Arizona Cardinals GM: Logan Thomas’ poise, accuracy stood out in preseason opener
Aug 11, 2014, 5:26 PM | Updated: 5:26 pm
It would be unwise to get overly excited over preseason performances.
Needless to say, after watching Logan Thomas complete 11-of-12 passes for 113 yards and one touchdown in the Arizona Cardinals’ 32-0 win over the Houston Texans Saturday, no one should be calling the rookie QB the next great passer in the NFL.
However, while his performance must be qualified due to the fact that he was not exactly facing the best his opponent had to offer, the fourth-round pick did display poise and accuracy, which now has folks excited.
Cardinals GM Steve Keim told Doug and Wolf on Arizona Sports 98.7 FM Monday that Thomas’ display of poise and accuracy in the win was the biggest surprise in the preseason opener.
“And it wasn’t that I was so surprised that he played well because I thought he was going to play well. (VP of Player Personnel) Terry McDonough and I have talked about it at length, that we thought that this kid was a gamer and he loves the game and he’s a competitive guy.
“But at the end of the day, the one thing that’s hard to determine about a quarterback in practice is his poise and his command of the offense, his command of the huddle, and that’s the one thing that jumped out at us.”
After the game, Thomas said he wished he had a couple of throws back, but said he was “just happy to have the opportunity and I had a lot of fun.”
The 23-year-old also said he felt very comfortable in his first taste of NFL game action, admitting he was actually more relaxed than he anticipated he would be.
It all showed in his performance, which has people wondering if the 6-foot-6, 250-pound passer has already improved that much, just how good could he eventually be?
But it’s important to remember this was preseason, and no matter what kind of signal caller he may eventually be, there will be growing pains and speed bumps along the way.
This was only a start, albeit an impressive one that had a rookie quarterback take the field, command the huddle and call the plays, which are things Keim said aren’t easy for a rookie quarterback to do.
“And he excelled in his first opportunity.”
