Cardinals QB Stanton had ‘good moments’ in first extended playing time of career

The life of a back-up quarterback is one of the best gigs out there.

You get a hefty paycheck, are usually one of the most well-liked people in the city and rarely have to break a sweat.

Unfortunately, if you are a fierce competitor like Arizona Cardinals quarterback Drew Stanton, that life can feel very empty. A back-up puts in just as much work as a starting quarterback, just without the glamour and sweat of playing in actual games.

The eight-year veteran went into last season having not thrown a pass in a NFL game since 2010 and only played in 12 career games prior to that. Last season, Stanton finally saw hefty playing time and saw action in nine games.

Stanton, a guest on the Burns & Gambo show of Arizona Sports 98.7 FM on Monday, talked about what it was like to play for an extended amount of time for the first time of his career.

“It was exciting from the standpoint of getting an extended period of time because I never had that in my career,” Stanton said. “Now this off-season, getting the chance to go back and seeing what I really need to work on, you go through the motions and watch film and go through the reps mentally, but until you are under fire and under duress you won’t know how your going to respond.

“I felt like I had some good (moments) and a lot I would like to have back. It was a good step for me and we won a lot of football games, I was a part of that, but at the same time I can get better and the game will slow down the more I play.”

Stanton came in and did everything that was asked of him, and then some.

The Michigan State product won five of the eight games he started, and helped lead a comeback victory against St. Louis when he was inserted into the game late. He threw for 1,711 yards with seven touchdowns and five interceptions, while managing the game very well for the Cardinals.

Stanton did an admirable job in his first time getting extended work, and was a few weeks away from being a starting quarterback in a playoff game before he suffered his sprained knee injury in Week 15 of a 12-6 win against the St. Louis Rams.

“That was a hard pill to swallow without a doubt,” Stanton said of the injury. “Initially when I did it I thought I tore my ACL, so there was some solace from the fact it was just my MCL and stretched my ACL. It was definitely difficult because I was waiting for this opportunity for so long and I felt I was really taking a step in the right direction. Unfortunately that injury happened and I couldn’t get back out there.”

Despite missing out on the chance to start in a playoff game, Stanton had many other memorable moments to his 2014 season.

“Beating Detroit, just anytime you play your old team and beat them, it was a special week for me because my daughter was born so there was a lot going on,” Stanton said of the Cardinals 14-6 win over the Lions.

“More than that, that St. Louis game you alluded to earlier and throwing that touchdown pass to John Brown, that is a difficult thing to do. Your watching the game for a half and didn’t get the reps all week, but you come in and it feels good as a back-up quarterback that you did your job and help your team to a win.”