Arizona Cardinals: Quarterback grades vs Chiefs

Aug 15, 2015; Glendale, AZ, USA; Arizona Cardinals quarterback Logan Thomas (6) prepares to start the play during the first half against the Kansas City Chiefs in a preseason NFL football game at University of Phoenix Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Matt Kartozian-USA TODAY Sports

Logan Thomas

I will admit, he did look better than the guy who was named starter for the final game of the 2014 regular season and be yanked from that job after just one practice in lieu of Ryan Lindley.  Coach Bruce Arians was not happy with him in minicamp and basically said he didn’t know what Thomas was doing out on the field.

Thomas did show some improvement Saturday night.  He was able to show his pocket presence by being able to step up in the pocket to avoid the rush.  His footwork was good too.  He ended up 9-15 for 107 yards and an interception.

The interception was partly his fault and partly that of receiver Jaron Brown.  Yes, Thomas put the ball right in the pads of Brown and he should have caught the pass that bounced off of him and into the hands of Chiefs linebacker Ramik Wilson.  However Thomas threw him a bullet.  It was not a situation in which Thomas needed to throw the ball with that kind of authority.  You could see Arians asking him about it as he was walking to the sideline.

Overall I will give Thomas a “C” for Saturday night.  For him, I believe that’s an improvement.  Let’s hope he continues in the same direction next week.

Phillip Sims

The thing I loved most about Sims was his ability to scramble.  He went 3-12 for 49 yards.  Now, some of those incompletions were due to good Chiefs coverage but some of his passes looked wobbly.  The arm looked good though.

Sims had to avoid the rush on most of the passing plays.  The backup offensive line didn’t do him any favors.  Simes also looked a little hesitant on some of his throws but that’s to be expected from a guy seeing his first ever NFL action.

Arians hasn’t announced the rotation for next week’s game against the San Diego Chargers but my guess is we will get a good look at him next week as well.  If he is still around in week four of the preseason before final cuts then the final preseason game against the Denver Broncos we could see a bit of him as well.

For Saturday night though I will give Sims a “C-” for his overall effort.  He did a good job avoiding the rush and breaking out of tackles, so I have to give him props for that.  The rest of it though leaves me wondering if Thomas has the third quarterback spot already firmly in hand?  We shall see soon.