.png)
With the retirement of Kurt Warner earlier this off-season, the Arizona Cardinals are left with a huge hole at a very important position on the field. That hole, will be filled by former Heisman Trophy winner, Matt Leinart.Arizona Cardinals' Head Coach, Ken Whisenhunt, has been hesitant on naming Leinart his starter, and has said that he will have to earn the job, but Leinart knows the system, and has filled in admirably when asked to for Kurt Warner. It's his job to lose.
Matt Leinart was the 10th pick in the 2006 draft, and the Arizona Cardinals seemed to have their quarterback of the future, but with Kurt Warner playing well and Leinart having a long holdout, the Cardinals were given no choice.
Leinart came out of USC highly touted as the prototypical NFL quarterback, and was thought to be the most "NFL ready".
During his career, Leinart has been given "spot duty", and has never been able to get into a rhythm, but with Kurt Warner gone, this is his year. He has been highly inaccurate throughout his time in the NFL, but in 2009, that was changed.
In the most telling stat that will lead to Matt Leinart to being the starter come September, he completed 66% of his passes in 2009 which is leaps and bounds ahead of his previous output in the NFL. In his short time on the field in 2009, Leinart has looked much more comfortable in the pocket, and has a nice, smooth delivery with the ball.
He now inherits a fantastic offense that boasts one of the best wide receivers in the NFL in Larry Fitzgerald, along with a solid running game with the emergence of rookie, Beanie Wells. The youth is here in Arizona, and that will give this team time to gel and to compete for years to come.
The Cardinals can say that there will be a competition for the starting job, and they will bring in another quarterback, (they will be hosting Derek Anderson within the next few days) but the job is Matt Leinart's to lose. The starting job is there for the taking, and all he has to do is not screw up and lose it. Simple, right?
