Leinart shut me up, didn’t he…..
By Staff
Last week I said that he looked rushed, and maybe the pressure was getting to him. I criticized his checkdowns and throws on the field……..
Well I think it’s safe to say that Matt Leinart is back on track! In an outstanding performance against the Houston Texans on Saturday, Leinart went 7 – 7 for 70 yards and a touchdown with a passer rating of 147.9; that’s pretty outstanding! The big difference from last Saturday to this past Saturday was that Leinart looked comfortable, he looked poised and he looked like a polished veteran.
The starting offensive line continued to look solid, as they didn’t allow a sack of either Leinart or back up Kurt Warner during the entire first half. Edgerrin James had a few more touches and caught the TD pass from Leinart, and Larry Fitzgerald has shown no signs of the hamstring injury that he suffered last year as he made an amazing jump ball grab on a 40 yard toss from Leinart to set up the TD.
The defense, however, looked less than sharp. After forcing a punt on the first series, they allowed the Texans to march 80 yards down the field for an almost effortless score. There was no pressure on the Texans QB Matt Schaub, which further evidenced the fact that the Cards miss OLB Chike Okeafor immensely. Schaub had all day to pick the Cards apart, and he did. Antrelle Rolle was called for Pass Interference yet again, as he has had 3 PI penalties in 2 games.
All in all, the starting lineups for the Cards looked solid. The offense looks like it can live up to the hype and the defense came together after the first Texans score to force two field goals. Ignore the score Cards fans, it’s preseason and the second half of the game is simply a bunch of young, inexperienced guys doing their best to make the final roster. My overall grade for the second preseason matchup: A –