here's the article:
Cards to assess situation at QB
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Kent Somers
The Arizona Republic
Dec. 4, 2003 12:00 AM
It's December, but the Cardinals are already glancing ahead to April and the NFL draft.
That's why it's likely backup quarterbacks Josh McCown and Preston Parsons will play in the team's final four games this year, although no one will say when or how much.
"I think we need to find out where we stand with all three of our quarterbacks," said Rod Graves, vice president for football operations, "and hopefully we'll have that opportunity before the end of the season."
With a 3-9 record, the Cardinals are headed toward a top-five draft pick and the opportunity to take a quarterback, possibly Mississippi's Eli Manning.
How McCown and Parsons fare in the final month could determine the team's draft strategy.
"Hopefully, we can win, and hopefully they'll trust in what they see whenever I get the opportunity to play," McCown said.
Jake and Blake
Jake Plummer has shown that he can be an above-average quarterback given a strong supporting cast. Jeff Blake, meanwhile, has not been able to carry the Cardinals.
Player/games Cmp./att. Yds./avg. TDs/INTs Sacked Rating
Blake/12 200-347 2,188/182.3 13/14 18 72.1
Plummer/8 133-220 1,437/179.6 13/5 11 89.9
Source: NFL.com.
Jeff Blake will start his 13th game for the Cardinals on Sunday in San Francisco, but McCown could play at a significant point in the game. And in the final three weeks, Parsons, the No. 3 quarterback, is expected to play.
That would mean either McCown or Blake would be the third quarterback for that game.
Blake, in his 12th season, was signed in the off-season to serve as a bridge to the future, presumably one that included McCown. But McCown, a third-round pick out of Sam Houston State in 2002, has looked shaky in brief appearances this season.
He has yet to throw a touchdown pass and has made several poor decisions that resulted in four interceptions.
McCown has played just one time with the game in doubt, against Seattle in the second week of this season. Blake left with a bruised heel, and McCown completed 18 of 32 for 150 yards. He was intercepted twice.
Landing a legend?
The Cardinals did not believe they had a need to select a top-rated quarterback after drafting Jake Plummer in 1997. In the past two drafts, however, as it became clear Plummer was not the answer, Arizona could have had several quarterbacks with reasonably bright futures.
2002: David Carr (1st overall) and Joey Harrington (No. 3) were gone by the time the Cardinals selected at No. 12. The only player worth a look at that point was Patrick Ramsey, who went 32nd in the first round.
2003: This year's draft afforded the Cardinals, who subsequently traded down, the chance to pick Byron Leftwich (selected No. 7), Kyle Boller (19) or Rex Grossman (22).
Three weeks ago in Cleveland, he threw two poor passes that were intercepted. He was nearly intercepted the following week against St. Louis.
His performance has management and coaches wondering whether he's a viable starter. Some in the organization think Parsons, also in his second year, might be better.
Parsons made the team last year as an undrafted rookie from Northern Arizona but has yet to play in a regular-season game. He was impressive this past preseason.
If McCown and Parsons fail to impress in the final month, the club must consider drafting a quarterback next spring.
Four other teams - Oakland, Atlanta, San Diego and Jacksonville - have won three or fewer games this season and could pick ahead of the Cardinals. But of the four, only Oakland has a serious need for a quarterback.
Other teams with a need at quarterback could trade up, however, in an effort to get Manning, regarded at this early stage as the best quarterback available.
Blake has been through all of this before. He was the starter in Cincinnati when the Bengals drafted Akili Smith in the first round in 1999. Blake moved to New Orleans the next year, was injured and lost his job to Aaron Brooks, obtained that year in a trade with Green Bay.
"It's nothing new to me," said Blake, who vowed to fight for the job. "I'm not going to quit. I'm not going to give up. I'm going to keep working hard and stay in the game."
Notes
Cornerback Renaldo Hill (ankle) went through a limited workout Wednesday and is questionable for Sunday's game. Safety Dexter Jackson (ribs, back) didn't practice and is questionable. Defensive tackle Marcus Bell (quadriceps) and tight end Freddie Jones (arm) didn't practice but are probable. Offensive tackle L.J. Shelton aggravated a right arm injury Wednesday, but it's not believed to be serious.
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TEAM NOTES
NFC
FALCONS: The Falcons have the worst record in the league but at least have optimism heading into this week's game. Michael Vick is returning to the starting lineup. Vick, voted to the Pro Bowl last year, is scheduled to start at quarterback against the Carolina Panthers on Sunday night, his first of the season after breaking his right leg during the Falcons' second preseason game almost four months ago.
• Four months after he vowed to "fight" and "destroy" a sex-discrimination lawsuit against him, Atlanta Falcons owner Arthur Blank has settled the case.
• The Falcons signed second-year CB and KR Derek Ross one day after the Cowboys released him.
EAGLES: Donovan McNabb has turned a distressing start into a special season. The three-time All-Pro QB has rebounded from the worst stretch of his five-year career to lead the Eagles to seven straight victories. His outstanding performance in the past five games earned him the NFC Player of the Month award.
AFC
BROWNS: Suspended RB William Green will have a March 8 pretrial hearing on drunken driving and marijuana possession charges. He appeared in court Wednesday, when the hearing had been scheduled. Green's lawyer was granted the new date, telling the judge he recently moved his office and did not receive case documents. Green was suspended four games Nov. 8 for a violating the league's substance-abuse program. The second-year back was eligible to return to the team Monday, but the league Tuesday extended his suspension for "treatment purposes."
PATRIOTS: New England signed rookie P Brooks Barnard to replace veteran Ken Walter, who was released. Barnard was a two-time all-ACC punter at Maryland, where he was the school's career leader in punting average.
CHARGERS: Coach Marty Schottenheimer will stick with Doug Flutie for Sunday's game at Detroit - even though the 41-year-old quarterback has delivered just one win in four starts since replacing the ineffective Drew Brees.
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NFL INJURY UPDATE
NFC
49ERS: RB Garrison Hearst will miss the game against the Cardinals on Sunday with a sprained right knee. Hearst, who leads the 49ers with 768 yards rushing, was injured in the third quarter of San Francisco's loss at Baltimore last week. He had minor arthroscopic surgery Tuesday to repair cartilage in the knee, and he was on crutches Wednesday.
PACKERS: Safety Antuan Edwards has a torn hamstring tendon behind his left knee and will have another magnetic resonance imaging exam in a few days to determine if season-ending surgery is necessary.
AFC
BILLS: QB Drew Bledsoe missed practice, feeling tired and dizzy and unsure if he will play against the Jets this weekend. Bledsoe refused to describe his symptoms as concussion-related. But he said they stem from a helmet-to-helmet hit that forced him to miss the final 19 minutes of Sunday's 24-7 win over the New York Giants. He is listed as probable, meaning there is a 75 percent chance he will play in Sunday's home game. This was the second straight week in which he took a blow to the head.
• LT Jonas Jennings will miss the final four games of the regular season because of a broken right toe. Jennings, a third-year veteran, was injured during the fourth quarter Sunday.
TEXANS: QB David Carr (sprained shoulder) practiced lightly and remains on track to start Sunday. Carr did little throwing on the side and was limited to handing off in drills.
• RB Domanick Davis was held out of workouts with injuries to both legs.
BRONCOS: Kick returner and backup receiver Chris Cole (ribs) won't play Sunday, and the team isn't sure if he will be available again this season.