Opponent proponents - Q&A with Revenge of the Birds

  The Rams beat the Saints last weekend, bolstered by the World Series Champion Cardinals. On Sunday, they'll head to Arizona to face the football Cardinals. Perchance, they'll spend their Saturday afternoon watching Louisville, the college Cardinals, or the Stanford Cardinal . And maybe, just maybe, they'll get ready for the game by reading L'Osservatore Romano, the weekly newspaper of the Vatican, to get up to speed on the College of Cardinals. Makes sense to me.

  Though I was upset that SBN doesn't have a community for the fans of the Benevolent Benedictine Birds, the College of Cardinals' intramural softball team, I did get a chance to talk with Jess Root who manages Revenge of the Birds, SB Nation's community for Arizona Cardinals fans.

How would you qualify Kevin Kolb's performance thus far and the expectations moving forward?

Kolb's performance has been disappointing in a word, but that is because most felt that the Cardinals were simply a QB away from taking the division. Apparently not. He has been frustrating because he does some good things but struggles with his pocket presence.

The rest of the Q&A after the jump.

What is the deal with the Cardinals' pass protection? I recognize they've faced some solid pass rushing teams, but isn't it a matter of time that Kolb goes down with something worse than turf toe if the hits keep coming?

What's the deal? Bad tackle play and miscommunication. Levi Brown and Brandon Keith have been subpar at best. Other times either an incorrect protection is called, a lineman misses an assignment or Kolb doesn't get the ball away quick enough.

Sam Acho was one of my favorite sleepers in last year's draft. I know he didn't see much of the field in the Cardinals' first five games but how has he looked the last two games? And what about the linebacking corps as a whole?

He has looked pretty solid. He picked up a sack in each of the last two games. Defensive coordinator Ray Horton describes him as "brilliant." It looks like he either has or is about to take over the starting job away from Joey Porter. 

As for the linebacking corps, Daryl Washington is on the verge of becoming a special player. Paris Lenon is decent, but the OLB play overall has been lacking. Porter retired it seems in the offseason but forgot to tell his body, so it still shows up to work , even if it doesn't really accomplish anything. Clark Haggans has had some okay moments, but has declined overall as the season has progressed. Newly signed Stewart Bradley has yet to crack the rotation despite his five-year contract. 

Any buyer's remorse for Patrick Peterson to this point in year one?

None at all. He leads the NFC in punt return average and has scored two touchdowns. He struggled early in the year in coverage, but has gotten better every game. He held Mike Wallace to almost nothing and is looking more and more like the player we all hoped he would be. He still has to learn to be a little less physical with his hands, at least until he earns the reputation of solid cover guy. At this point, I don't think any one would have picked any other player at number five.

How long is Ken Whisenhunt's leash? I know he signed a four-year with a fifth optional contract last year, but we all know what contracts are worth in the NFL. Any concerns with his tenure?

His seat is starting to get hot, but really only with the fans. Unless the wheels completely fall off the wagon with his connection with the players, he isn't going anywhere this year. Next year, though, is the key. If Arizona has another season like this, he will be done.

Thanks again to Jess from ROTB for hooking it up.