Matt Leinart signs with Texans, T.J. Houshmandzadeh with Ravens
When Derek Anderson got the start at quarterback for the second straight game during the Arizona Cardinals final pre-season game, many wondered if this was a temporary move. After the Cardinals released Matt Leinart, the 10th overall pick in the 2006 draft, we got our answer.
But it didn’t take Leinart long before a new team would acquire him, as the Houston Texans agreed to sign Leinart to a one-year deal. The official terms of the deal were undisclosed.
The Cardinals’ former first-round pick, Leinart, was the odds-on favorite to win the starting gig after Kurt Warner retired, but after two pre-season starts, Arizona’s head coach Ken Whisenhunt saw enough, and Leinart’s future in the desert was over.
Leinart went public with his belief that he outperformed Anderson at training camp and during the pre-season, and went a step further expressing his beliefs that he did not get the starting job because Whisenhunt had a personal grudge against him.
The Texans were looking for a backup quarterback after Dan Orlovsky failed to impress in the pre-season, throwing two interceptions in Houston's last exhibition game.
Leinart,entering his fifth season, will once again be on the bench this season as he joins a quarterback crew in Houston that is led by starter Matt Schaub and backup Orlovsky. Leinart is expected to challenge Orlovsky for the backup role. Leinart threw for 3,893 yards with 14 touchdowns and 20 interceptions with Arizona, and much like Orlovsky, remains unproven in the NFL.
It was speculated that Seatlle Seahawks head Coach Pete Carroll, who coached Leinart at U.S.C., might have been interested in his former quarterback, but no offer was ever made, and it appears that Carroll is going to stick with the veteran Matt Hasselbeck.
T.J. Houshmandzadeh joins the Baltimore Ravens.
In the other big free-agent moves, Seattle released receiver T. J. Houshmandzadeh, which allowed the Baltimore Ravens to sign him to a one-year deal. Houshmandzadeh wanted out of Seattle for the chance to play on a team that has a legitimate chance at winning the Super Bowl. Houshmandzadeh desperately wanted to play for the Ravens and Baltimore also showed interest in the receiver. The Ravens’ star defensive player Ray Lewis called Houshmandzadeh to persuade him to join the team.
“Ray [Lewis] said, ‘If you want to win, this is the place to be.’ The way he is on the field is how he is off the field: Passionate. Our conversation was passionate and insightful,” Houshmandzadeh said.
Houshmandzadeh, a 10-year veteran, will join a talented receiving corps led by Derrick Mason and Anquan Boldin.
Boldin was added this spring to give quarterback Joe Flacco a reliable target opposite of Mason. Now with Houshmandzadeh, who caught 79 passes last season for 911 yards and three touchdowns, on the depth chart, Flacco will have one of the most dynamic and talented receivers at his disposal.
"The first things that pop out at you about T.J. are that he has been very productive and durable in his first nine years in the NFL,” Ravens general manager Ozzie Newsome said in a statement. “We had interest in him a year ago when he first became a free agent before he signed with Seattle."
With Flacco becoming a more mature player who understands the Ravens passing attack, he should have a great season and put up terrifc numbers with his three solid wideouts. Houshmandzadeh is great in the short passing game and is extremely productive catching passes in the middle of the field. His addition instantly upgrades Baltimore’s offence.
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