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Well, you know it is not quite real football time when backup quarterbacks are the topic of conversation. It makes sense because we have already discussed the starters. ESPN's Ron Jaworski said that Arizona Cardinals quarterback Carson Palmer is his 23rd best starter in the NFL. I put together my own list of QB rankings, placing Palmer slightly better at number 19.
So what about Drew Stanton, who will back up Palmer in 2013?
NFL.com's Marc Sessler had the painstaking task of ranking the backup quarterbacks in the league. At the top of his list are Kirk Cousins and Kyle Orton (remember when readers here believed that the Cardinals should have targeted Orton instead of Kevin Kolb in 2011?).
And Stanton? According to Sessler, he is a middle of the road guy, a "game manager," as he ranks him 18th, which does fall behind Tim Tebow. (Really?)
Overall, that is fair. With a few starts under his belt, there is some upside, but his numbers aren't great. However, the part that stings is the fact that up until Palmer was acquired, a middle of the road backup was about to become the team's starter.
In terms of the division, remember our debate of which team in the NFC West had the best QB depth chart? ESPN had Palmer behind all three other division starters. Sessler's list has Stanton behind 49ers backup Colt McCoy, just ahead of Seahawks backup Brady Quinn and a few spots ahead of Austin Davis of the Rams.
I believe that Stanton is clearly better than Quinn (I have NEVER liked Quinn, dating back to his days at Notre Dame). I think he and McCoy both are very close.
But below Tim Tebow???? WHY? He isn't even the primary backup on his own team.
Did Sessler get it right? Is Stanton nothing more than one among "uninspiring" names? Or should he be ranked a bit higher?
More from Revenge of the Birds:
- ROTB Arizona Cardinals podcast: Carson Palmer and ranking NFL QBs
- What are reasonable expectations for the 2013 Arizona Cardinals
- Arizona Cardinals OLB O'Brien Schofield 'at 90 percent,' has added size for season
- 7/13 Arizona Cardinals news: Larry Fitzgerald's contract, Schofield ready
- Where do the Arizona Cardinals rank in the quality of their drafts?
Keep up with Cardinals news and opinions when you are not on the site. Follow Revenge of the Birds on Twitter at @revengeofbirds and "like" us on Facebook. You can follow me individually at @senorjessroot.