Read More: Kevin Kolb (QB – ARI), John Skelton (QB – ARI), Arizona Cardinals, Arizona Cardinals at Cincinnati Bengals, Dec 24, 2011 11:00 AM MST

Wednesday was a disappointment for those of us hoping to get through a week of Arizona Cardinals football practice without having to hear about Kevin Kolb’s head to toe health. Of course, it’s not nearly as disappointing for us as it is for him as he enters another week of practice officially limited with his status for the weekend’s game very much up in the air.

“To have one of the better halves (against Dallas) that I’ve had and to be set back again for this, and it’s something you can’t mess around with, it’s very frustrating, I’m not going to lie. What are you going to do? You just come to work and hope to get better and keep working hard,” Kolb said on Wednesday.

He said he split the reps in practice with John Skelton and that he felt “pretty good” after experiencing sensitivity to light and sound as recently as Sunday. Kolb reported having a “few symptoms this morning, but nothing much” and that he felt better than he did last week after being knocked out of the game against the 49ers with a concussion. 

“He looked good. It’s still a process,” coach Ken Whisenhunt said about Kolb.

The next step will be to see how he responds and how much he can practice on Thursday. Right now, as of Wednesday, the general feeling in the media room is that Skelton will start on Saturday in Cincinnati but that’s just a guess.

A better question might be if Kolb would start even if he is healthy. Whisenhunt was vague when asked that question, “We’ll see. I don’t have to make that decision right now, do I?”

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The Cardinals made it four in a row and six out of seven in the usual fashion Sunday — beating the Cleveland Browns 20-17 in overtime. Arizona hasn’t won this many in a row since 1999 and is at .500 (7-7) for the first time since week two of this season.

The Cardinals even have a longshot at making the playoffs with two games to go.

Following Sunday’s win, team President Michael Bidwill presented Ken Whisenhunt the game ball for becoming the winningest coach in franchise history with 43 victories. That’s a scene that was hardly anticipated when Arizona stood at 1-6 and had lost six in a row.

Through the bad times, and the public criticism that came with it, Whisenhunt stayed steady, insisting that the team would turn the corner. That happened when Calais Campbell blocked what would have been the game-winning field goal by the St. Louis Rams, then Patrick Peterson returned a punt 99 yards for a touchdown in a 19-13 victory.

A victory at Philadelphia followed. The turnaround was derailed in a loss at San Francisco, then Arizona reeled off wins over St. Louis, Dallas, the 49ers and Cleveland. Every win had a hair-raising finish.

“In our seven wins, we’ve trailed at the half in all of those games,” Whisenhunt said at his Monday news conference. “I don’t like that. You’d rather have it the other way around. But, being able to make plays at the end of the games and win, that is all part of learning how to play together as a team and win games. That’s something you have to do.”

No matter the situation — and Arizona trailed 17-7 in the fourth quarter against the Browns — the Cardinals have confidence they can come back.

“The guys stick together and they support each other,” Whisenhunt said. “That’s a big step in becoming a good football team.”

A vastly improved defense gets the biggest share of credit for the turnaround, but the performance of backup quarterback John Skelton cannot be ignored. The big second-year pro from Fordham is 4-1 as a starter in place of injured Kevin Kolb, 5-1 if you count the win over San Francisco, when he came on after Kolb went out with a concussion on the third play of the game. Against the Browns, Skelton completed 28 of 46 — both career highs — for 313 yards with one TD and an interception.

Like the rest of the offense, Skelton starts slowly and comes on strong at the finish.

“As soon as the fourth quarter comes, he takes his cape off and he comes out there,” said wide receiver Larry Fitzgerald, who probably meant Skelton puts his cape on a la Superman. “He makes throws, he scrambles, and he does whatever is necessary to get the victory. We know there is something special about the guy. He makes plays down the stretch.

“Everyone talks about Tim Tebow and his record as a starter, but you look at John’s record and it’s pretty good, too.”

Whisenhunt was having nothing to do with any debate over whether Kolb should return as the starter if he’s healthy enough to go. Whisenhunt said the decision was made to rest Kolb after he had a reaction to the noise and lights of the stadium on Sunday, indicating lingering symptoms of his concussion.

Kolb had been at the helm when Arizona rallied to beat Dallas in one of the Cardinals’ three overtime victories in the last seven games.

“I understand that’s a hot topic, that’s a popular topic,” Whisenhunt said, “but that’s not something we’re going to say or make any absolutes on right now, because we don’t have to do that. We’re focused on this game and who can play for us and who can win for us. I’m not trying to dodge your question or give you any insight one way or another. I really think it’s important for us to stay focused on each week. That’s what has worked for us.”

With wins Saturday at Cincinnati then at home against Seattle on Jan. 1, the Cardinals would finish 9-7, their third winning season in the last four years.

Copyright 2011 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

The Arizona Cardinals don’t always win when they trail at halftime. Yet every time they do win, it’s been after trailing at the half.
And lately, they’ve been winning a lot.
The Cardinals made it four in a row and six out of seven in the usual fashion Sunday — beating the Cleveland Browns 20-17 in overtime. Arizona hasn’t won this many in a row since 1999 and is at .500 (7-7) for the first time since week two of this season.
The Cardinals even have a longshot at making the playoffs with two games to go.
Following Sunday’s win, team President Michael Bidwill presented Ken Whisenhunt the game ball for becoming the winningest coach in franchise history with 43 victories. That’s a scene that was hardly anticipated when Arizona stood at 1-6 and had lost six in a row.
Through the bad times, and the public criticism that came with it, Whisenhunt stayed steady, insisting that the team would turn the corner. That happened when Calais Campbell blocked what would have been the game-winning field goal by the St. Louis Rams, then Patrick Peterson returned a punt 99 yards for a touchdown in a 19-13 victory.
A victory at Philadelphia followed. The turnaround was derailed in a loss at San Francisco, then Arizona reeled off wins over St. Louis, Dallas, the 49ers and Cleveland. Every win had a hair-raising finish.
“In our seven wins, we’ve trailed at the half in all of those games,” Whisenhunt said at his Monday news conference. “I don’t like that. You’d rather have it the other way around. But, being able to make plays at the end of the games and win, that is all part of learning how to play together as a team and win games. That’s something you have to do.”
No matter the situation — and Arizona trailed 17-7 in the fourth quarter against the Browns — the Cardinals have confidence they can come back.
“The guys stick together and they support each other,” Whisenhunt said. “That’s a big step in becoming a good football team.”
A vastly improved defense gets the biggest share of credit for the turnaround, but the performance of backup quarterback John Skelton cannot be ignored. The big second-year pro from Fordham is 4-1 as a starter in place of injured Kevin Kolb, 5-1 if you count the win over San Francisco, when he came on after Kolb went out with a concussion on the third play of the game. Against the Browns, Skelton completed 28 of 46 — both career highs — for 313 yards with one TD and an interception.
Like the rest of the offense, Skelton starts slowly and comes on strong at the finish.
“As soon as the fourth quarter comes, he takes his cape off and he comes out there,” said wide receiver Larry Fitzgerald, who probably meant Skelton puts his cape on a la Superman. “He makes throws, he scrambles, and he does whatever is necessary to get the victory. We know there is something special about the guy. He makes plays down the stretch.
“Everyone talks about Tim Tebow and his record as a starter, but you look at John’s record and it’s pretty good, too.”
Whisenhunt was having nothing to do with any debate over whether Kolb should return as the starter if he’s healthy enough to go. Whisenhunt said the decision was made to rest Kolb after he had a reaction to the noise and lights of the stadium on Sunday, indicating lingering symptoms of his concussion.
Kolb had been at the helm when Arizona rallied to beat Dallas in one of the Cardinals’ three overtime victories in the last seven games.
“I understand that’s a hot topic, that’s a popular topic,” Whisenhunt said, “but that’s not something we’re going to say or make any absolutes on right now, because we don’t have to do that. We’re focused on this game and who can play for us and who can win for us. I’m not trying to dodge your question or give you any insight one way or another. I really think it’s important for us to stay focused on each week. That’s what has worked for us.”
With wins Saturday at Cincinnati then at home against Seattle on Jan. 1, the Cardinals would finish 9-7, their third winning season in the last four years.

The Arizona Cardinals have won in spite of John Skelton and because of him, often in the same game. The overtime victory they pulled out Sunday provided another case study — and the basis for a comparison unlikely to catch on outside the desert.

Dan Bickley of the Arizona Republic draws parallels between Skelton and the Denver Broncos’ Tim Tebow. Both are second-year quarterbacks with winning records as starters and experience leading their teams from behind in fourth quarters. Bickley: “Both quarterbacks have an uncanny ability to frustrate their coaches, deflate their fans, underwhelm their receivers and somehow play their best in the final 15 minutes. Except Skelton isn’t running a gimmick offense. And with a 4-1 record in games he’s started this season, the Cardinals quarterback actually has a better winning percentage than Tebow.” Noted: Skelton also gets credit for playing all but the first few plays of a 21-19 victory against the San Francisco 49ers last week, another game featuring a double-digit comeback by Arizona. The team has trailed in the second halves of all its games this season, winning half of them. Dramatic improvements on defense have played a leading role. Kevin Kolb could be cleared to return from injury for the Cardinals’ next game. Might the team stick with Skelton?

Kent Somers and Jim Gintonio of the Arizona Republic note that the Cardinals’ Patrick Peterson stayed patient Sunday before coming through with a 32-yard punt return in overtime. Noted: Browns coach Pat Shurmur said one of his players mistakenly thought Peterson had signaled for a fair catch. Peterson has shown a willingness to return punts even from his own 1-yard line, so the Browns should have assumed he’d be returning this one as well.

Also from Somers: a Cardinals game recap naming second-year outside linebacker O’Brien Schofield the player of the game.

More from Somers: postgame thoughts on a range of Cardinals-related issues. On the quarterback situation: “We won’t know until Wednesday, at the earliest, if Kolb will be ready to play against the Bengals on Christmas Eve. I think if Kolb is healthy, the Cardinals will start him. Yes, John Skelton is 4-1 as a starter this season, but the defense’s improvement has more to do with that than anything. Skelton, however, has made progress this season. You have to like the way he hangs in the pocket, and the way he creates something positive when a play breaks down.”

Bob McManman of the Arizona Republic says the Cardinals are getting good things from Schofield. Daryl Washington: “O’Brien really stepped up and it was great to see him make those two sacks, back to back. It can’t get no better than that. I wish we would have scored a touchdown right there, but the defense, man, we’re always going to be there for you.”

Darren Urban of azcardinals.com checks in with Larry Fitzgerald for thoughts on how the Pro Bowl receiver got so open on the reception that moved the Cardinals into range for the winning field goal. Fitzgerald: “We had been in that bunch (formation) three times throughout the day and every single time we ran it before, we ran the ‘Toss Crack’ out of it for Beanie (Wells). As soon as I lined up in the formation they were yelling ‘Crack, crack, crack!’ The cornerback kind of settled, and I saw that and went vertical and broke it to the corner.”

Also from Urban: “To be a top offense, the Cardinals need to improve on some things themselves. Skelton was 28-for-46 for 313 yards, a touchdown and an interception. But Fitzgerald was held to three catches, and after Schofield’s huge sack to force the fumble — originally, Wallace was declared down but Whisenhunt challenged the play and it was overturned — the Cards lost 10 yards after getting the ball on the Cleveland 5-yard line.”

Associated Press

Updated 7:04 AM Monday, December 19, 2011

GLENDALE, Ariz. (AP) Another stumbling start. Another fantastic finish.

The Arizona Cardinals followed a familiar script and, as a result, are .500
for the first time since the second week of the season.

Big plays by Patrick Peterson and Larry Fitzgerald set up Jay Feely’s 22-yard
field goal that gave the Cardinals a 20-17 overtime victory over the
Cleveland Browns on Sunday.

After a six-game losing streak, Arizona (7-7) has won six of seven – three in
overtime – and still has a shot at the playoffs. All seven victories came
after the team trailed in the second half.

“Yeah, it’s pretty stressful,” said coach Ken Whisenhunt, who became the
winningest coach in franchise history with his 43rd victory. “I wish we
could find a way to do better than that, but I’ll take every one of them.”

Both teams were without their starting quarterbacks because of concussions.
John Skelton stepped in for Kevin Kolb and completed 28 of 46 for 313 yards
and a touchdown with an interception.

Skelton’s 32-yard pass to Larry Fitzgerald, which followed Peterson’s 32-yard
punt return, led to Feely’s chip-shot field goal to win the game.

“It wouldn’t be a win if we didn’t do it that way,” Skelton said about the
Cardinals’ knack for playing sloppy early, then pulling it out at the end.
“It’s a fun and exciting game, but it shouldn’t have to come down to that.”

The Browns (4-10) blew a 10-point fourth-quarter lead en route to their fourth
loss in a row and seventh in eight games.

The theme was the same – playing close but coming up short.

“It always happens,” Cleveland cornerback Joe Haden said. “We just have to
figure out a way to get it fixed.”

Quarterback Colt McCoy didn’t even make the trip to Arizona after sustaining a
concussion on a vicious helmet-to-helmet hit from the Steelers’ James
Harrison. McCoy, as has been well documented, returned to the game a short
time later after no concussion test was administered. Later, he began
showing symptoms and didn’t practice last week.

Seneca Wallace stepped in for his first start of the season and promptly drove
the team downfield for a touchdown after the opening kickoff. He had
Cleveland up 10-0 until the final 19 seconds of the first half. When he
connected with Greg Little for a 76-yard touchdown – the Browns’ longest
play in four seasons – Cleveland led 17-7 with 3:01 left in the third
quarter.

Wallace was 18 of 31 for 226 yards.

“We had them on their heels and when it gets to that point, it is about not
making mistakes,” Wallace said, “not turning the ball over and giving them
some easy points, and making plays. They played well on defense and made
some plays. I need to help us out a lot more and make some more plays for
our team.”

Coach Pat Shurmer was asked if he would stay with Wallace, regardless of
McCoy’s status.

“It’s too early to tell,” Shurmer said. “That decision is made when you’ve got
both guys healthy.”

Arizona became the ninth team in NFL history to win three overtime games in a
season and just the second to win all three at home.

“We have a flair for dramatics,” Fitzgerald said. “Today was kind of typical
Cardinals fashion.”

Little caught five passes for a career-best 131 yards for the Browns. A
healthy Peyton Hillis gained a season-high 99 yards on 26 carries for
Cleveland.

Arizona scored the final 13 points.

Skelton was 5 of 7 for 82 yards in the 11-play, 87-yard drive that culminated
in Beanie Wells’ 1-yard touchdown run that cut it to 17-14 with 8:33
remaining in regulation.

A holding penalty on Cleveland’s subsequent kickoff return pinned the Browns
at the 10, and O’Brien Schofield got Arizona’s first sack of the day on the
elusive Wallace to push Cleveland back to the 5. Schofield got through on
the next play as well, grabbing Wallace by an ankle and spinning him to the
ground as the quarterback lost the ball.

Initially, Wallace was ruled down on the play, but Whisenhunt challenged and
the call was reversed. Replays showed the ball coming loose well before
Wallace fell backward onto the turf. The Cardinals took over at the 5,
needing only to punch it in to take the lead.

But Jabaal Sheard got his second sack, and Cleveland’s fourth of the game and
Arizona settled for Feely’s 33-yard field goal that tied it at 17 with 5:40
to play.

Cleveland won the coin toss to get the ball first in overtime, but the Browns
managed only one first down before having to punt. Brad Maynard had artfully
kicked the ball away from Peterson, the spectacular rookie whose four punt
returns for scores have tied an NFL record.

“I thought we did a very nice job, even on that last punt,” Shurmer said. “We
had a guy down in his face and you know we were trying to kick the ball out
of bounds or try to pin him down there and the guy in his face thought he
saw the fair catch.”

He doesn’t know Peterson very well, then. The rookie disdains the fair catch,
especially with the game on the line.

He fielded it near his left sideline and ran across the field before making a
run for it near the right sideline. He took it to the Cleveland 40 and, two
plays later, Skelton found Fitzgerald, more open than he’d been all day, far
downfield.

Both teams play on Saturday, Arizona at Cincinnati, and Cleveland at Baltimore.

Notes: Little’s TD catch was his 55th reception of the season, surpassing Eric
Metcalf for second-most by a Browns rookie. Kevin Johnson has the team’s
rookie record with 66 in 1999. … Cleveland lost three players – LB Titus
Brown (knee), WR Jordan Norwood (concussion) and LB Ben Jacobs (concussion).

Updated December 19, 2011

GLENDALE, Ariz. (AP) — Overtime was Arizona’s time – again.

And it’s got the Cardinals at .500 for the first time since the second week of the season.

Patrick Peterson
returned a punt 32 yards and
John Skelton
threw 32 yards to
Larry Fitzgerald
to set up a 22-yard field goal by
Jay Feely
that gave the Cardinals a 20-17 victory over the
Cleveland Browns
on Sunday in their third overtime win in seven games.

Arizona became the ninth team in NFL history to win three overtime games in a season and just the second to win all three
at home.

The Cardinals (7-7), winners of six of their last seven, trailed 17-7 entering the fourth quarter. They have been behind in
the second half in all seven of their victories.

“We have a flair for dramatics,” Fitzgerald said. “Today was kind of typical Cardinals fashion.”

By that, he means the offense starts slowly, the defense plays well – and all heck breaks loose at the finish.

“It wasn’t pretty, but we had so many different guys make plays throughout the course of the game, especially in the second
half,” coach Ken Whisenhunt said. “The way our team fights back is really something special. What I told them is their will
to win is pretty strong.”

The win kept alive Arizona’s long-shot hopes for the playoffs.

Both teams were without their starting quarterbacks because of concussions. Skelton, in relief of
Kevin Kolb
, completed 28 of 36 for 313 yards with a touchdown and interception.

Seneca Wallace
, starting for
Colt McCoy
, was 18 of 31 for 226 yards, including a 76-yard TD play to rookie
Greg Little
, Cleveland’s longest play from scrimmage in four years.

“We had them on their heels and when it gets to that point, it is about not making mistakes,” Wallace said, “not turning the
ball over and giving them some easy points, and making plays. They played well on defense and made some plays. I need to help
us out a lot more and make some more plays for our team.”

Little caught five passes for a career-best 131 yards in the Browns’ fourth straight loss and seventh in eight games.
Peyton Hillis
gained a season-high 99 yards on 26 carries for Cleveland (4-10).

Skelton, a second-year pro out of Fordham, improved to 7-2 as a starter, including 4-1 this year. That doesn’t count the previous
week’s 21-19 victory over San Francisco, when he came in after Kolb took a knee to the head on the Cardinals’ third play.

Todd Heap
, sidelined most of the season with hamstring problems, caught seven passes for 69 yards.

Arizona’s offense, so slow to start even through the team’s recent success, scored the final 13 points of the game.

Skelton completed 5 of 7 for 82 yards in the 11-play, 87-yard drive that culminated in
Beanie Wells
‘ 1-yard touchdown run that cut the lead to 17-14 with 8:33 remaining in regulation.

A holding penalty on Cleveland’s subsequent kickoff return pinned the Browns to their 10 and O’Brien Schofield got Arizona’s
first sack of the day on the elusive Wallace to push Cleveland back to its 5. Schofield got through on the next play as well,
grabbing Wallace by an ankle and spinning him to the ground as the quarterback lost the ball.

Initially, Wallace was ruled down on the play, but Whisenhunt challenged and the call was reversed. Replays showed the ball
coming loose well before Wallace fell backward onto the turf. The Cardinals took over at the Cleveland 5 needing only to punch
it in to take the lead.

But
Jabaal Sheard
got his second sack, and Cleveland’s fourth of the game and Arizona settled for Feely’s 33-yard field goal that tied it at
17 with 5:40 to play.

Cleveland won the coin toss to get the ball first in overtime, but the Browns managed only one first down before having to
punt.
Brad Maynard
had artfully kicked the ball away from Peterson, the spectacular rookie whose four punt returns for scores have tied an NFL
record.

“I thought we did a very nice job, even on that last punt,” Cleveland coach Pat Shurmur said. “We had a guy down in his face
and you know we were trying to kick the ball out of bounds or try to pin him down there and the guy in his face thought he
saw the fair catch.”

He doesn’t know Peterson very well, then. The rookie disdains the fair catch, especially with the game on the line.

He fielded it near his left sideline and ran across the field before making a run for it near the right sideline. He took
it to the Cleveland 40 and, two plays later, Skelton found Fitzgerald, more open than he’d been all day, far downfield.

“We’d been running crossing patterns all day,” Skelton said. “I think the last two drives, when we were in two-minute mode,
we ran probably three or four of them, so they expected the same thing. … Larry just made a good fake, a good cut, and we
were able to get down there and let Jay do the rest.”

Feely who booted in the chip shot to give Arizona another OT triumph and make Whisenhunt the franchise’s winningest coach
with 43 wins.

Two weeks earlier, the Cardinals beat Dallas 19-13 in overtime. The first OT victory was 19-13 over St. Louis on Nov. 6. Cleveland
played its first overtime game since a 26-20 loss to the
New York Jets
on Nov. 14 of last year.

Wallace evaded Arizona’s rush much of the game. On the Browns’ big play, he scrambled away from the blitz to his right and
spotted Little in a one-on-one mismatch with linebacker
Daryl Washington
. The rookie receiver hauled in the pass and easily outran his pursuer for the touchdown that put the Browns up 17-7 with
3:01 left in the first quarter.

Cleveland took the opening kickoff and powered down the field behind Hillis, who scored on a 1-yard run.
Phil Dawson
‘s 44-yard field goal made it 10-0 in the second quarter.

With a no-huddle offense, Arizona went 65 yards in 90 seconds in the waning moments of the first half, Skelton hitting
Andre Roberts
with a 9-yard TD pass to cut the lead to 10-7 with 19 seconds to go.

Notes: Little’s TD catch was his 55th reception of the season, surpassing Eric Metcalf for second-most by a Browns rookie.
Kevin Johnson has the team’s rookie record with 66 in 1999. … Cleveland lost three players – LB
Titus Brown
(knee), WR
Jordan Norwood
(concussion) and LB
Ben Jacobs
(concussion).

© 2011 STATS LLC

Read More: Kevin Kolb (QB – ARI), John Skelton (QB – ARI), Cleveland Browns, Arizona Cardinals, Cleveland Browns at Arizona Cardinals, Dec 18, 2011 3:15 PM CST

There were indications late this week that Kevin Kolb could start this Sunday vs. the Browns. He supposedly increased his participation in practice on Thursday (despite all three days being labeled as “limited participant”) and the team was optimistic that he would be able to do the same on Friday and be ready for Sunday.

However, reports on Saturday suggest  that Kevin Kolb is out and John Skelton, who is 3-1 as a starter, will get the nod. Skelton led the Cardinals to a win over the 49ers last week after Kolb was re-injured.

Here is the full injury report for the Arizona Cardinals:

Considine, Sean	DB	Foot	DNP	DNP	DNP	Out
Haggans, Clark	OLB	Hamstring	LP	FP	FP	Probable
Housler, Rob	TE	Shoulder	LP	FP	FP	Probable
Keith, Brandon	T	Knee	LP	LP	LP	Questionable
Kolb, Kevin	QB	Head	LP	LP	LP	Questionable
Porter, Joey	OLB	Knee	LP	LP	LP	Questionable
Rhodes, Kerry	S	Foot	FP	FP	FP	Probable
Sampson, DeMarco	WR	Ribs	LP	LP	LP	Questionable
Wells, Beanie	RB	Knee	LP	LP	FP	Probable
Zastudil, Dave	P	Biceps	LP	LP	LP	Probable

John Skelton will make his fifth start of the season for the Arizona Cardinals on Sunday as Kevin Kolb will remain out due to a concussion, according to a report.

A league source told ESPN.com the move would be made.

Kolb’s status had been in question, but he had practiced more as the week went on, seemingly building momentum to be ready to play.

Instead, Skelton, who is 3-1 as a starter for Arizona this year, will start and Richard Bartel will serve as his back-up.

Skelton also led the Cardinals to a win when he relieved Kolb last week against the San Francisco 49ers just a few plays in when Kolb took a knee to the head.