Whisenhunt: There’s a ‘chance’ Hoyer could be active
Dec 20, 2012, 9:35 PM | Updated: 9:49 pm
It’s safe to say the Arizona Cardinals are still looking for their quarterback of the future.
John Skelton, Kevin Kolb and Ryan Lindley have all started games for the Cards this season, and the results have been underwhelming at the very least.
Last week, a fourth quarterback was added to the fold when the team made a waiver claim on veteran Brian Hoyer, who had been cut by the Pittsburgh Steelers. With all hope of a playoff berth gone and the season winding down to its final two games, Arizona head coach Ken Whisenhunt says Hoyer could be active for Sunday’s game against the Chicago Bears.
“There’s a chance,” Whisenhunt said Thursday. “We’ve got so many guys right now that are up in the air because of the injury situation. That’s the thing that takes priority — making sure that we have enough depth at positions. If we have the opportunity, we’ll certainly look at that.”
Whisenhunt says it’s hard to judge what the Cardinals have in Hoyer without seeing him take some snaps in a live game situation — something he hasn’t done since 2011.
“Brian’s looked good, but you need to see him in game action, too,” he said. “I like what we’ve seen from him on the practice field, he’s adapted very quickly and made some good throws out here.”
Whisenhunt hasn’t named a starter at quarterback for the Chicago game but the smart money is on rookie Ryan Lindley, who earned his first NFL win last Sunday in the Cardinals’ 38-10 triumph over the Detroit Lions.
Lindley was far from spectacular in the game, completing 14-of-21 passes for 104 yards and an interception, but didn’t cripple the Cardinals with costly mistakes.
“The interception early in the game wasn’t good but he bounced back from that and I think he handled himself well,” Whisenhunt said. “The one thing that I liked about it was some of his throws down the boundary. He made a good throw to Michael (Floyd) early, he made another good throw to Larry (Fitzgerald) later where they got the interference penalty.
“And if you’re going to get pressure, like he got in that game, like you anticipate getting against Chicago, in some of those outside matchups, you’ve got to be able to make an accurate throw and get it down the field, and that’s where some of the things we’ve seen from Ryan really excited us.”
The Cardinals host Chicago Sunday at University of Phoenix Stadium in what will be the 73rd consecutive sellout since the venue opened in 2006.
