Kevin Kolb sees the irony of his current situation. He once lost his starting job because of injury, and now the role has reversed in Arizona. He told the Philadelphia media Wednesday that those experiences with the Eagles have had a hand in his early success this season.
“It helped me a lot when they named John [Skelton] the starter in the beginning,” said Kolb. “I told myself, ‘Hey, don’t sulk. Don’t feel sorry for yourself. It can happen in a hurry.’ It happened three weeks after Vick took over in Philly, and of course the first game here. It helped my approach to make sure I was mentally ready for an opportunity.”
This Sunday’s game in Arizona is richer than anticipated when it comes to storylines. Kolb not only took over as the Cardinals starter but is playing fairly well and for a winning team. There are only four 2-0 teams in the conference, and the Eagles and Cardinals are two of them.
The former second-round pick out of Houston gets to face his old team in a meaningful game, going up against the man who took his job.
“I’ve tried to prepare myself a little bit to make sure I’m not too excited, too hyped,” said Kolb, “because obviously as a QB you have to be settled in. But I don’t know, I’ve never played a team that I’ve played for before. Obviously I have a lot of respect for those guys, coaching staff and players, and think very highly of them.”
Kolb acknowledged that his “career has been wild,” and is out of the prediction business because of it. He said he also hasn’t thought about the Clay Matthews hit and the chain-reaction of events that unfolded as a result since he left the Eagles. His time in the NFL has taught him to focus on the here and now.
He did let himself to dream a little bit about the future, though, when asked about the fact that the Cardinals are flying under the radar.
“Hopefully we keep racking up the wins and come January be in the playoffs, fly all the way underneath the radar and win the Super Bowl,” said Kolb. “That’s the plan.”
