Phoenix, AZ. We are now less than two weeks away from the Arizona Cardinals regular season opener, and the team has still not stated who their QB will be on September 9th. The decision should come any day now, as Kevin Kolb, John Skelton and Cardinals fans are all eagerly awaiting the news. Whoever it ends up being, the question that Arizona followers should really be asking is….does it really matter? Both quarterbacks have been shaky at best during this preseason, and both have made terrible, inexcusable errors. Kolb has appeared to be lost at times, and downright afraid of being in the pocket with any sort of pressure. Skelton seems to have better command and confidence, but looks as if he may not have the overall skills to be a QB in the NFL. With an offense that has some really nice weapons in Larry Fitzgerald and oft-injured Beanie Wells, not to mention young talent like Michael Floyd and Ryan Williams, the pieces are there to win some games. However, as the old saying goes, when you have two quarterbacks, you actually have no quarterback. This looks to be the case for the Arizona Cardinals heading into 2012. As the days pass, the big money given to Kevin Kolb is developing into the obvious truth….he isn’t going to be the guy they thought he was. John Skelton is also making it obvious that he should be a backup in this league. So what do the Cardinals do? As painful as it will be, they need to move on from both players, and ASAP. With this being said, here are 7 QB’s that Arizona should look into acquiring, while Larry Fitzgerald is still in his prime……
1 – Ryan Mallett - One of the backups in New England can be had for the right price. Because Tom Brady is showing no signs of slowing down, the Patriots would be willing to listen to offers. Mallett is a very big, strong guy who has a cannon for an arm. The fact that he has learned from Brady is a huge plus as well, and being in the Patriots system would only benefit him elsewhere. Mallett wouldn’t be cheap, but a player of his caliber could absolutely be worth it.
2 – Brian Hoyer - The other backup in New England. Hoyer, in his limited playing time during the past few preseasons, has looked very good. He has been in New England’s system for three years, after playing at Michigan State for four years. Hoyer is a guy who the Arizona Cardinals could get fairly cheaply, and is someone who could blossom in a starting role.
3 – Terrelle Pryor - An outstanding athlete at Ohio State, Pryor is now a backup in Oakland. With the Raiders signing Carson Palmer and counting on him for several years to come, Pryor could be had for the right price. Yes, Pryor has shown in the past to be potentially immature, but seems to be well past that. His talents cannot be ignored, as his arm and legs would be quite a threat if given the chance to be a starter.
4 – Kirk Cousins - The rookie backup in Washington simply will not get a chance as long as RG3 is there. Why the Redskins even drafted Cousins after taking Griffin, who knows. Cousins has a nice arm, and at Michigan State, showed to be very intelligent in his time there. He could end up being an outstanding NFL QB if given the opportunity, which will probably have to be somewhere other than Washington. Acquiring Kirk shouldn’t cost an arm or a leg, either.
5 – Kyle Orton - The new backup in Dallas is not spectacular by any means, but has shown that he can be fairly effective at times as a starter. As long as Tony Romo is a Cowboy, Orton will be riding the pine there. Is Orton a fantastic solution for Arizona? No, but he is better than what they have now.
6 – Colt McCoy - The apparent backup in Cleveland now is still very young, and has shown a gritty style of play. Once the Browns decided to go with rookie Brandon Weeden this year, McCoy seems like he could had in a deal. In his brief time as a starter, Colt has looked very confident and can make plays with his arm or his legs. He is not big, but what he lacks in size, he makes up for in determination. McCoy would be a nice pickup for an Arizona team looking for the leadership he offers.
7 – Chase Daniel - The backup in New Orleans has looked very solid when he has had his opportunities. Daniel would obviously love a shot at being a starter, as we all know that will not be happening anytime soon as a Saint. Daniel proved he is a winner in his years at the University of Missouri, where he won several college awards. At 6’1″, Daniel is not huge, but still has enough size to be effective. Never lacking confidence, he could provide this Arizona Cardinals team with some offensive swagger.
Denver Sports by J Simp
11 comments
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Headline
August 29, 2012 at 9:41 AM (UTC -6) Link to this comment
You should look into Ryan Mallett.. The guy has Patriot grooming with a strong arm. If the Broncos didn’t have Peyton, he’d be first on my list as well !!!
Mikey Z
August 28, 2012 at 8:16 PM (UTC -6) Link to this comment
With the exception of Colt McCoy I have never heard of any of these players. I have a wild idea…how about a proven winner in Boise State quarterback Kellen Moore…he holds every NCAA record….why waste time on nobody players?
J Simp
August 28, 2012 at 8:44 AM (UTC -6) Link to this comment
Matt Flynn would not be a great idea because it would be too much like the Kolb experiment….bringing a guy in, making huge money, that only has a few starts under his belt. That sort of scenario would probably not go over well with Cards fans right after this failed Kolb deal.
LKazsports
August 27, 2012 at 5:15 PM (UTC -6) Link to this comment
Is Peyton still available?
Mallett would be my pick based on Hoody’s ability to project qb effectiveness. Colt McCoy, i like, but would get throttled with our wet paperbag line.
Not only is the future qb not on this roster but i don’t think the future leftside of the o-line has been born yet. Getting swept by the padres, again, the yotes turmoil, suns in rebuild, excitement in the air over a potential .500 season for ASU football really makes these days the dog days of summer.
KJ and R
August 27, 2012 at 5:06 PM (UTC -6) Link to this comment
What about Matt Flynn? I’m sure he didn’t go to Seattle to be the backup?
AlwaysBeenFumbles
August 27, 2012 at 4:58 PM (UTC -6) Link to this comment
Take everything said in this article change the date to 2011 and insert Kolb’s name. The answere to the QB situation is simply not available this year unless Warner shocks the world and comes out of retirement. The only viable solution is to suck bad enough to pick up Matt barkley with the #1 pick and even thats a crapshoot. Also consider that there isnt a QB alive that wouldnt struggle behind that swiss cheese o-line. Just my personal opinion.
desertcat43
August 27, 2012 at 3:40 PM (UTC -6) Link to this comment
Whisenhunt & staff are already in the panic mode where the Cardinals QB situation is concerned. If they go out and get yet another signal-caller this close to opening day, it would confirm what fans already know about Whisenhunt….he couldn’t pick an NFL QB out of a crowd of female nudists at a beach on Neptune.
J Simp
August 27, 2012 at 2:23 PM (UTC -6) Link to this comment
I am generally not a big fan of Orton, however he can get the ball to Fitz and is better than what they have now. He also can take a hit and isn’t scared of pressure in his face.
nate
August 27, 2012 at 2:13 PM (UTC -6) Link to this comment
I say we go after mallett or orton..orton has experience and may be a big surprise playing for the cardinals
J Simp
August 27, 2012 at 2:08 PM (UTC -6) Link to this comment
It’s time to scrap the plan, and do it now. The team could be dangerous with a new QB.
Kipp
August 27, 2012 at 2:05 PM (UTC -6) Link to this comment
Ryan Mallett is someone that they should go after, being a Cardinals fan I don’t see our future QB on the roster right now.