior size, strength and
physicality of his receiving corps.
Aside from his physical
tools, it has been Skelton’s intangibles that have forced the
Cardinals to make the quarterback competition wide-open. He showed
uncanny poise and confidence directing six game-winning drives,
(including five fourth-quarter comebacks) in only 11 career starts.
His clutch play certainly enhances his value to the team.
The Cardinals' Offense Under
Skelton:
1. It would be more of a vertical passing game
to capitalize on Skelton’s strengths. Last season, the Cardinals
utilized more skinny post and four-vertical concepts with Skelton at
the helm. It worked because he trusted his guys to make plays on a
number of 50/50 balls on the perimeter.
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(Video) - Skelton fires a laser to Fitzgerald on a deep post
over the middle, despite a 49ers safety lurking between the
hashes. While most quarterbacks lack the arm strength to fit
pinpoint throws into tight windows, Skelton has the arm-strength
to take calculated risks to make big plays on these sorts of
throws.
2. Look for more Bunch formations
- Skelton's lack of game experience makes him vulnerable to complex
coverages. The Cardinals can simplify the game for Skelton by
utilizing various Bunch formations to dictate coverage by the
defense:
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“By closely aligning several receivers together, Arizona forces
the defense to declare its intentions with the alignment of
defenders. If the opponent places defenders directly over top of
the two or three receivers aligned in a cluster, then the
quarterback can anticipate man coverage and look for a receiver
to break free off a pick or rub near the line of scrimmage.
Otherwise, the defense will employ a zone against the formation,
which will lead to an easy throw to the second or third option
in the route progression.”
Bunch formations create confusion for the defense, while
clarifying the reads for the quarterback. Skelton can look at the
tight alignment of the defenders and anticipate some form of man
coverage. Most defenses will press the point man of the Bunch
formation and align the remaining the defenders at different levels
to help them avoid picks at the LOS.
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(Video) “The Cardinals are running a "star" play, with
Fitzgerald executing a post-corner route, Heap running an inside
snag and Doucet running a flat route. The play is designed to
create a pick on a defender at the line of scrimmage or create
assignment confusion for the defense when the receivers
criss-cross while moving up the field. In this play, Dimitri
Patterson will eventually blow his assignment due to confusion
created following the snap, which leads to a 32-yard completion
to Fitzgerald.”
Last season, Skelton showed outstanding efficiency reading
coverages vs. Bunch formations, so the Cardinals would be wise to
expand on the package to create high-percentage passes for their
young quarterback.
3. Expect the Cardinals to
take shots from two-back formations. They’ll probably
attempt to protect Skelton by establishing the running game to force
defenses into eight-man fronts. With eight defenders near the LOS,
Skelton will see a single-high safety in the middle of the field
combined with one-on-one coverage on the outside. This will create
big-play opportunities to Fitzgerald and rookie Michael Floyd on
drop-back or play-action passes. Last season, Skelton was successful
throwing the "Bang-8" against eight-man fronts and will be more
effective with two imposing targets (Fitz and Floyd) on the outside.
Who'll Prevail?
According to Brooks - While Kolb's high-cost/marquis
status should give him the first shot at the job, how well he
performs on the field ultimately will decide if he keeps it. He must
show a better mastery of the scheme and play with the confidence
expected from a franchise-caliber quarterback.”
But Bucky
doesn’t believe Kolb can make so dramatic a turnaround and,
therefore, he feels Skelton
will emerge victorious.
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