Arizona Cardinals Need Drew Stanton to Capitalize on Long-Awaited Opportunity

Arizona Cardinals head coach Bruce Arians told The MMQB's Peter King, "We can win the Super Bowl with Drew Stanton. There is no doubt in my mind."

It's the vote of confidence, and the opportunity, that Stanton's spent eight years waiting for.

The fifth quarterback drafted in 2007, and the only one still on an NFL roster, Stanton's taken a journey through the NFL that defies belief. Always possessing the frame, raw arm and athleticism to put points on the board, lately he's flashed the savvy and decision-making to guide a contender to victory.

Now at the wheel of an NFL-best 8-1 team cruising towards a division title, playoff bye and home-field advantage, Stanton just needs to keep it between the lines. Can he keep making the plays and avoiding mistakes? Or did the Cardinals' season go off a bridge when Carson Palmer got carted off the field Sunday with a season-ending knee injury?

Stanton, a Michigan native and Michigan State product, was taken in the second round of the 2007 draft by now-ESPN commentator Matt Millen, during his unsuccessful stint as Detroit Lions President and CEO. The big, raw, athletic Stanton was tabbed the Lions' quarterback of the future.

Stanton, though, was a poor fit for then-offensive coordinator Mike Martz's system. Per Jeff Peek of the Traverse City Record-Eagle, Martz spent OTAs completely breaking down Stanton's mechanics. Then, the Lions placed Stanton on IR during preseason, keeping him off the field and on the shelf.

Carlos Osorio/Associated Press

Millen and the coaching staff were swept out of Detroit in response to 2008's 0-16 season. The new decision-makers took Matthew Stafford No. 1 overall in the subsequent draft, and Stanton's window of opportunity slammed shut. In 2010, Stanton went 2-1 in relief of the injured Stafford, earning him a free-agent contract in New York, where the Jets sought a strong backup to starter Mark Sanchez.

Days after Stanton signed, the Jets traded for Tim Tebow. Per ESPN.com's Rich Cimini, Stanton claimed he'd been promised the No. 2 gig and asked to be traded. The Jets dealt Stanton to the Indianapolis Colts just days after the Colts had released Peyton Manning.

The Colts drafted Andrew Luck No. 1 overall, which again put Stanton firmly on the bench. Despite the setback, Stanton endeared himself to Arians, whose work in relief of Indianapolis head coach Chuck Pagano earned him the AP NFL Coach of the Year award—and the Cardinals gig.

Arians brought Stanton to Arizona in 2013, where his potential, experience with Arians and three-year contract made him the presumed starter over fellow Spartan Brian Hoyer, fellow Class of 2007 quarterback Kevin Kolb, current Cardinals third-stringer Ryan Lindley and John Skelton.

Then, the Cardinals traded for Carson Palmer. Despite being relegated behind a No. 1 overall pick for the third time in his career, Stanton kept fighting. With Palmer's second season-ending ACL injury, the time has finally come for Stanton to prove he has what it takes—and for the first time in his long NFL career, his coaches and front office believe he will.

	Cmp%	TD%	Int%	Y/A
Carson Palmer	63.2	4.9	1.3	7.26
Drew Stanton	49.5	3.2	0	6.60

By the numbers, there's a clear drop-off from Palmer to Stanton.

Stanton doesn't complete nearly as many of his passes as Palmer does. Pro Football Focus's accuracy percentage (subscription required) and drop rate show this isn't a coincidence.

According to those stats, Stanton's been on the mark with just 62.4 percent of his passes, far below Palmer's 75.1 percent. Palmer is 12th out of 29 qualifying quarterbacks in accuracy percentage. If Stanton had a qualifying number of attempts, he'd rank dead last.

The same Cardinals pass-catchers who drop 6.7 percent of Palmer's passes drop 7.5 percent of Stanton's. That's not a coincidence either—it reflects the fact that Stanton's passes aren't thrown with Palmer's level of touch and placement.

Stanton's 3.2 percent touchdown rate isn't nearly as high as Palmer's 4.9. That said, Stanton's average yards per completion is a whopping 13.3, almost two full yards longer than Palmer's 11.5. If Stanton had a qualifying number of attempts, he'd be third-best in the NFL this year, behind Hoyer and Kirk Cousins. All three former Spartans tend to swing for the fences—and either hit the long ball or strike out.

Ross D. Franklin/Associated Press

Unlike the other two, though, Stanton hasn't thrown an interception all season.

Before the season, Bleacher Report NFL Draft Lead Writer Matt Miller graded Stanton 25/35 in accuracy and 23/30 in decision-making. With his always-strong arm and now-polished mechanics, Miller pronounced him "a good backup" who'd be "at the center of trade talks" if he were younger. Miller graded him 77/100 overall; the 37th-best quarterback in the NFL. For the record, Palmer was a 23rd-best 82/100.

If Stanton's decision-making is as good down the stretch as it was at the beginning of the year, he certainly won't be blowing games with mistakes. In fact, his stronger arm, as we saw in Week 10 with his 48-yard touchdown pass to John Brown, may be able to get more out of the explosive rookie receiver.

With the swarming, ball-hawking defense keeping a lid on opponents, the offense won't need to put up many points to win. The Cardinals are ranked fourth in the NFL in scoring defense and second in takeaways.

However, without more from tailback Andre Ellington, who had just 23 yards against the Rams, Stanton's going to have to carry the offense himself. In today's NFL, quarterbacks completing less than half of their passes can't carry teams very far.

The Cardinals are ranked 12th in scoring, but just 20th in first downs—and of those, a league-high 29 have come by penalty. Stanton will have to complete short passes and move the chains like he never has if the Cardinals are going to stay potent on offense.

Sue Ogrocki/Associated Press

In Week 11, Stanton's first game knowing he'll be the starter the rest of the season, he'll face Stafford and the 7-2 Lions; the football gods have a cruel sense of humor. From there, the Cardinals have a tough stretch run, facing the Seattle Seahawks twice, the Rams in St. Louis, the Kansas City Chiefs and a season finale in Santa Clara against the San Francisco 49ers.

The good news is that the Cardinals have a two-game lead in the NFC West. The bad news is that four divisional games in their final seven give the Seahawks and 49ers plenty of opportunity to catch them.

Stanton's always had the talent and the moxie to be the guy who closes out this brutal run-in and win the Cardinals the NFC West crown they've all but earned. However, he's going to have to play better than he ever has—including his three-game stint this season.

At least, for the first time in his NFL life, he's got the opportunity.