Kolb or Skelton? Cards to decide early in week

Wednesday's practice will provide an indication of whether Cardinals quarterback Kevin Kolb is ready to return to the starting lineup after missing most of the past two games with a concussion. Coach Ken Whisenhunt declined on Monday to name a starter, saying it was premature to make such a decision. He acknowledged, however, that either Kolb or John Skelton needs to receive the majority of practice snaps in order to be fully prepared to play Saturday in Cincinnati. Skelton and Kolb don't have much experience in this offense, and splitting snaps in practice likely would leave the Cardinals with two quarterbacks unprepared to start. "I think that's a pretty fair assessment," Whisenhunt said when asked if one quarterback needs the majority of work in practice. "We tried to do that (split snaps) a couple of weeks ago, and neither one of them was comfortable with that. I'm not going to say that either one of them couldn't play without getting most of the reps, but as far as trying to prepare them, I think that's the fairest way to do it." The Cardinals are 4-1 in Skelton's starts, and they also beat the 49ers two weeks ago when Skelton replaced Kolb in the first quarter after Kolb suffered his concussion. While Skelton has shown improvement, his record as a starter is deceiving. The Cardinals have won four consecutive games, and six of their last season, mostly because the defense improved dramatically over that time.