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Matt Leinart's Running Short of Time to Prove Himself to Arizona Cardinals

Aug 26, 2010 – 4:46 PM
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John Hickey

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Everything always went so smoothly for quarterback Matt Leinart when he was at USC. The Trojans won. He was lauded as one of great college quarterbacks.

That landed him a monster contract with the Arizona Cardinals, but the pro game continues to elude Leinart.
He was an apprentice under Kurt Warner, but now that Warner has retired, Leinart isn't finding success. The Arizona offensive line isn't particularly good, and he hasn't handled that well at all.

There have been suggestions that coach Ken Whisenhunt might have to call Warner and see if he can get him to come out of retirement. There have been suggestions – not from anyone on the Cardinals – that the team could release Leinart before the Sept. 12 opener.

Neither of those contingencies is likely to occur. But Leinart needs to get his game together. His body language on the field has to improve. His reaction to pressure has to improve. His team leadership has to be better.

He's got two weeks to get it together. If he doesn't, then Whisenhunt may have to seek other options. The Cardinals won the NFC West the last two years when Warner was around.

Leinart needs to show that they've still got a contender calling the snaps.
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