Brian St. Pierre, a 31 year old quarterback with five career pass attempts that was out of the NFL until two weeks ago, will start for the Carolina Panthers on Sunday.

John Fox announced the decision to a somewhat stunned Panthers press corps.

“This is not a joke,” Darin Gantt of the Rock Hill Herald wrote on Twitter. “This move is impossible to justify. Fox offered “it is what it is.” Seen a lot of crazy stuff here over the years. Nothing quite like this.

It’s a little like when the team brought back Vinny Testeverde to start, except Testaverde had a very long track record of success. St. Pierre was chosen over sixth-round rookie Tony Pike.

From an outsider’s perspective, it doesn’t seem so crazy in the context of this deeply depressing Panthers season. Jimmy Clausen is apparently out. Is Pike the quarterback of the future? No way. If St. Pierre gives the team a better chance to win against a veteran Ravens team, it’s only fair to the other 52 Panthers to play him this week.

UPDATE: Terrell Suggs was asked what he knows about St. Pierre by WNST: “I know how to get after his ass.”