CANTON, Ohio -- Arizona Cardinals quarterback Kevin Kolb barely got started against the New Orleans Saints, leaving Sunday night's Hall of Fame Game with a rib contusion, the team announced.
Kolb was slammed to the ground by Saints defensive tackle Sedrick Ellis midway through the first quarter, and the quarterback fell hard on his right shoulder. He left the field without assistance, but NFL.com and NFL Network's Stacey Dales reported that Kolb clearly was in a lot of pain and even hunched over on the sideline before going to the Cardinals' locker room.
The injury came on Kolb's third drive of the game and capped an evening in which he faced a constant swarm of Saints defenders. It wasn't a pretty start for Kolb, who's fighting with John Skelton to win a starting job after an injury-plagued, disappointing 2011 season. Kolb's first pass was intercepted, and he completed only 1 of 4 passes for 4 yards before suffering the injury.
Skelton will take it from here, and we don't expect to see Kolb return to this game.
UPDATE: Kolb rejoined his Cardinals teammates on the Fawcett Stadium sideline to start the second half. Kolb wore street clothes and didn't return to the game.
Kolb said after the game that he had bruised ribs and a bruised diaphragm.
"Of course it is (frustrating), but you have to go through the bad to get to the good," said Kolb, who added that he expected to return "fairly quickly."