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ARIZONA CARDINALS
Carson Palmer

Carson Palmer misses Cardinals practice to see nerve specialist

Bob McManaman
USA TODAY Sports
Cardinals QB Carson Palmer hasn't played since Week 1.

TEMPE, Ariz. — Drew Stanton didn't do a whole lot during the Arizona Cardinals' bye week other than fly back home to Michigan, take his son to his first Michigan State game, and attend his father-in-law's retirement party from General Motors.

"I tried to make things as simple as possible, not really complicated," Stanton said.

It's kind of complicated when it comes to the Cardinals' quarterback situation, however.

Carson Palmer was allowed to skip practice on Wednesday so he could elicit a second opinion from a specialist regarding the troublesome nerve issue in his passing shoulder. It has forced him to miss the Cardinals' past two games and it could keep him out of Sunday's showdown in Denver against Peyton Manning and the Broncos.

Cards coach Bruce Arians said the team needs "two good days, or a day and a half" of practice out of Palmer, and that Palmer must show his "full-speed delivery and not a soft toss" in order to start against the Broncos.

"He has to be back full-tilt," Arians added.

If he isn't, the job once again this week will fall to Stanton, who is 2-0 in Palmer's absence. He's completed 32 of 62 passes (51.6%) for 411 yards and two touchdowns with no interceptions.

"If Carson's able to play, he's going to go back to being a starter and I'm going to go back to supporting him. I'm fine with that," Stanton said Wednesday.

"My biggest goal is to not let my teammates down. That's what I need to continue to do and prepare for and that's what motivates me."

With a win Sunday, the Cardinals (3-0) would remain in sole possession of first place in the NFC West and continue to gain attention as a viable contender. They have never beaten the Broncos in Denver, however, losing in all four tries.

Can Stanton save the day and somehow find a way to outshine Manning, the league's five-time Most Valuable Player?

"Well, he beat his little brother," Arians said, referring to Stanton's first start this season when the Cardinals beat Eli Manning and the Giants in Week 2. "But it isn't the same. Denver is a different football team. They have a great defense. The big thing is don't go out there and do things you don't normally do. You don't have to do anything special. Rely on the defense and the kicking game and make plays like he did against Frisco. He played smart, not scared."

Arians said it's too early to rule Palmer out of this game just yet, although he added it's probably doubtful that the quarterback will be able to give it a go today.

"Hopefully, he'll get there, find an answer, find a treatment and get back," Arians said. "Then hopefully Friday, whatever we find out will work and he'll be able to go."

Arians said the team still considers Palmer's shoulder issue a "week-to-week" injury. If the team suspects his situation is more of a long-term problem, he added, the Cardinals could always put him on injured reserve with a chance to return later in the season.

"But we're not even close to that yet," Arians said.

Palmer's shoulder regressed, the coach said, after he threw a bunch last Thursday and Friday in workouts. His passes were sailing a good 30 to 40 yards and he was really in no pain.

"It was afterwards," Arians said. "Something swelled back around the nerve and it went back to sleep."

If Palmer can't throw, he likely will be deactivated for Sunday's game. Rookie Logan Thomas would be the backup behind Stanton, and Arians said Thomas "is getting better."

"Drew's up and ready to go and everybody has all the confidence in the world in Drew," Arians said.

Stanton's confidence has risen rapidly in the past few weeks after having gone nearly four full years without throwing a pass in a regular-season game. He gives a lot of the credit to Palmer, who has been a caring mentor.

"I think he's done an unbelievable job of being professional," Stanton said. "He's been a huge advocate for me, helping me feel comfortable out there and trying to help this offense be as successful as possible."

Arians said the team doesn't have a fourth emergency quarterback, although receiver Ted Ginn Jr. said he's be happy to help if called upon. He played quarterback in high school and again for a few games during his freshman year in college.

"I can hand it off, throw you a nice slant and I can run with it, too," said Ginn, who did complete one pass for 10 yards against the 49ers.

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McManaman writes for The Arizona Republic

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