Call For Hall Came Too Late

Arizona Cardinals quarterback Max Hall made his NFL debut today in garbage time.  He entered with a little more than two minutes left in the game against the Atlanta Falcons.  I was more than happy to see what the young man from BYU could do when given the chance this season.  However, did the move come too late?

Sure Derek Anderson was struggling.  Yes Anderson had two interceptions and the offense was pretty stagnant for most of the day.  However, down 41-7 at that point in the game, only slightly more than two minutes, why throw Hall in there like that?  This game was pretty much decided by halftime.  Why not bring Hall in earlier to let him run the offense for a little while?  The Cards had nothing to lose at that point.  If Cards head coach Ken Whisenhunt’s thinking was they were still in the game, well, he was wrong.  If his thinking was he didn’t want to throw Hall into the fire that soon, but see what Hall could do running the two-minute offense, then it was the wrong move.

Hall completed his first pass to Steve Breaston.  His second pass was completed as well.  Unfortunately, he completed it to Falcons cornerback Dominique Franks.  You can’t blame Hall though in that situation.  He was asked to run a two-minute offense.  That means a lot of passing.

Now the questions will come this week.  Will it be Anderson or will it be Hall?  For me, the answer is simple.  The answer is Derek Anderson.  Anderson still hasn’t been given much time behind center to get a flow with the first team.  He didn’t get away with missed interceptions today, however I still believe he has not done enough to warrant a loss of his job to Hall.

There are several reasons why Anderson should still be the starter.  First, it’s way too early to hit any panic buttons.  Secondly, Anderson may perform better at home.  He also may have the benefit of a more balanced attack if he gets Beanie Wells back.  Wells has missed each of the first two games. Perhaps the most important fact is, the Cardinals are still going to be in first place in the division after all is said and done in week two.  The Seattle Seahawks lost.  The St. Louis Rams lost.  The San Francisco 49’ers are 0-1 heading into their Monday Night Football match up against the New Orleans Saints.

The decision should be an easy one for Whisenhunt.  It’s not Max Hall’s time yet, no matter how many of you Arizona Cardinals fans are wishing for it.  I realize there aren’t many Derek Anderson fans in this town.  Your comments and your tweets have made that fairly clear.  Right now though, there is no better option with a lot of the season still yet to be played.