Leinart eager to seize his chance

[Jetscode1]

I like Whisenhunt and many players on the Cards roster but...anyone else suspect the starter's job will prove too much for the Hollywood QB? So glad we stayed away from him in 2006.

LOS ANGELES -- Arizona Cardinals defensive end Calais Campbell walked into the VIP Room of Lucky Strike Lanes in Hollywood on Thursday night, wrapped quarterback Matt Leinart in a massive bear hug, and whispered in his ear: "I'm hearing a lot of good things."

Word has apparently leaked back to Phoenix of Leinart's daily workouts with fellow USC quarterback alums Carson Palmer and Matt Cassel at top secret locations around Orange County. Leinart and friends have to vary their choice of local middle school and high school fields to keep USC-partisan crowds from forming in the stands.

Four years after he was drafted, Leinart remains a celebrity in Los Angeles, as evidenced by the red carpet he had to cross to enter his charity bowling event on Thursday night. In Arizona, though, he is no more than the wild card on which the upcoming season rides. If Leinart performs well, the Cardinals will probably win the NFC West for the third year in a row, which constitutes a dynasty in the desert. If he does not, he could be supplanted by Derek Anderson, just as he was supplanted by Kurt Warner.

"Matt is our guy," Campbell said. "We will live and die on his shoulders."

Leinart won the Cardinals' loyalty by waiting for it. He sat patiently on the sideline as Warner took hold of the team. Leinart clearly wished that he could be the one to guide the Cardinals to the Super Bowl, but he never said as much. He has served his penance -- and then some -- for that overblown photo of him with the girls in a Jacuzzi.

"This is the most excited I've ever been for a season by far," Leinart said. "It's the opportunity I've waited a long time for. I know this is my chance. I don't have any doubt in my mind about what I can do."

In a league desperate for quality quarterbacks, Leinart is a rarity -- a pedigreed passer who couldn't get the necessary snaps. Although he is often regarded as a first-round bust, the statistics tell a different story. As a rookie, he threw for more than 210 yards per game. He has completed more than 57 percent of his career passes. In his only start last season, he was 21 of 31 for 220 yards and no interceptions at Tennessee. He has not been Warner, by any means, but he has not been Ryan Leaf, either. This season will do much to reveal who Leinart ultimately becomes.

Even though the Cardinals acquired Anderson in March, their offense seems well-suited to Leinart. Their dual running backs, Tim Hightower and Beanie Wells, are reminiscent of Reggie Bush and LenDale White at USC. Those close to Leinart believe that Arizona head coach Ken Whisenhunt will protect him the way he did Ben Roethlisberger when Whisenhunt was the Steelers' offensive coordinator and Roethlisberger a rookie. That means the Cardinals will pound the ball with Wells, pitch it to Hightower, and let Leinart work off play action. He will obviously miss departed receiver Anquan Boldin, but Larry Fitzgerald is the best security blanket a young quarterback could have.

http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2010/writers/lee_jenkins/07/19/matt.leinart/index.html?xid=cnnbin&hpt=Sbin

[jgb]

him and kerry will be fast friends for sure

[Klecko73isGod]

Oh this trainwreck is going to be fun to watch.

[villain_the_foe]

Bust