Arians going back to Stanton as Cardinals’ QB
Gabbert out as starter after loss to Redskins
TEMPE — Drew Stanton will be back at starting quarterback for Arizona when the New York Giants come to the desert for the Cardinals’ final home game of the season on Sunday.
Coach Bruce Arians announced the move Monday, benching Blaine Gabbert after five starts.
“I just think Drew’s going to give us a better chance to win this game this week, and that’s all it’s about,” Arians said. “We’re not going to throw our hands up and say, ‘Hey, let’s lose the games, get a better draft pick.’ ... We’re going to take the guys we think can win this game and go win this game.”
The colorful coach added an expletive to describe what he thinks of losing games on purpose. Arians went out of his way to avoid direct criticism of Gabbert. “It’s hard,” the coach said. “I think Blaine is a player. I really do. I think he has a great future. Some of those things, he’s experiencing for the first time, and it’s not a lack of talent. It’s just a lack of experience in this offense.”
But Arians said he decided to make the quarterback switch “after watching the film today.”
Gabbert, signed in the offseason as the team’s No. 3 quarterback, completed 16 of 41 passes for 189 yards, lost a fumble and threw an interception in Arizona’s 20-15 loss to the Washington Redskins on Sunday.
Arians’ announcement came the same day that general manager Steve Keim issued a public apology to fans for the team’s lack of success. The Cardi-