CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) - Brian St. Pierre has thrown five passes in eight NFL seasons. He wasn’t in a training camp this summer and as recent as last week was a stay-at-home dad.
On Sunday, he’ll start for the Carolina Panthers.
A season of anemic offensive play, multiple injuries and one victory took an even stranger twist Thursday when coach John Fox picked the 30-year-old St. Pierre over rookie Tony Pike to play against Baltimore.
“The guy has been in some games,” Fox said.
That’s good enough these days to start for Carolina (1-8), the NFL’s lowest scoring team that has scored nine touchdowns and has no healthy, experienced quarterback.
Rookie Jimmy Clausen missed practice again Thursday with a concussion sustained Sunday against Tampa Bay. Matt Moore was lost to a season-ending shoulder injury last week.
Pike is a sixth-round pick from Cincinnati who has appeared in one game and who Fox doesn’t think is ready to start.
Enter St. Pierre, who since being a fifth-round pick of Pittsburgh in 2003 is 2 of 5 for 12 yards, a touchdown and an interception with three teams.
“I know what the situation looks like to everyone,” St. Pierre said. “It is what it is. I’m not going to complain about it.”
St. Pierre, who had last practiced in January as he finished a stint with Arizona, was spending his days taking care of his 18-month-old son in the Boston area and doing some television work when he was signed to the practice squad on Friday. He was promoted to the active roster Tuesday.
He joked Wednesday that they put his locker by the offensive linemen because they’re “trying to tell me something about my waistline.” After splitting time with the first team Wednesday he said it was “surreal” to think he might start.
Now he really is _ and against Ray Lewis and the Ravens’ ferocious defense to boot.
“I figured with Tony being in the offense they would go that way,” said St. Pierre, who is spending 12 to 14 hours at the stadium this week in a cram session to learn the offense.
Not only will he be facing the league’s 10th-rated defense that’s had 10 days to stew over a last-minute loss to Atlanta, the Panthers will likely be without their top three running backs, No. 3 receiver and two of their starting offensive linemen.
Running backs Jonathan Stewart (concussion) and Tyrell Sutton (ankle) missed practice Thursday a day after DeAngelo Williams (foot) was placed on injured reserve.
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