We ALWAYS have a choice-----I believe that Drew Stanton is now, and always has been, a backup quarter back in the NFL Granted, he starts for the Cardinals now, but that does not change the fact that he is a backup quality player.
Is he making strides to becoming a starting caliber QB? Probably. Has he reached that point yet? Probably not. He knows the playbook, due to his previous time under Coach Arians. He knows the playbook well enough that BA doesn't have to cull it in order for Drew to be able to function in it. BUT-----Drew simply does not have the same command of the offense that Carson Palmer has, so far as execution of the offense is concerned.
Palmer is much quicker at making reads. Stanton has trouble getting past his first read. Palmer is able to forget a bad play and go on with the game far easier than Stanton is. Palmer could throw a pick, and then go and throw a TD on the next series after the pick. Stanton threw two TD's early against the Lions, then threw a pick. He hasn't thrown a TD since, (except for the one that Juron Brown dropped just before halftime in the Seattle game). He hasn't led the team on any TD drive since he threw the 2 picks against the Lions. To me, that is telling.
It would appear that Stanton has a long memory of his bad plays, and has trouble forgetting the picks, and going on about his business. He seems more tentative, seeming to play more of a close in game as if his confidence has been shaken on the long passes.
Granted, he was getting pressured a lot by the Seattle defense. Their defense DID play a very good game, limiting our ability to run, and smothering our top receiver, Michael Floyd the whole game. As the hits and hurries came, Stanton seemed to go farther and farther away from the long pass, settling into short routes, often not long enough to convert on third down even if caught. I don't know if some of that was due to BA's play calling, or if it was all on Stanton, but the passing game definitely shortened up.
Stanton arguably has a better completion percentage at home than on the road, although there is not a real good volume of starts yet to make that a real significant point. Right now it appears to be a confidence thing with him.
Playing the Falcons in Atlanta on Sunday, may help his confidence some. They ARE not a good defensive football team. Stanton should be able to get back into a comfort zone and make some progress. I believe THAT is needed at this point in the season. I also believe that if he gets a couple of good wins under his belt at this time of year, he may also take a big step into becoming a genuine starting caliber quarter back. We shall see.