Despite pleads to get then-rookie QB Logan Thomas to play in relief for Carson Palmer and Drew Stanton in 2014, Bruce Arians chose not to.
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Arizona Cardinals head coach Bruce Arians admitted that one of the reasons he refused to play QB Logan Thomas at the end of the 2014 season was because he didn’t want to let Thomas fail.
In an interview with the Arizona Cardinals’ official website, Arians said that Thomas was not ready to be an NFL starter and didn’t want to set him up to fail, even though the Cardinals severely needed good play at the QB position at the end of the 2014 season, when the plan was to make Thomas a project for several years.
“We drafted him for two years from now, not November,” Arians said. “It just so happened his number got called (earlier.) I was not going to let him fail (in San Francisco) because once you fail those scars never go away… It’s very hard to get the guys back in the locker room if you cost them the playoffs. I just wasn’t going to put him in that situation. Right or wrong, it just was my decision.”
As a starting QB at Virginia Tech from 2012 to 2013, Thomas passed for just under 6,000 yards and 34 passing TDs. The strong-armed QB was drafted 120th overall by the Cardinals in the 4th round of the 2014 NFL draft. He ended up playing in just two games and had just one completion – a TD pass to RB Andre Ellington in a loss to the Denver Broncos.
Despite losing both of his starting QBs – Carson Palmer and Drew Stanton – due to injuries, Arians was still able to lead the Cardinals to an 11-5 record and their first playoff appearance since 2009. For his efforts, he was named the NFL Coach of the Year by the Associated Press – his second time winning the award in the last three seasons. He had previously won the award with the Indianapolis Colts when he served as interim head coach for Chuck Pagano, who was undergoing treatment for cancer.
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