Has Leinart proven he’s capable of being a starter?
The Arizona Cardinals tried what they could to keep Kurt Warner around for another season. They practically begged him, even offering a raise in his contract, but Warner decided that after his concussions and other injuries, that he was done and retired. He will now start his broadcasting career as he starts a new job at FOX this season.
With Warner out, the door was wide open for Matt Leinart to take the reins and lead the Cardinals even further than Warner was able to. So far Leinart has not proven that he’s ready and if he’s not ready by now, he’ll never be.
Leinart was drafted in the first round of the 2006 draft, a class which included Vince Young and Jay Cutler. Young and Cutler have not lived up to their full billings yet, but at least they’ve started games and they’ve shown good signs. Leinart has not and he’s had the last two and a half seasons to learn from Warner.
Warner took over the starting job in 2007 and ended the season strong even though the Cardinals missed the playoffs. In a full season as a starter, Warner took the Cardinals all the way to their first Super Bowl and came up just short of a championship. Last year he took them to their second straight division title before losing to the eventual Super Bowl champion the New Orleans Saints in the divisional round; Warner had been pondering retirement all season and called it quits days after the loss. Coach Ken Whisenhunt and Cards’ management tried to keep Warner but to no avail.
With this team now Leinart’s again, his transition has not been smooth. He has been missing his best receiver Larry Fitzgerald with a sprained knee but he still has to earn what he’s getting. You don’t hear anyone lobbying for the team to insert Derek Anderson as the starter but you may hear cries from Cardinals fans for Warner to come out of retirement a la Brett Favre. That likely won’t happen as Warner didn’t take very long to make his decision in January.
Leinart can only be regarded as a bust so far. It’s been four years since he was drafted and he hasn’t been making significant strides in that time. You have to wonder how much longer the Cardinals would be willing to keep him around.
Leinart took over as the starter in 2006 after ironically, Kurt Warner had a poor start to the season. Leinart showed some promise, passing for 2,547 yards and 11 touchdowns in 11 starts. He started in only five games in 2007, before suffering a fractured collarbone and going on injured reserve. That opened the door for Warner to revive his career and he took full advantage and never relinquished the starting job.
It will be tough now for Leinart to replace a future Hall-of-Fame quarterback but he does have to show that he has a future as a starter in the NFL. The Cardinals invested a lot in him, signing him to a six-year deal worth $51 million in 2006. With all that money invested in him and only two years left on his contract, if Leinart doesn’t bring it this year, then the Cards likely won’t think twice in getting rid of him and drafting a new quarterback next year.
This is Leinart’s final chance this year. He has not lived up to the value of his contract, spending most of his career on the sidelines. That’s not what the Cardinals had in mind when they drafted him and their patience has to be wearing thin.
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