Lombardi on D&C: 'Kolb gets rattled quickly'

NFL Network analyst Mike Lombardi joined Dennis & Callahan on Friday morning to preview Sunday's Patriots-Cardinals game and discuss news from around the league.

Lombardi said the Patriots need to stay away from turnovers and sloppy play against an Arizona team that has some talent on defense.

"The one thing this Cardinal team will do is they'll play hard for 60 minutes. They play to the whistle," Lombardi said. "And this defense, now, don't underestimate this defense. They've got Pro Bowlers on every single level of this defense, from Darnell Dockett, Calais Campbell's an outstanding defensive lineman. They're different. They play a Pittsburgh style of defense, but they're built differently than Pittsburgh's built. They basically are built strong down the middle, so Campbell, Dockett is very good, [Daryl] Washington is an outstanding inside linebacker, and then these two safeties -- Kerry Rhodes isn't a dominant player, but Adrian Wilson is a unique player in the sense that he is Troy Polamalu. He's a great blitzer, he can play on the first and second level, and he's a physical force. And they can turn it over with this defense. If you throw it out to Patrick Peterson and he makes a play on the ball, it could be a touchdown the other way.

"So, the Patriots have to be able to handle their stuff, not turn this ball over, and force the game into Kevin Kolb's hands -- force Kevin Kolb to realize, 'Hey, I'm a starting quarterback in the NFL.' And once they hit him early in the game, see how he reacts."

Kolb gets the start over John Skelton, who started the opener but suffered an ankle injury. Kolb entered in the fourth quarter and led the Cardinals on the winning drive in a 20-16 victory over the Seahawks.

"Skelton is a little bit more of a methodical thrower," Lombardi said. "He can throw it. He'll stay in there. I would say his level of toughness is better. Kolb gets rattled quickly. Kolb has to throw the ball in rhythm. … If Kevin Kolb has to stand back there and read the coverage and make a decision based on that, with somebody coming in his face, he's not going to do it very effectively. They're going to have to force him, and he wants to move out of the pocket. He definitely wants to get out of there, because he doesn't want to get hit. And I think they've got to hit him early in the game."

Patriots offensive lineman Logan Mankins played last season with a torn ACL he suffered in the 2011 season-opener against the Dolphins. Lombardi joined the chorus of people praising Mankins' determination.

"I can't imagine the toughness of Logan Mankins," Lombardi said. "I don't know how he did it. I really don't. … I think it's unbelievable to play with that kind of pain and that kind of adversity in terms of being able to move laterally. I think it was an unbelievable, unbelievable achievement."

To hear the interview, go to the Dennis & Callahan audio on demand page. For more Patriots news, visit the team page at weei.com/patriots.