Listening to Arizona Cardinals quarterback John Skelton today on Sports620KTAR, he basically came out and said that former Cards quarterback Derek Anderson was pretty much a guy who just cared about himself. He was pretty forthcoming about both Anderson and former Cards quarterback Matt Leinart, although the questioning was more on the line of Anderson since he was a one man wrecking crew last season.
Skelton said DA and Leinart both pretty much ignored him and quarterback Max Hall. He said DA was very much into himself and was all about everything DA. He didn’t say that in so many words, but it was very much implied. Skelton tried to be PC about it, clearly though, it seemed tough for Skelton to hold anything back though.
It is interesting Skelton comes out and says this now, after DA signed with the Carolina Panthers last week and said he would mentor Cam Newton. I thought that was pretty laughable to begin with, even without the forthcoming info from Skelton today. My first thought was when he said that was that maybe this was the time to work on himself after the season he had in 2010.
DA had a very contentious attitude with the local media last season, so it really is no surprise he was like that. It is obvious now that his off-field performance matched his on-field performance, and that is not a good thing. As for Leinart, it is a mild surprise given he had experience with Kurt Warner mentoring him. However, there is another reason why Leinart is no longer an Arizona Cardinal.
Skelton may not be ready for a full-time gig as an NFL start just yet, but after getting thrown into the fire unexpectedly last season and overcoming the lack of a true quarterback mentor, it is clear Skelton has been able to come further than many higher drafted quarterbacks have come.