With Carson Palmer Out, Detroit Will Face Former Lion Drew Stanton
By Ashley Dunkak
@AshleyDunkak
CBS DETROIT - The Arizona Cardinals confirmed Monday what seemed obvious to those who saw quarterback Carson Palmer's injury happen Sunday; Palmer will miss the rest of the season with a torn ACL.
Palmer had just signed a three-year, $50 million contract extension, and his Cardinals (8-1) host the Detroit Lions (7-2) this weekend.
Instead of facing Palmer, the Lions will face backup quarterback Drew Stanton, who spent the first four years of his career in Detroit.
Palmer, the first overall pick of the 2003 draft, got hurt on a sack late in the third quarter Sunday against the St. Louis Rams. Stanton came into the game with the Cardinals trailing, 14-10. His first drive at the helm culminated in a 48-yard touchdown strike, and the Cardinals went on to win, 31-14.
Sunday's game was the fourth in which Stanton has played this season. He has completed 49. 5 percent of his passes for 614 yards and three touchdowns. Stanton has yet to throw an interception, and the Cardinals have a record of 2-1 in games he has started.
Palmer had completed 62.9 percent of his passes for 1,626 yards and 11 touchdowns. He had thrown just three interceptions and fumbled once, and his passer rating was the highest it has been since 2005.
The Cardinals obviously believed in Palmer, having just given him a contract extension, but Lions head coach Jim Caldwell cautioned that the loss of the quarterback hardly means Arizona will be less dangerous Sunday.
"Obviously, having a chance to look at [Stanton] coming out of college, he's a talented guy, certainly had a lot of ability," Caldwell said. "He's a quality guy, and not only that, that's a really good football team with a real fine defense. The one thing about quarterbacks is that they don't have to go in there and do it alone, they can run the ball, they're a well-coached bunch, and he's part of that. He can deliver the ball, he's an accurate guy, hasn't thrown an interception I don't think this year, maybe if so it's one or very few. He operates extremely well."
Stanton's connections with the state of Michigan run deep. He was a star at Harrison High School in Farmington Hills, leading the team to championships in 2000 and 2001, and he played his college ball at Michigan State. The Lions drafted Stanton in the second round in 2007.
