Looking back on three things discussed here before the Arizona Cardinals' preseason game Thursday night at the Tennessee Titans:
1. Skelton's rhythm. Horrible pass protection from the starting offensive line, notably left tackle D.J. Young, made it tough for John Skelton to find a rhythm early. Skelton did show an ability to throw on rhythm when given time, including when he found tight end Jeff King over the middle. But he also overthrew his target for an interception on the Cardinals' second play. Skelton faced too many third-and-long situations thanks to sacks, a poor running game and a holding penalty. Rookie receiver Michael Floyd dropped a slightly off-target pass on third-and-3 to kill another drive. Skelton completed 4 of 10 passes for 41 yards and the one pick. He did not make a strong case for the starting job.
Kevin Kolb took over and had no chance on his first possession. The pass protection was that bad. Arizona changed out its tackles from that point forward. Kolb responded by showing immediate improvement. He did a good job staying in the pocket initially. That had been a problem for him. Bad habits die hard, however, and Kolb hurt his cause by rolling right and throwing back toward the middle of the field, resulting in an interception.
Kolb didn't let the mistake rattle him, however -- he played freely after the pick. Going to a two-minute offense probably helped. Kolb went out and played without thinking so much, it appeared. Kolb bailed from the pocket a couple times, but he made it work -- especially when finding Larry Fitzgerald with an across-the-body deep ball while rolling left. That play gained 53 yards. Kolb capped the drive with a touchdown pass to Andre Roberts. He completed 9 of 12 passes for 95 yards in the first half.
Was that drive to end the half enough to boost Kolb into the lead in his race against Skelton? It had to help, but ...
Kolb opened the second half with the starters and promptly threw a pick for a Tennessee touchdown. Arizona gave Kolb another chance, continuing with the no-huddle attack. The approach seemed to keep the Titans' pass rush in check, but this was also a case of Arizona starters working against Tennessee backups. Kolb's pass to Todd Heap converted a fourth-and-1, but the drive ended after officials incorrectly administered offsetting penalties instead of penalizing only Tennessee for having 12 defenders on the field.
2. Beanie Wells' debut. Wells found little running room for the most part. He did accelerate well around the right side, launching himself for extra yardage. Getting through the game healthy had to be the top priority. Wells seemed to come out OK. Gaining 12 yards on six carries won't jump off the stat sheet, but there wasn't much running room for the Cardinals' backs in the first half.
3. The offensive tackles. The Cardinals found out Young isn't the short-term answer on the left side. Young struggled badly against multiple defenders, including Kamerion Wimbley. The Cardinals did not help him. D'Anthony Batiste came into the game at left tackle ahead of schedule. The pass protection improved. Rookie Bobby Massie took over on the right side. The Batiste-Massie combination appeared far preferable. That could be the combination Arizona considers going with heading into the season, unless coaches decide veteran Jeremy Bridges provides a better option.