Stanback grabs the spotlight

Isaiah Stanback had a strong first few days of training camp but had slipped into the shadows a bit in the last week. Last night he came back out to the spotlight.

Stanback made the catch of the game, jumping up for a one-handed grab over cornerback Kevin Rutland and a 5-yard touchdown pass from David Carr.

“It was a fade route,” Stanback said. “It was hard to see the ball coming out of the quarterback’s hand. I was able to pick up the ball and come down with the play.”

Stanback said he made the one-handed catch because that’s all he had available.

“(Rutland) was holding me,” Stanback said. “He had my left arm so I grabbed it with my right and made sure I got my feet in. You have to make it happen. The coaches don’t want to hear he was holding you when you come to the sideline. You just try to do the best you can.”

Incidentally, Jerrel Jernigan nearly made a one-handed catch in the end zone earlier. He, too, appeared to be held (and also took a shot to the face) but could not make the grab.

As for Stanback’s catch, he knew it was coming his way before the ball was snapped.

“When we broke the huddle he said, ‘Hey, D.C.,’ and he nodded at me,” Carr said. “It was one-on-one over there and he made a fantastic play.”