TEMPE, Ariz. -- Logan Thomas' heartbeat didn’t speed up when he put on his helmet and began warming up two Sundays ago as Drew Stanton lay on the field following a vicious hit.
The Arizona Cardinals' rookie quarterback was as close as he’s been to getting his first NFL snap, but Stanton was fine and Thomas stayed on the sideline. With Carson Palmer out for the third straight game, however, Thomas continues to be one snap away from the field.
But the intimidating idea doesn’t seem to affect Thomas, Arizona’s fourth-round pick this season, because he’s been in this position before. He redshirted his freshman year at Virginia Tech but traveled and, as a sophomore, he sat behind Tyrod Taylor.
“I have plenty of confidence for me,” he said. “It’s just going out there and doing it. Around here the motto is next man up. That’s how it has to be. Drew’s done a great job. If anything were to happen to Drew, then it’s my job to do the same.”
Thomas couldn’t have asked for a better quarterback to back up than Stanton, who has spent his eight-year career one snap away from playing.
He’s given Thomas “bits and pieces” to absorb and Stanton has seen Thomas do a good job of picking up what Stanton and Palmer are teaching him.
“He’s learning on the fly,” Stanton said. “That’s what you need to do in this league. As a backup, like I said time and time again, you prepare differently, especially if you’re the third guy and you’re inactive. There’s no chance of getting in.
“Now there’s a better chance of it but I think he’s learning. He’s asking questions and kind of taking it in stride, but he’s doing a good job of it as well.”
Once considered a project, Thomas is the Cardinals’ next best option should Stanton go down. If Arizona is forced to turn to Thomas, his recent performances in practice have coach Bruce Arians believing in his rookie slinger.
“Much more accurate,” Arians said. “When he was taking reps last week, he was good with the football. He had a couple of interceptions but they were balls that bounced off of people’s hands -- the hot balls that they weren’t used to catching.
“But he was on time where he was supposed to be and it was very refreshing to see, having not gotten any reps.”