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Just four years removed from being the No. 10 overall pick in the draft, Matt Leinart has been released by the Arizona Cardinals.The team website has confirmed the roster move that was initially reported by ESPN's Adam Schefter, furthering the discussion of Leinart's place among the most recent NFL draft busts.
In four years with the Cardinals -- which were spent mostly on the bench -- Leinart completed just over 57 percent of his passes and threw six more interceptions than touchdowns (14 touchdowns, 20 interceptions). He lost the starting job in training camp to former Browns quarterback Derek Anderson, while Schefter reports undrafted rookie Max Hall will take over as Arizona's No. 2 quarterback.
It's quite a fall from grace for Leinart who was a Heisman Trophy winner at USC, and could have been the No. 1 overall pick in the 2005 draft had he not returned for his senior season. He was the 10th overall pick in 2006, starting 12 games. During the 2007 season, he eventually lost his starting job to veteran Kurt Warner, who then proceeded to help make the Cardinals relevant on the NFL stage for the first time in ... well, ever ... and eventually helped guide them to their first Super Bowl appearance in 2008. Warner, of course, retired after last season, leaving the Cardinals with a substantial hole at quarterback.
Leinart's struggles so far are another reminder that being a Heisman Trophy winning quarterback in college offers no guarantees for future success in the NFL. Consider the quarterbacks that have won the award dating back to 1990 (I'm excluding Sam Bradford and Tim Tebow, simply because they're rookies and we have no idea how good or bad they'll be in the NFL): Troy Smith, Leinart, Jason White, Carson Palmer, Eric Crouch, Chris Weinke, Danny Wuerffel, Charlie Ward, Gino Toretta and Ty Detmer.
The only player on that list that's had any kind of success in the NFL is Palmer.
During the preseason Leinart completed 22 of his 28 passes, but threw for only 175 yards (6.2 yards per attempt) and a touchdown. He was also quite vocal about his unhappiness with the way the quarterback situation unfolded throughout camp and the preseason. The Cardinals were reportedly trying to trade him for the past week but were obviously unable to find any takers.
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