The Dallas Cowboys beat the Arizona Cardinals 20-18 in the Hall of Fame Game Thursday evening, but the story of the game might have been Blaine Gabbert. The Cardinals third string quarterback completed 11 of 14 passes for 185 yards, including eight straight completions to open the game. He found open receivers and looked mostly good. He had some Gabbert brain farts as well, but all in all, it was a good performance.
That performance also came against second and third string Cowboys defensive players. He cannot control who the Cowboys play in a preseason game, but it is certainly worth tempering expectations for Cardinals fans.
Well, maybe not.
Gabbert was the 10th pick in the 2011 draft; he might've helped his chances as the #AZCardinals No. 2 QB tonight. https://t.co/by1a4BLpWG
— azcentral sports (@azcsports) August 4, 2017
Another question: Could Gabbert progress enough to become a possible successor to Palmer? https://t.co/72l3iGxtbj
— Sarah McLellan (@azc_mclellan) August 4, 2017
I think the first tweet about him fighting for the backup job is reasonable. Drew Stanton is a capable backup, but he hasn’t done anything that would make his job locked in. If he struggles and Gabbert can play anywhere near what we saw in the Hall of Fame Game, it might be enough to claim Stanton’s No. 2 job.
As for the latter tweet? Yea, umm, no. But that won’t stop the hype train. Just ask Cris Collinsworth.
" I don't know Blaine Gabbert had this kind of arm." - Chris Collinsworth.
— Jennifer Lee Chan (@jenniferleechan) August 4, 2017