Cardinals mailbag: When is Carson Beck going to start?

It didn’t take long for the Carson Beck chatter to start up again in Arizona!

After the Arizona Cardinals’ home-opening loss to the Seattle Seahawks where Jacoby Brissett threw for just 95 yards and the offense as a whole didn’t record an explosive, a quarterback change was on the minds of plenty.

 

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This week’s mailbag was just the latest example. Let’s dive right in!

Cardinals Week 3 mailbag

Jorge from Lincoln: After the come-back-to-earth loss vs. Seattle, what’s the ideal time frame and/or amount of losses needed to get Carson Beck some playing time?

TD: I think this comes down to two factors, the first being the Cardinals offense.

Yes, Arizona was embarrassed at home by a stout Seattle defense. We’re also talking about the defending Super Bowl champions with a defense that could end up being better than the Legion of Boom era. It’s that nasty.

Facing that defense won’t happen on a weekly basis. For Brissett to keep his job, it’s all about bouncing back this week and returning to a more consistent form as the offense continues to evolve and players get to know each other more on the field.

Secondly, how the NFC West and Wild Card pictures look in the coming weeks could say a lot about a potential switch. If the Cardinals are well behind the eight ball in both races, why not turn it over to the rookie the rest of the way?

I would say Brissett has six or seven weeks. If Arizona’s offense is sputtering and/or the losses are piling up as Arizona falls down the standings, anything is fair game after that.

And while we’re here, if the Cardinals do end up making a switch, it should be Beck straightaway and not Gardner Minshew II.

Larry from Reno: With as poorly as Brissett played and the murderous schedule coming up, when do you think Carson Beck should get his chance?

TD: I have said time and time again Beck should see double digit starts as a rookie.

You must have a thorough evaluation of what the third-round pick brings to the table and what kind of ceiling he may have as the long-term option in Arizona.

As far as finding a soft landing spot on the schedule that isn’t after the bye in Week 14? That’s easier said than done.

Ask me, though, and I am pinpointing Week 8 against the Dallas Cowboys. That would not only allow Beck with the chance at starting 10 games, it would also avoid the Denver Broncos’ typically tough defense and give the rookie a one-game sample size before a rematch with the Seahawks.

Like I said, it’s hard to find that landing spot!

Ryan from Benicia: You can tell a lot about a coach within his first couple of games. Has Arizona found their long-term solution in Mike LaFleur?

TD: I think the early part of a head coach’s season can tell you a lot about the preparation put in through the offseason and the level of buy-in the team has in its leader.

LaFleur and the Cardinals were absolutely hit in the mouth last week and never recovered after the head coach kicked off his Arizona tenure the best way possible a game prior with a win.

The potential is there. So is the realization of the sizeable hole the Cardinals are trying to crawl themselves out from and the division they play in.

How exactly does LaFleur and his team respond after battling through plenty of adversity in Week 2? That’s going to say a lot.

I think LaFleur is well on his way to being that long-term solution, but I think even he would say it’s too early to tell.

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