Kolb riding high but Arizona QB decision looms

For now, it appears the only thing that could bench Kolb is the fact that his wife is expecting the couple's third child, with the due date Thursday of next week. The Cardinals play at St. Louis that night.

Childbirth notwithstanding, there is a decision looming on whether he remains the starter, or the job goes back to John Skelton, who beat out Kolb in the preseason but has been sidelined by a sprained ankle since late in the season opener against Seattle.

Kolb came on to direct the winning touchdown drive against the Seahawks, then played well enough for the Cardinals to knock off the Patriots in New England.

Last Sunday against the Philadelphia Eagles, his former team, he completed 17 of 24 passes for 222 yards and two touchdowns in a 27-6 Arizona victory. For the season, Kolb has completed 38 of 59 passes (64 percent) for 428 yards and four touchdowns. He hasn't thrown an interception.

Asked after Wednesday's practice if he thinks he has proven he should be the starting quarterback not just Sunday against Miami, but going forward from there regardless of Skelton's health, Kolb demurred.

"I'm not getting into that," he said. "Just like I said before, every time I look to the future it proves me wrong, so I'm just going to keep pounding game by game."

Coach Ken Whisenhunt said that until Skelton is healthy, "there is no decision" to be made.

The coach acknowledged that Kolb "has played well."

"He played in a tough environment in New England and did a good job and then played a really good game last week against Philadelphia, which is a really good team," Whisenhunt said, "so that's what you like to see. He has worked hard and you wanted to see it pay off for him on the field, and it's done that."

It's the kind of performance that Cardinals expected when they invested so much in Kolb, sending cornerback Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie and a second-round draft pick to the Eagles to get the quarterback. Then the Cardinals signed Kolb to a five-year, $63 million contract, with $21 million guaranteed.

Kolb wanted out of Philadelphia after his chance to start there fizzled. He was named the starter for the Eagles' opener two seasons ago, but went down with a concussion. Michael Vick replaced him and has been the Eagles' No. 1 quarterback since. Kolb did get another chance when Vick was hurt, but went back to the bench once the quarterback was healthy.