Kolb finally speaks out about Manning

Cardinals quarterback Kevin Kolb kept quiet when the team pursued Peyton Manning in free agency, figuring it'd be best to stay far away from the topic.

Quarterback Kevin Kolb kept quiet when the team pursued Peyton Manning in free agency, figuring the less he said about it, the better.

Kolb didn't have a choice but to address the subject when strength and conditioning sessions started. Kolb knew the questions were coming, and he handled the situation well.

"Look everybody knows what this league is about," Kolb said. "If you've been in it for a while, you understand you've got to fight for your job every single year.

"It's management's job here, and every organization, to make sure that they improve every position. In my mind, it's their right to go look wherever they need to look."

But ...

Kolb diplomatically made the point that he wasn't enthralled with the way the Cardinals handled the situation. He didn't want to get into specifics, but said he would have appreciated a phone call from management or coach Ken Whisenhunt, rather than hear about the Manning pursuit elsewhere.

"I think there were a few things that could have been handled a little bit different. We've discussed those and look forward to the future and win a lot of football games together," he said.

Pressed later for specifics, Kolb chose his words carefully. He said he and Whisenhunt had cleared the air.

"They didn't deny anything," Kolb said. "They didn't lie. They didn't apologize for anything, like they shouldn't. It's kind of hard to 'if, and but' around the situation.

"I just said, 'In the future, you can just communicate with me. I can take it, if this is the route you're going.' I'd rather hear from him (Whisenhunt) than the ticker or something. He agreed and that's how relationships grow and that's where we're headed."