After questioning his benching publicly on Monday to the media, Matt Leinart went to coach Ken Whisenhunt to talk about it.
We don’t know what was said in the meeting, but it’s not going to rearrange the depth chart. Whisenhunt confirmed to the Scott Van Pelt Show that Derek Anderson will start this Thursday in the team’s final exhibition game.
Anderson will presumably start the season opener as well, but Whisenhunt won’t say so. And it’s not like Whisenhunt is afraid of unconventional approaches. (Remember the Kurt Warner/Leinart rotation?)
Still, we think there is a better chance that Leinart has a better chance to be off the roster in Week One than in the starting lineup. Whisenhunt talked about how tough it is to be a quarterback on Van Pelt’s show.
“That is the toughest position, in my opinion, to play in this league and
there is a lot that goes with it besides just statistics,” Whisenhunt said about playing quarterback, via Mike Sando of ESPN.com. “It’s more
about how you handle the team, how you handle situations. There is a
certain quality that you have to have in that position and that is all
part of the evaluation process. And I think, more importantly, is how
your team responds to that player and how you handle that role. I’m not
talking about Matt.”
Except, well, he is talking about Matt. And how the Cardinals respond to Matt.
The bigger surprise here is that someone thought it was a good idea to give Scott Van Pelt a show.
As a Cardinals fan – this is dissapointing and disturbing on many levels. Whisenhunt is out-thinking himself.
I wonder how his teammates will respond if he throws 5 picks in a game and then says, “Well at least I didn’t throw 6.”
It can’t be that hard to be a QB on Van Pelt’s show.
All this over Preaseason Games? You didnt realize this after the last 3 years of coaching the guy? Whiz have fun with your 2-14 football team this year.
Just keep getting the ball in Hightower’s hands, hes your most dangerous weapon. Way to create a situation 2 weeks before the season starts you complete moron you. You dont think the players are looking at you Whiz like “How did this guy coach someone for 3 years and not realize this ahead of time”. If the team believes in the coach, it believes in who he picks as the QB. So basically they dont believe in you Whiz.
Starting preseason game #4. That’s the surefire precursor that one won’t be starting week #1 regular season.
Matt Leinart had 4 seasons to take this team over and didn’t I say he needs to look else where it’s that simple.
Can someone call Tim Cowlishaw and ask him when Revis will be reporting? Thanks
Good for Derek.
Leinart sure is beginning to smell a LOT like Jeff George.
Omega says:
August 31, 2010 4:06 PM
I wonder how his teammates will respond if he throws 5 picks in a game and then says, “Well at least I didn’t throw 6.”
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They would clap cheefully saying, “Good answer, good answer!”
Dude, c’mon haters, we’re playing the freaking Rams in week one….its like adding a 5th preseason game.
I’m really clamoring for the hard hitting questioning of …”The Suart Scott Show”…where he uses that lazy eye to lul guests into a false sense of security. He’d then proceed to let them have it with those hard hitting questions he honed while hosting, “Stump the Scwab”.
hey Carl you do know that Whiz didnt draft Leinart right? The organization forced Leinart on Whiz and he has been doing his best not to use him since he has been in AZ.
Looks like a three way tie for the basement in the NFC West. 9ers take it this year easily.
Leinart is far better than Anderson. The Cards will deserve to start the season 0 for Anderson.
Oh and after hearing Kurint Warner on Mike/Mike this AM, he’s a bit full of himself.
It’s interesting how Anderson has beat out another young guy for his job. Yet Anderson will not be the answer for the long term.
…
leinert can backup eli manning if he is cut. anderson stinks, is a choker and cards are going nowhere this year but last in the division.
The fact is that Leinart had no chance with Whisenhunt. He didn’t draft him, and he never wanted him. Whiz likes football players who eat iron and spit nails and that just isn’t Matt Leinart.
That’s fine- not everyone was made to work together. What Cardinal fans should be pissed about is the fact that Whiz knew he didn’t want Leinart yet didn’t make a move for Donovan McNabb or some other legitimate starting NFL QB.
Seriously, Derek Freakin Anderson?
Good luck with that, Cards fans.
OK! CUT CUTIE BOY LEINART NOW!!!!!!!
SERIOUSLY!!! WHAT DOES IT TAKE TO SHOW THAT A IS FREAKIN’ BUST!!!!
# Sociofan says: August 31, 2010 4:37 PM
Good for Derek.
Leinart sure is beginning to smell a LOT like Jeff George.
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Big difference between the two, George had an arm and had the quickest release behind Marino. But George was also one of the biggest A-Holes to ever play QB…… Leinart just doesn’t have the heart or work ethic to succeed at the NFL level and his arm is average.
George lead a couple teams to the playoffs, whereas Leinart probably never will…….
As a Browns fan I am baffled as to how this guy can land in yet another QB controversy while at the same time being absolutely terrible.
DA throws high and hard regardless of the play. The one year that he had good numbers was a testimate to Braylon Edwards, Joe Jurivicious, and Kellen Winslow, Jr. Once the league’s Ds had an offseason to review the tapes they started covering us deep and picking off all of his over throws. He wears like a size 22 shoe and scrambles like a duck.
If the Cards are done with the Leinart experiment they need to make a clean break and start looking for the QB of the future, because Anderson is neither a QB of the past, or the present, let alone the future.
Leinart vs. Anderson. Tard fight of the century.
… I’m not sure how much of this would really matter , but , as I’m hearing from my friends in the U.P. that Sage Rosenfels has a great chance of putting sent to the Cardinals for a cb or s . though no names were connected outside of Sage – Now this would make alot of sense in football terms, Cardinals need a decent backup/starter and Vikings desperately need a DB . . . I can see this trade happening prior to the next round of cuts , however , Rosenfels would probably have a better chance of starting if he was with the Browns ( quite possibly a three team trade ) ? …
# Fthrvic says: August 31, 2010 4:42 PM
“Dude, c’mon haters, we’re playing the freaking Rams in week one….its like adding a 5th preseason game.”
I think the Rams will win that one
Hotwaggy11- Are you sure you meant to say testimate? Use Firefox; it spell-checks for you. Rosenthal is a bad influence on you.
I guess there’s no chance of Kurt Warner coming back, now that he’s going to be on Dancing With The Stars.
I’d take Jeff George over Leinart without even seeing them in a pre-season game.
Hmmm….is George still alive? Maybe they do have options in the desert….
Whisenhunt didnt draft Kurt Warner either. Warner beat out the non=competitive, non-leader, not-effective pretty boy and so did the below average Derek Anderson.
Leinart just doesnt have it like Cade McNown–whose teammates had no respect for him either. Not 1 CARDS player has come to Leinart’s defense.
Leinart fails in the leadership dept., but from a contract/youth standpoint, he should be given the keys for the year to see what he can do.
As a Browns fan I am almost lost for words as to how Derek Anderson could possibly be the starter for the Arizona Cardinals this year. I sat through the Browns-Bills game last year where Derek Anderson was 2-17 passing for 23 yards with 0 TD and 1 INT. I am still mad that I can’t get that three hours of my life back.
Congratulations Cardinal fans. This guy has about 1/100 of the ability that Kurt Warner did.
If it weren’t for the Rams, the Cardinals would surely take last place in the worst division (NFC West) in all of the NFL.
Somewhere in AZ there is a beer bong rising.
Do a 3-way to get Rosenfels…maybe the Seahawks would like Leinart.
I watched DA on tv the other day. His first pass was absolutely perfect, hitting his target in stride. I thought to myself “Could the Browns have made a mistake?” But then out of his next three passes one hit the ground at the feet of the receiver, one was behind him and the third was over his head. I thought “Naw.”
Looks like it’s gonna be a long season, Cardinal fan.
With Derrick Anderson, AKA Ricky “Wild Thing” Vaughn throwing off target heaters in ARZ, get ready for some circus catches by the WR’s!
realitypolice says: August 31, 2010 4:57 PM
The fact is that Leinart had no chance with Whisenhunt. He didn’t draft him, and he never wanted him. Whiz likes football players who eat iron and spit nails and that just isn’t Matt Leinart.
That’s fine- not everyone was made to work together. What Cardinal fans should be pissed about is the fact that Whiz knew he didn’t want Leinart yet didn’t make a move for Donovan McNabb or some other legitimate starting NFL QB.
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I agree Whiz likes tough guys mentally and physically.
I think you answered your own question….McNabb is neither one nor is he an accurate passer. While DA is not accurate either, he is cheaper and has the deep ball like McNabb.