TEMPE, Ariz. -- When last seen by most of the country, Kevin Kolb was probably on his backside after absorbing one of a multitude of hits in the worst performance of the season for the Arizona Cardinals' offense.
Kolb pronounced himself fine Wednesday, fully recovered from the punishment he endured in that 17-3 Thursday night loss at St. Louis, Arizona's first defeat of the season. The Cardinals scored the fewest points in a game since they lost 13-3 to the New York Jets in 2004, Dennis Green's first season coaching Arizona.
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It helps that Kolb had a couple of extra days to shake off the effects of that physical drubbing the Rams put on the Arizona offense.
"It is nice. It was nice for everybody, not just myself," Kolb said after practice. "We've got a lot of little of dings, as does every team in the NFL, but as hard it was to play in that turnaround Thursday night, it is nice to have a few days off to relax and get your body back right."
An already sputtering offense took a hit when running back Ryan Williams injured his left shoulder, putting him out for the rest of the season. The team already is without running back Beanie Wells for at least five games with a turf toe.
Their absence from what was already an anemic ground game and the presence of a porous offensive line leave Kolb in a precarious spot.
Then there is the improving health of John Skelton, who beat out Kolb for the starting job this year. Skelton went down with a sprained right ankle late in the game and Kolb came on to direct the winning drive in the season opener over Seattle.
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Skelton said he's about 90 percent healthy and could play if circumstances warranted it this weekend.
Kolb threw 50 passes against the Rams, and was slammed down on most, if not all, of them. Fifty passes are too many, coach Ken Whisenhunt said.
"That's going to give you issues. I don't want to do that," Whisenhunt said. "I'd like to sit here and say if we have to do it, we'll do it, but I don't want to do it."
Kolb, a football gunslinger by nature, says he will throw 50 again, if necessary.
"You don't want to, especially in this league" Kolb said, "but you do what you have to do. We've seen teams win a lot of ways in this league, so we'll do whatever it takes."
Copyright 2012 by The Associated Press
