The former Philadelphia Eagles and Arizona Cardinals quarterback signed with the Buffalo Bills this offseason and is looking forward to playing in front of an offensive line that doesn't resemble a sieve.
In 15 games with the Cardinals during 2011 and 2012, Kolb was sacked on 11.6 percent of his drop backs (57 times, according to The Buffalo News). Arizona boasted arguably the worst pass-protection unit in the NFL over that span. (photo: AZKodiak, Flickr)
To compare, former Bills quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick was sacked on 5.6 percent of passing plays in 2012.
“That was attractive to me,” Kolb recently told Mark Gaughan of The Buffalo News. “I think they’re very talented up front. When you look at Doug [Marrone]’s history with the offensive line, obviously, it’s a huge point of emphasis for him.”
Marrone, the Bills' new head coach, was an offensive lineman in college and briefly played in the pros before coaching offensive linemen and tight ends for various colleges over the span of a decade. He then served as the New York Jets' offensive line coach from 2002-05 before leading the New Orleans Saints' offense from 2006-08.
He most recently served as head coach at Syracuse University.
Kolb enters camp as probably the favorite in the Bills' impending quote-unquote quarterback competition. He'll work under former Syracuse offensive coordinator Nathanial Hackett in an up-tempo system.
“Then of course with the offense itself, how much it benefits the quarterback in getting the ball out quickly and being decisive,” Kolb said. “I think it all really points to a positive direction as far as not taking as many hits and being able to be successful with the ball in your hands.”
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