Arizona Cardinals: Should the Cardinals Target a QB in the 2012 NFL Draft?

The love affair with John Skelton was short. It had some sweet moments, but the breakup was nasty. 

San Francisco made Skelton look bad in that 23-7 defeat on Sunday. So now that the season is over for the Cardinals, just what do they do at quarterback? There are a few options, right?

There is Kevin Kolb, who the Cardinals have a pretty heavy investment in. There is John Skelton, who is your backup at present but has had moments of greatness and moments of disaster. Then there is the intrigue of taking a quarterback in the 2012 NFL draft.

Let's explore that last option for a second.

Here are some of the names that will be coming out of college that are interesting, to say the least: Andrew Luck. Matt Barkley. Robert Griffin III, Case Keenum and Landry Jones.

Luck is all but the Indianapolis Colts' at this point. Still, the Cardinals can make a legitimate play for any of the others.

But do they need a QB? I say no. The rest of this year should be Kevin Kolb's to finish pending a clean bill of health. Without a training camp and some extended reps in the offseason, Kolb did not have the chance to gel with any of his receivers. Will one more year, lockout-free, help or hinder him? We don't really know, but the money invested makes it almost a no-brainer that he gets a mulligan.

So Mr. Kolb, live it up. Forget all that horrible play we have experienced in your first seven games. But to me you have a very short leash next year.

As far as John Skelton, I think you have a guy who is raw. I love his attitude and poise that he shows in the huddle. His accuracy and playmaking ability can use some work. Is he as bad as Tim Tebow mechanically? Not at all. Should we see more of him? I think so. In fact, the next two weeks, I'd love to see John play against the Rams and the Cowboys, two teams he has already beaten. 

He hasn't played his way into consideration quite yet for the starting job. Sure, he is 2-1, and that's better than Kolb's 1-6 record, but he's had more time to learn this system than Kolb has. Is he a quicker learner than Kolb? Maybe. He does seem to thrive in the late-game situations and has incredible stats in the fourth quarter.

The point is right now the Cardinals have potentially two serviceable quarterbacks for the short term. I would take this wasted year and see what you have left with the two of them. If Kolb comes back off the injured list and performs like he should, then the Cardinals have what they need. If he doesn't, I would give John Skelton a few more games.

If neither performs, then taking a quarterback could be an option, but the learning curve will still be there, and mistakes will cost the Cardinals more games, which won't make fans happy.

I think the Cardinals need to use the draft to beef up the offensive line so a true run game can take pressure off the quarterback position. Then use the remaining picks to help the porous secondary.