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Former Hokie Logan Thomas Will Make His First NFL Start

By Tim Thomas

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Oct 5, 2014; Denver, CO, USA; Arizona Cardinals quarterback Logan Thomas (6) during the game against the Denver Broncos at Sports Authority Field at Mile High. Mandatory Credit: Chris Humphreys-USA TODAY Sports

This time last year, Logan Thomas was preparing for his final game of his college football career with the Virginia Tech Hokies in the Sun Bowl against the UCLA Bruins. That game went quite poorly as Thomas was injured in the game, and the Hokies were blown out by the Bruins in El Paso.

Thomas was drafted by the Arizona Cardinals in the third round of the 2014 NFL Draft which was not a major surprise. All analysts agreed that Thomas was a developmental quarterback that needed some time on the bench to develop before becoming a starting quarterback.

Thomas was known for having a strong arm, but Thomas was unable to reach his potential in Blacksburg due to his inconsistent accuracy. Thomas also is a mobile quarterback that is a power runner when he has to run the football.

Thomas started the season as the number 3 quarterback for the Arizona Cardinals, but as forced to play some snaps against the Denver Broncos. Arizona signed Ryan Lindley after Carson Palmer and Drew Stanton both went down for the season, but Lindley struggled against the Seattle Seahawks, and Thomas played a few snaps.

Arizona Cardinals head coach and former Virginia Tech quarterback Bruce Arians made a big statement on the Cardinals’ starting quarterback for their week 17 game against the San Francisco 49ers.

No one would have expected one year ago that Thomas would be the starting quarterback for a playoff team, but that is what injuries can force in some cases.

Dec 21, 2014; Glendale, AZ, USA; Arizona Cardinals quarterback Logan Thomas (6) warms up on the sidelines against the Seattle Seahawks at University of Phoenix Stadium. The Seahawks defeated the Cardinals 35-6. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports

Most Hokie fans know that Virginia Tech does not have a great tradition of developing NFL quarterbacks. As long as Thomas starts as expected, he will become the fifth Hokie QB to start a game in the NFL joining Don Strock, Will Furrer, Jim Druckenmiller, and Michael Vick with Vick being the only one to start more than once in the NFL.

This start will be Logan Thomas’s chance to prove that he should be the starter for the Cardinals in the playoffs over Ryan Lindley. Of course, the bar has been set fairly low for Thomas, but if he can lead the Cardinals to victory in this game, he will almost certainly start in their playoff game.

Arians likely has a good feel for Thomas’s current skills and it would not surprise me if they have some sort of read option package with Thomas’s size and mobility. Virginia Tech fans know of how Thomas can be a power runner and if executed properly, Thomas could be effective in a read option.

Arians will likely call mostly run plays on first down in this game with the hope that Andre Ellington and Stepfan Taylor can be productive after struggling against the Seattle Seahawks. If the Cardinals are successful in doing that, Thomas should have some opportunities to do some damage off of play action passes.

Thomas also has some very good wide receivers to work with in Larry Fitzgerald, John Brown, and Michael Floyd. This did not seem to help Ryan Lindley too much last week but could definitely help Thomas out if he makes some decent throws.

However, this is definitely a very exciting moment for Logan Thomas who can have an impact on the 2014 NFL season depending on how well he plays for the Arizona Cardinals.

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