Jobs aren't lost because of injury. That's one of the golden athletic rules taught since elementary school.
The concept, however, is easier said than done at the professional level. Most recent case in point: Kevin Kolb.
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John Skelton was named the Arizona Cardinals' starting quarterback after he beat out Kolb during the preseason. Skelton promptly injured his ankle during the season opener. Kolb hasn't been spectacular in Skelton's place, but the Cardinals are an unexpected 2-0. Kolb has thrown for 206 yards and two touchdowns in two weeks.
"It's going to be the same thing we always do: We're going to go with the player that we think gives us the best chance to win," Cardinals coach Ken Whisenhunt said on "NFL AM" when asked who will start when Skelton is healthy. "Kevin has done exactly what we expected him to do, and that's come in and played well.
"I don't have any expectation of John than wanting to get back healthy and compete for the job. Once we get to that point, we'll make that decision."
There it is. The No. 1 job won't necessarily be waiting for Skelton once he returns. And every week is a job interview for Kolb.
It's a tough spot for Skelton. You fight for a month to earn a job, tweak an ankle and all that work is for naught. But when a team expected to start 0-2 goes 2-0, it's hard to yank the quarterback who took you there. Even if he wasn't asked to do much.
Skelton should get the job back when healthy. The organization has begged Kolb to grab a stranglehold on the job since it traded for him before the 2011 season and gave him a boatload of dough ($63.5 million over five years; $21 million guaranteed). If it was that close between the two, Kolb would have had the job.
Follow Kareem Copeland on Twitter @kareemcopeland.
