Drew Stanton: Elder statesman of Spartan QBs in the NFL
Drew Stanton has become the unofficial older brother of Michigan State quarterbacks, even though he might not see it that way.
The Arizona Cardinals backup entered pro football without an MSU mentor in the league. He has taken it upon himself since leaving East Lansing as the elder Spartan statesman to provide guidance to those who have followed his path to the NFL.
“I try to be a sounding board for them as someone who has been in their shoes,” said Stanton, who is preparing for his 10th professional season. “I don’t know what that relationship looks like or how you can quantify it. But more so than anything, it’s from the standpoint of just trying to help them to not make the same mistakes I made or be there for encouragement.”
Stanton also returns to mid-Michigan annually for his High 5ive Foundation charity golf outing and auction, which are Friday at Hawk Hollow Golf Course in Bath Township. It’s the eighth year overall for his event and the seventh held in the Lansing area.
Among those expected to attend are MSU football coach Mark Dantonio, Bengals cornerback Darqueze Dennard, Cardinals receiver Larry Fitzgerald and a number of former MSU basketball and football players. Proceeds go to a number of charities, including Special Olympics Michigan, Children’s Miracle Network, Sparrow Children’s Center, Cystic Fibrosis Foundation and Orchard’s Children’s Services.
“It’s a lot of work, and as the years have progressed, we’ve gotten better and smoother,” Stanton said Wednesday via phone from his home in Arizona, where he was finishing up offseason training activities with the Cardinals. “When people get a chance to come to it, they’re kind of in awe of what we’re able to accomplish. I’m really happy to put my name on that.”
Stanton was a second-round pick of the Detroit Lions in 2007, becoming the only Spartan quarterback in the NFL after Tony Banks’ retirement in 2005. Brian Hoyer, Nick Foles, Kirk Cousins and now Connor Cook have joined Stanton in the exclusive fraternity. He also keeps in touch with MSU’s current quarterbacks as well.
“I just want to introduce myself and open the line of communication to be a resource for them,” Stanton said. “I talk to Kirk probably once a month or so and more during the season. Connor, the same thing. And Tyler O’Connor. Sometimes, it’s not so much me telling them, it’s me listening to them or giving advice where I can help. I think the big thing is in order to be open to taking advice and asking questions, you have to have the maturity to be able to handle that.
“It’s not by mistake that Brian Hoyer’s in the NFL, that Kirk Cousins is in the NFL and that Connor Cook is in the NFL. I think they do a lot of things right. And if I can help them in any way or give them encouragement, that’s what I try and do."
After leaving the Lions in 2012 for short stints with the Jets and Colts, Stanton landed in Arizona in 2013. He signed a new two-year deal in March worth $6.5 million to serve as an experienced presence behind starter Carson Palmer.
When Palmer got knocked out for the season with a torn knee ligament in 2014, Stanton started eight games before a knee injury of his own ended his own season prematurely. The Cardinals went to the playoffs that season and again in 2015, losing to Carolina in the NFC Championship game after the Panthers ousted them a year earlier.
“It’s veteran guys, and they’re particular who they add around here,” said Stanton, who appeared in seven games last season and was 11 of 25 for 104 yards. “They’re not just going to add someone because they’re a good talent, and they’re not just going to keep somebody because they’re a good guy. You have to have a mixture of both, and I think we’ve found that. Guys accept their roles.”
Contact Chris Solari at (517) 377-1070, csolari@lsj.com or on Twitter at @chrissolari.