Max Hall is a great story, and there’s no shortage of reasons why.

And in helping lead the Cardinals over Drew Brees and the defending champions, Hall added one more sidenote to his storyline: He became the first undrafted rookie quarterback to start by Week 5 of his rookie season since Jim Zorn did it for the Seahawks in Week 1 of the 1976 season.

Cardinals coach Ken Whisenhunt has talked up Hall since training camp, even when it seemed like a risk to have two rookie quarterbacks behind starter Derek Anderson.

But what was once risk, Paola Boivin of The Arizona Republic says at the very least, the rookie quarterback offers the Cardinals something they haven’t had since Kurt Warner left town: Hope.

The reaction was similar from Darren Urban, who wrote Hall engenders confidence by the way he plays.

Here’s a sampling of reaction from his teammates:

Levi Brown: “He’s a tough little guy. He’s trying to gain respect of the team and I think he has it now. He doesn’t need to do that anymore. But he’s trying to make plays.”

Larry Fitzgerald: “He makes you want to get behind him and support him. He’s fiery. Spunky. In the huddle, he demands your attention. No talking.”

Beanie Wells: “The guy knows when to step up and say something. I never would have had the guts to do that as a rookie.”

We’ll hear more about Hall in the coming days, and I’m just waiting for someone to utter the words “gritty, gutty Max Hall.” While he’ll certainly continue to take his lumps as a rookie quarterback in the NFL, it sounds like he’s got the Cardinals believing.

– Frank Tadych

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