Cardinals coach Ken Whisenhunt feels good about his decision to cut back on safety Adrian Wilson’s playing time, but that hasn’t pushed him to pull the trigger on a call about his starting quarterback for this week’s game against the Rams.
Darren Urban of the team’s website reports that Whisenhunt said he needed to evaluate Sunday’s game before making a call about who would get the start in Week 12. He’s unlikely to like what he finds.
Whisenhunt pulled John Skelton in favor of rookie Ryan Lindley in the second quarter of the 23-19 loss to the Falcons after starting the game 2-of-7 for six yards. Lindley wasn’t much better -- 9-of-20 for 67 yards -- and the Cardinals got their points thanks to LaRod Stephens-Howling on the ground and great field position off of Matt Ryan interceptions. Regardless of which guy was in, the Falcons defense didn’t seem too threatened by the passing game.
There’s a third possibility in Kevin Kolb, who has resumed throwing but not practicing while on the mend from an injury to his ribs. He’s missed four weeks since getting hurt in Week Six and there was talk about him missing “several weeks” when he initially got hurt. He’s played much better than Skelton this season, but he might not be part of the equation when Whisenhunt does make his call.
Whoever gets the start will have running back Beanie Wells back in the lineup (although wide receiver Michael Floyd’s mental errors landed him on the bench) for a home game with the Rams. They aren’t going to get a better shot at ending their losing streak.