Cardinals coach learned to keep three quarterbacks on the roster
Ken Whisenhunt was a first-year head coach in 2007, and one of his earliest decisions was to keep just two quarterbacks on the roster during the regular season.
Matt Leinart was the starter with Kurt Warner backing him up, and all seemed well as the Cardinals got off to a 3-2 start.
It was in the team’s fifth game — a win at St. Louis — where things started to unravel.
Matt Leinart suffered a broken collarbone, elevating Warner into the top spot on the depth chart. The Cardinals signed veteran journeyman Tim Rattay the next week, and he immediately became Warner’s backup.
However, with less than a week as an Arizona Cardinal, Rattay was forced into action when Warner injured his elbow in a home game against Carolina.
Rattay completed just 12 of 24 passes in the game, throwing for 159 yards and three interceptions. The Cardinals lost 25-10, and since then Whisenhunt has made sure to carry three quarterbacks on the roster at all times.
“You want to learn from situations that you’ve been in before, and I would much rather have a third quarterback that was prepared to play and never have to use it as opposed to what we had to go through in ’07,” Whisenhunt said.
This is why one of the better training camp battles is the one for the third QB spot. Kevin Kolb is the starter and John Skelton figures to be the number two, meaning the decision will come down to either Max Hall or Richard Bartel.
No matter what, though, you can expect to see three quarterbacks roaming the Cardinals sideline, and that’s due to the lessons Coach Whisenhunt learned a few years ago.
