The Arizona Cardinals are expected to start quarterback Blaine Gabbert this weekend when they travel to face the Houston Texans. Drew Stanton suffered a knee sprain last week, and while he got some practice work in, it sounds like he will not be able to play.
Gabbert has had a rocky career, on his third team since the Jacksonville Jaguars spent the tenth overall pick on him in 2011. He joined the San Francisco 49ers in 2014, and got a starting opportunity the second half of 2015 and the first five games of 2016. He had some positive moments, but generally played about how one would expect from Gabbert.
Cardinals head coach Bruce Arians was asked why Gabbert has a bad rap after six seasons in the NFL. He did not beat around the bush.
Bruce Arians on why Blaine Gabbert has had a bad rap throughout his career: "He was on really shitty teams.”
— Josh Weinfuss (@joshweinfuss) November 15, 2017
It is true that he has started for some really bad football teams. I won’t deny that. There are two issues with this however. The first is that it doesn’t change the fact that he is not a particularly good NFL quarterback. He’s a capable backup, but he is not starter quality.
The second is what we are supposed to make of the Cardinals in 2017. I wouldn’t say they are “really shitty” (site decorum lifted in using Arians’ language), but they are not good. They are a little better than “really shitty,” but I would say they are one of the worst 4-5 teams in the league. The other teams with the same record include Baltimore, Oakland, Miami, and Washington. Arizona is probably better than Miami, but it’s a slim margin. It’s not saying much to be the best 4-5 team in the league, but the Cardinals are pretty bad.