Matt Leinart News: Pro Sports Daily

0 Comment

October 28

Arizona Republic

"After losing the Cardinals starting quarterback job to Kurt Warner in late August, Matt Leinart dropped out of society, grew a long beard and is now working the graveyard shift at a convenience store in Quartzsite. At least it seems that way. When an NFL starting quarterback is healthy and playing well, the backup quarterback is equivalent to the crazy uncle at a family reunion: No one pays much attention to him unless he acts up. Warner is making headlines, and Leinart is staying out of them. Not that Leinart is content with his role - he wants to play - but after the notoriety he gained last off-season, a little quiet is a good thing. "It's nice from that aspect, just to be under the ..."

QBs Young & Leinart: From can't miss to can't figure

0 Comment

September 11

Dallas Morning News

Columnist Tim Cowlishaw

"Thirty-two months ago, they were on top of the football world. It's hard to say who has fallen farther, Matt Leinart or Vince Young. They were the quarterbacks in the spotlight of the greatest BCS championship game ever played. USC's Leinart was outstanding. Texas' Young was even better. I couldn't imagine how either one could miss as an NFL quarterback. Leinart seemed to have a great arm and an uncanny ability to make plays at the biggest moments. It was speculated that he would have been the No. 1 pick in the 2005 draft had he not chosen to stay for his senior year. There were always concerns about Young's throwing motion, and the offense he ran at Texas was anything but pro style. ..."

Angry Leinart running out of chances

0 Comment

September 2

East Valley Tribune

columnist Scott Bordow

"Matt Leinart always thought he'd be here, standing under a tree at the Cardinals training facility, answering questions on the Monday before the regular season. It's a weekly ritual for the Cardinals starting quarterback. As players trudge into the locker room, their jerseys stained with sweat, the quarterback steps up on a podium and takes care of his media responsibilities. It's usually a painless exercise, the questions - and answers - routine and practiced. But on Monday, two quarterbacks took their turn. Leinart was first. Kurt Warner was second. Leinart, as you might imagine, didn't appreciate the irony. Oh, he said all the right things. He supports Warner. He's going to work hard. ..."

Leinart stays positive after demotion

0 Comment

September 2

Arizona Republic

"Two days after losing his starting job, Matt Leinart didn't look like a guy who needed his spirits lifted or confidence bolstered. Dripping sweat and preaching teamwork, Leinart said all the right things to reporters on Monday and, more importantly to the Cardinals, appeared to mean them. "I'm disappointed, but you can't get down," Leinart said about losing his job to Kurt Warner. "It was tough to take because we're all competitors; we all want to play. But it did push me. It did make me a better quarterback, I think, and I'm just going to take that and keep on getting better." Leinart's demotion already has prompted discussion about his future in the NFL, even though he's just 25. ..."

QB decision a crossroads for 2 QBs

0 Comment

September 1

Arizona Republic

columnist Kent Somers

"Ken Whisenhunt has employed a tough love approach in the 20 months or so he's coached quarterback Matt Leinart. No coddling was offered, no unearned compliments were given, no sweet nothings whispered. The way the head coach and offensive coordinator Todd Haley figured it, if Leinart responded, the Cardinals had a quarterback who had been steeled by adversity, a guy who would produce in tough times. And if he didn't respond, well, better to find out now and move on. Whisenhunt's announcement Saturday that Leinart had been demoted in favor of Kurt Warner would seem to suggest that Leinart failed an initial part of the test. It's a suggestion Whisenhunt firmly denies. Instead, the coach has ..."

Cards name Warner starter

0 Comment

August 31

Arizona Republic

"Eight months passed. A few thousand of passes were thrown. Nearly as many questions were asked. And, still, picking the Cardinals starting quarterback came down to this: Coach Ken Whisenhunt staying up most of Friday night and into Saturday morning to evaluate the performance of Matt Leinart and Kurt Warner. In the end, the central question was this: Who gives the Cardinals the best chance to win the season opener in San Francisco next Sunday? Whisenhunt picked Warner, who had spent every day of those eight months as Leinart's backup. "There was a lot of opinions, from all different sources," Whisenhunt said. "I know our staff, and I know I didn't buy into it. There was a process that ..."

Leinart makes case to start

0 Comment

August 30

East Valley Tribune

"If you like soap operas, you had to love Friday night's exhibition finale for the Cardinals. By playing a sharp game, Matt Leinart may have poured some more sand through the hourglass in the team's long-running quarterback saga. Leinart directed the Cardinals on a 90-yard scoring drive and finished with a passer rating of 137.5 in the Cardinals' 28-14 loss to the Denver Broncos at University of Phoenix Stadium. Leinart seemed nearly out of the starting picture after his poor showing in Oakland last week. After the game, according to ESPN, an unnamed "team source" said Kurt Warner would be named the starter. But against the Broncos, who played their reserves on both sides of the ball, ..."

Leinart bounces back vs. Broncos

0 Comment

August 30

Arizona Republic

"Maybe Matt Leinart reinserted himself in the Cardinals quarterback competition Friday night. Or maybe he was never out of it. Whatever the case, Leinart was as sharp against Denver on Friday night as he was dull against Oakland last week. He guided the Cardinals on two touchdown drives, completing 10 of 14 passes for 177 yards and a touchdown. The Cardinals lost 28-14 in their fourth and final preseason game, but that outcome was determined long after Leinart left the game. Leinart either complicated coach Ken Whisenhunt's decision about which quarterback to start - Leinart or Kurt Warner - or simplified it. Maybe Whisenhunt was leaning toward Warner. Maybe it's been Leinart all along. ..."

Leinart makes strong case to be Cards starting QB

0 Comment

August 30

Rocky Mountain News

"Based on his performance here in the preseason, quarterback Matt Leinart gave the Arizona Cardinals every reason to bench the Heisman Trophy winner. Until he met the Denver Broncos. On Friday night, the Broncos secondary was as generous to Leinart as the Arizona media and fans have been hostile. Coming into the final preseason game. Leinart had completed 18-of-31 passes for 177 yards and one touchdown. His completion rating was a poor 58.1 percent and his quarterback rating plummeted to 45.4. Last week against Oakland, Leinart went 4-for-12 for 24 yards and threw three picks. So pitiful was his production that Cardinals coach Ken Whisenhunt started 11-year veteran Kurt Warner on Friday ..."

Whisenhunt: Leinart is still Cards' starting QB

0 Comment

August 26

East Valley Tribune

"Every Monday during football season, the Cardinals' starting quarterback stands on a podium beneath a shade tree to address reporters at the team's Tempe training complex. So, the question of just who is the team's starting quarterback was answered - for now - when Matt Leinart stood beneath the tree. "It's still the same," Leinart said Monday of his status. "Nothing has changed," coach Ken Whisenhunt echoed. But doubts linger after an ESPN report on Sunday that quoted an unnamed "team source" that not only said Kurt Warner would replace Leinart, but also criticized Leinart's performance level and arm strength. Whisenhunt indicated that he did not know the identity of the source and said ..."

Letting Warner start Cards' only choice

0 Comment

August 25

East Valley Tribune

columnist Scott Bordow

"If Ken Whisenhunt is a man of his word - and I believe he is - Kurt Warner will be the Cardinals' starting quarterback when they open the regular season in 13 days. What choice does Whisenhunt have? He said before training camp that Warner would have an opportunity to win the job from Matt Leinart. He told Warner the same thing. Given those promises, there's no way Whisenhunt can stick with Leinart after his horrid three-interception performance against the Oakland Raiders on Saturday. ESPN's Chris Mortensen reported Sunday that Warner is "expected" to be named the starter, and that the Cardinals have concerns about Leinart's arm strength and consistency. I don't know who Mortensen's ..."

Warner named Cards starting QB

0 Comment

August 25

East Valley Tribune

"Kurt Warner will be named the Cardinals' starting quarterback after Matt Leinart's poor performance Saturday night in Oakland, according to an ESPN report. Leinart had three interceptions in the first half and had a quarterback rating of just 2.8. He completed 4 of 12 passes for 24 yards. Despite this, the Cardinals won the game behind Warner and a strong running game, pulling away in the second half 24-0. The ESPN report cited an unnamed team source. The report was news to Chuck Price, Leinart's agent, who said, "I've been in touch with Matt and we haven't heard anything." After Saturday's game, coach Ken Whisenhunt tried to downplay the importance of Leinart's poor game, instead ..."

Leinart to start, Warner to play at Oakland

0 Comment

August 19

East Valley Tribune

"The Cardinals' quarterback situation will seesaw back to a Matt Leinart start on Saturday at Oakland. Kurt Warner could come in late in the first half, particularly if the Cardinals have a chance to work on their two-minute offense, and he figures to play a fair amount in the second half, coach Ken Whisenhunt said. The third preseason game is the one that most resembles a regular-season game. Normally, that would mean Leinart playing well into the third quarter, assuming he's the starter. Whisenhunt, though, said both quarterbacks know the system, and he'll continue to divide the playing time. "There are components of our offense that we want to see Matt execute and there are certain ..."

Leinart satisfied with performance

0 Comment

August 19

Arizona Republic

"Opening the starting quarterback position to competition is a little like trying to sell your home via an open house. Total strangers explore every little nook and cranny for imperfections. Cardinals quarterback Matt Leinart is trying not to get caught up in that. He breaks down plays with coaches and teammates, but he said he doesn't live in fear that an errant pass, a wrong read or a bad pass(when the quarterback drops back to pass) will prompt coaches to give the starting job to Kurt Warner. A player can't function like that, Leinart said. "That's not the way I approach it," he said. "No one is perfect. No one is going to make the play every single time. Obviously, there's going to be ..."

Maturity, 'urgency' arrive for Cardinals' Leinart

0 Comment

August 12

USA Today

"Matt Leinart dug into his pocket for his wallet, producing a snapshot of the Arizona Cardinal holding son, Cole, who turns 2 in October.Leinart's bright smile provides a glimpse of where the third-year quarterback appears to be in his personal and professional life. "He's about the size of a 3-year-old," Leinart says of Cole. "He's right-handed, which I'm kind of bummed about. We're trying to get him to be a lefty. "I'm a proud dad. Fatherhood changes you and forces you to grow up." His son is Leinart's biggest, but not his lone incentive to shine. Arizona's presumptive 2008 starter is, in a sense, starting over. The 2004 Heisman Trophy winner out of Southern California is re-dedicated to ..."

Cards notes: Leinart will stay in game in red zone

0 Comment

August 12

East Valley Tribune

"The Cardinals can't improve much on last year's performance in the red zone. They scored 94 percent of the time they had the ball inside the 20-yard line. That ranked No. 2, behind only the New England Patriots. What's different this year is that Matt Leinart - assuming he hangs onto the No. 1 quarterback job - figures to be calling the shots. Kurt Warner, even when he was backing up Leinart, came in when the Cardinals had a goal-line situation. This year, indications are that the starter will be in the game no matter where the offense has the ball. Coach Ken Whisenhunt said Leinart is "much better this year" in terms of changing plays at the line. "When you get down there, that's ..."

Leinart shows what he can do when comfortable

2 Comment

August 8

East Valley Tribune

columnist Scott Bordow

"Matt Leinart couldn't go anywhere Thursday night without ESPN's cameras following him. The cable network knew a good story when it saw one. Leinart's job - and reputation - are on the line this season. He has to fight off Kurt Warner - which he'll do unless he gets hurt - then put to rest the perception he's a party animal first and a football player second. Leinart took the first step in rehabilitating his image in the Cardinals' 24-10 loss to the New Orleans Saints at University of Phoenix Stadium. His numbers - 7 of 8 for 91 yards - weren't as impressive as the way he accumulated them. He was accurate with his throws. He was patient in the pocket. He never seemed anxious or confused ..."