Great comments

Honestly, I didn’t think of Matt as demanding for “no-job competition” in that interview, I just think he was frustrated with the lack of confidence he perceived from the coaching staff.

I can’t argue with anything you are saying. You’re right, we can’t wait around forever for Leinart to be this great QB, he has to grow up in a hurry. And if you’ve been watching ESPN or NFL Live lately, they’ve been running stories on the Cards and Leinart. So I am looking for Matt to come out this year with a big chip on his shoulder, ready to prove what he’s got.

I think this literally is a do or die year for Leinart.

I really want to focus on this “drive” issue… and you actually used the “competitor” word to describe Leinart…

Yet I’ve never seen a QB so afraid of competition for the job as Matt Leinart. Warner has welcomed an open competition, and Leinart has demanded a coronation… First in that whine bar with Michael Silver, and then at the end of the season.

And so Leinart’s demand for “no job competition” makes him more competitive? That’s simply not a logical conclusion.

And Leinart’s demand for a coronation reveals a lack of confidence that he could actually win a fair and open competition with Warner.

In the end, the players will play a big factor in this. Regardless of how many advertising $’s junior bowtie has tied up in Leinart, and regardless of how much pressure he brings to bear on Whisenhunt, if the players want Warner… they’ll get Warner.

NFL careers are too short to be wasted wet nursing a QB with suspect skills and questionable commitment.

Very valid points, like I said this is just part one of a two part series and the next article will sing the praises of Kurt Warner over Matt Leinart.

So for argument’s sake, let’s talk about some of your points.

Drive -
You are saying that Leinart’s decision to return to college for his senior year and try to win-a-record 3rd National Championship and possibly a second Heisman Trophy in a row means that he is not a driven individual? Ok….I guess so. If you want to make the case for Warner having a greater drive to succeed, then he should not have been happy with the QB Platooning system that existed last year. Leinart bitched about it because he is a more fiery competitor, he wants to be the only one on the field. Warner was all too happy to accept the duties and never campaigned hard for the starting job. That tells me he that he doesn’t have that same drive anymore like he did when he was in St Louis.

Accuracy -
Sorry, didn’t mean to make you almost spill your soda. You’ll notice that I never said Warner wasn’t accurate, which I know he is. I said that Warner takes more risks with the ball. It’s easy to criticize someone after only a small sampling of games but I look back at USC and his time with the Cards. Remember, a bad O-Line is a big contributor to a QBs rating and accuracy. Leinart only spent 4.5 games with this year’s O-Line which was much better than the 2006 unit.

Youth-
Youth is never overrated. Players can get faster, stronger, smarter, but they can never get younger. His injury at the end of 2006 was not season ending, but the coaches held him out of the final game as a precautionary measure. As for 2007, he got blind-sided and got his colar bone broken, it could happen to anybody. So far, no knee injuries, no injuries to his throwing arm, and no concussions. And one of the big reasons Warner has made it to his age in the NFL is that he has actually only played in nine seasons, meaning he actually became the starter in the NFL when he was 27, Leinart was 23.

Mobility-
You’re right, neither is very mobile. But you can’t seriously call Kurt shifty like a cat!? Your reference is the end of the first half of the Cards/49ers game on his Hail Mary toss to Fitzgerald for a TD right? Come on man, the defense was playing with seven men deep in coverage, one LB spying the QB 5-10 yards off of the line and a 3 man rush coming at Warner. Avoiding a three man rush when the other team does not make you nimble. Leinart is much more athletic than Warner.

IT Factor-
Remember, I didn’t say that Kurt doesn’t have that moxie too. But you read one report, you get one version. You read a different report, you get another version, and so on and so on….the AZ Republic also ran stories stating that Boldin had requested a trade, then Boldin himself says he doesn’t want one. AZCARDINALS.COM posted an article in which Edge talked about both Warner and Leinart and he indicated that he preferred Leinart because it meant more touches for him in the running game. Either way, both guys have “IT” in my opinion.

Bottom Line:

You’re only as good as your last game in the fans’ eyes. Warner’s performance last year is more fresh than his abysmal 2006 campaign, hence he is the messiah. I’m not saying that Leinart is the clear QB, I will be publishing a blog about Kurt, I’m just saying that we need to keep things in perspective.