Bruce Arians defends Drew Stanton

Arizona Cardinals quarterback Drew Stanton struggled in last week’s 19-3 loss to the rival Seattle Seahawks, as he completed just 14 of 26 passes and couldn’t truly get his signature deep ball working, as he averaged an anemic 5.7 yards per attempt compared to a stout 7.1 yards per attempt on the season. Stanton also tossed an interception to No. 2 CB Byron Maxwell, who was part of the “Legion of Boom’s” terrific display. Stanton was put at a severe disadvantage, as the Cardinals were without No. 1 wideout Larry Fitzgerald, who is dealing with an MCL sprain. Michael Floyd was taken out of the game by Richard Sherman and the Seahawks secondary, so it’s hard to fault Stanton for his struggles.

I think that’s a major reason why Cardinals head coach Bruce Arians decided to succinctly defend Stanton. According to ESPN NFL Nation’s Josh Weinfuss, Arians stated that “none” of the offense’s struggles are on Stanton. To be fair, the offense only really struggled against the Seahawks, and Stanton has faced two elite pass defenses in back-to-back weeks. Of course, Arians is always going to defend his QB, especially since the Cardinals don’t have any other options. Plus, Arians is a big fan of Stanton’s stemming from their days together with the Indianapolis Colts.

Stanton is a really nice backup in this league, and he’s done better than I expected as the Cardinals starting quarterback. Although he lacks the accuracy and decision-making chops to be a true starting-caliber quarterback in this league, he can make things happen with his arm strength and clearly knows Arians’s offense well. Stanton’s solid yards per attempt average is impressive, and he makes up for a low completion percentage by tossing more TDs than picks. He hasn’t been good, but he hasn’t held back the offense to this point. I’m not a fan of Stanton’s game, but let’s just say that it isn’t surprising to see Arians give him a vote of confidence; Stanton hasn’t done anything to deserve any real criticism.