Arizona Cardinals GM Steve Keim ‘very hopeful’ Drew Stanton can play vs. Carolina
Dec 29, 2014, 3:24 PM | Updated: Dec 30, 2014, 12:05 am
In his second start of the season Sunday, quarterback Ryan Lindley acquitted himself nicely.
Against San Francisco, Lindley completed 23-of-39 passes for 316 yards, two touchdowns and three interceptions in a 20-17 loss.
It certainly wasn’t a perfect performance by the third-year player out of San Diego State, but it was certainly good enough for the Cardinals to win.
However, the popular belief is that Arizona needs a healthy Drew Stanton to have any chance of advancing in the NFC playoffs, which begin Saturday in Charlotte against the Carolina Panthers.
Stanton has missed the last two games because of a knee injury, but according to general manager Steve Keim, there is a chance he could be back for the postseason.
“At this point, it’s day-to-day,” Keim told Doug and Wolf Monday on Arizona Sports 98.7 FM. “We’re extremely hopeful, but I know this: at the end of the day, Tom Reed and our medical staff — we have a lot of confidence in those guys, they do a great job.
“And then when you look at Drew — the person and the character that he has and his work ethic — if anybody can get back out there, it’s Drew. We’re hoping for the best and we’ll prepare Ryan and Logan (Thomas) as well.”
Stanton was injured in the Cardinals’ 12-6 win over the St. Louis Rams Dec. 11 when he was sacked by defensive tackle Aaron Donald. Reports surfaced last week that Stanton had undergone arthroscopic surgery and had developed an infection in his knee.
Of course, if Stanton is to return for the Cardinals’ first postseason game since the 2009 season, he’d have to shake off a good amount of rust. But Keim isn’t worried about that should the veteran be healthy enough to go.
“I think he’d be very effective, because Drew has a great grasp of our offense, he understands all the concepts, he’s been with (head coach Bruce Arians) for a couple years now,” he said. “On top of that, he’s a great competitor. We’ll see soon and assess the situation.”
