Arizona Cardinals: Odds for John Skelton, Max Hall and the Rest of the QB Battle

Unfortunately, I have to start this article off by saying, "In hopes of an NFL season," the Arizona Cardinals will need to address their quarterback situation. They did not draft a single quarterback in this year's draft, meaning a couple things:

A. They are putting all of their stock into developing John Skelton or Max Hall as the starter.

B. They are going to try and trade for a quarterback or sign one through free agency.

Last season was virtually a disaster at the position. The quarterbacks that started threw for 3,264 yards, 10 touchdowns and 19 interceptions. By all terms those statistics are awful. It's amazing that Larry Fitzgerald still had over 1,000 yards receiving.

The Cardinals have six likely candidates for the starting job, and here are each of their probabilities of being the starter.

Richard Bartel

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GLENDALE, AZ - DECEMBER 12: Quarterback Richard Bartel #2 of the Arizona Cardinals watches from the sidelines during the NFL game against the Denver Broncos at the University of Phoenix Stadium on December 12, 2010 in Glendale, Arizona. The Cardinals def

Last season Richard Bartel saw limited playing time. He completed 16 of 28 passes for 150 yards and one interception.

Bartel has been in the league since 2007 when he was signed as a free agent by the Dallas Cowboys, but his only playing time came last season with the Cardinals.

With the quarterbacks already on the roster, Bartel's chances of starting this season for the Cardinals is a likely zero percent.

Derek Anderson

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GLENDALE, AZ - DECEMBER 05: Quarterback Derek Anderson #3 of the Arizona Cardinals throws a pass during the NFL game against the St. Louis Rams at the University of Phoenix Stadium on December 5, 2010 in Glendale, Arizona. The Rams defeated the Cardinals

The Derek Anderson experience didn't last long in 2010. He played in 12 games, threw for 2,065 yards with seven touchdowns and 10 interceptions. He was benched late in the year and he certainly didn't match his form from when he was with the Cleveland Browns.

Maybe he needs more time in the system or maybe he's just not that good anymore, but either way he will still most likely have a roster spot, unless of course he gets cut.

The chances of Anderson starting in 2011 are probably 10 percent.

Max Hall

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GLENDALE, AZ - DECEMBER 05: Quarterback Max Hall #6 of the Arizona Cardinals prepares to snap the football during the NFL game against the St. Louis Rams at the University of Phoenix Stadium on December 5, 2010 in Glendale, Arizona. The Rams defeated th

Max Hall played in six games last season and threw for 370 yards, one touchdown and six interceptions.

His numbers can pretty much tell the story, but lets be honest, Hall was downright awful when he started last season. Although he was an unsigned free agent and a rookie, he still had time to learn the system in the first half of the season, but he underperformed.

The chances of Hall starting in 2011 are the same as for Bartel, zero percent.

John Skelton

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SAN FRANCISCO, CA - JANUARY 02: John Skelton #19 of the Arizona Cardinals passes against the San Francisco 49er during an NFL game at Candlestick Park on January 2, 2011 in San Francisco, California. (Photo by Jed Jacobsohn/Getty Images)

John Skelton was probably the best quarterback for the Arizona Cardinals last year and that's strictly from a potential standpoint.

Skelton was drafted in the fifth round of last year's draft and the big armed quarterback showed flashes of potential last season when he actually played. He's a big quarterback that may need more time to develop, but the Cardinals don't exactly have time.

They need and want to continue winning and making playoff appearances so Skelton will need to step up and have a big sophomore season.

Skelton threw for 662 yards, two touchdowns and two interceptions last year. Those numbers aren't exactly anything to gawk at, but for a rookie fifth-rounder, they weren't exactly terrible.

As it stands right now, Skelton will be the starter in 2011, but there's always a chance for a free agent signing. His chances of being a starter are 75 percent.

Marc Bulger

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BALTIMORE - AUGUST 28: Marc Bulger #9 of the Baltimore Ravens passes against the New York Giants in a preseason game at M&T Bank Stadium on August 28, 2010 in Baltimore, Maryland. The Ravens defeated the Giants 24-10. (Photo by Larry French/Getty Images)

This is purely speculation, but early in the offseason there were reports the Cardinals were interested in signing Marc Bulger.

Bulger is a free agent who had plenty of success early in his career when he played for the St. Louis Rams, but now he has fallen into a back-up role. Bulger played with the Baltimore Ravens last season and while he didn't see a lot of playing time—actually he didn't see any playing time.

If the Cards do in fact sign Bulger, how much is left in the tank? This will be Bulger's 12th season and he's shown signs of regression. Would a new change of scenery with a chance to start bring back his passion for the game?

If he does sign, his chances of starting will be 10-15 percent.

Kevin Kolb

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PHILADELPHIA, PA - JANUARY 02: Kevin Kolb #4 of the Philadelphia Eagles throws a pass against the Dallas Cowboys on January 2, 2011 at Lincoln Financial Field in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Jim McIsaac/Getty Images)

This is the trade that has been talked about for most of the offseason. Kolb is a strong-armed quarterback with starting experience and a great coaching background.

If Kolb does land with the Cardinals, there is no question he would be the starter. There is a 100 percent chance he would start day one and he would most likely excel in the offense.

This isn't taking anything away from Skelton, whom the Cardinals love and want to develop into a solid starter, but Kolb already has that "it" factor. He's had success as a starter, after all, the Eagles did trade away Donovan McNabb so Kolb could be the starter.

If there is a season this year and a trade for Kolb happens, he might just be the face of the franchise for the next five or six years, possibly longer.