Poor Drew Stanton.
All the guy wants to do is be a second-string quarterback. This isn't really asking much, you know? It's kind of like getting a wish from a genie and requesting a ham sandwich. But the football gods -- or more accurately, unkind general managers -- continue to toy with him.
The Jets signed Stanton to backup Mark Sanchez, then granted Stanton his request for a trade when they dealt for Tim Tebow. Stanton landed with the Colts, where it was presumed he would backup either Andrew Luck or Robert Griffin III.
But hold the phone (or clipboard). The Colts are now reportedly pursuing free-agent quarterback Byron Leftwich to help teach Luck or Griffin, according to the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review.
Leftwich spent three of his last four seasons as an injury-plagued backup to Ben Roethlisberger. He's a student of the game and intimately familiar with the offensive scheme of Bruce Arians, who joined the Colts this winter after five years as O-coordinator with the Steelers.
All of this puts Stanton back in the same place he was during the wild Wednesday the Jets and Broncos danced around the Tebow deal, hoping and praying his team won't demote him before he throws a pass. Stanton left the Lions to get out of being a third-stringer. The label seems to have followed him.
