TAMPA, Fla. – Matt Leinart was supposed to be the one to lead the Cardinals out of the desert and into the promised land of the Super Bowl. That’s why they made him the No. 3 overall pick in the 2006 NFL Draft after he came out of USC after his junior year.
He had the left arm, the Heisman Trophy, the good looks and the star-in-waiting quality. But he doesn’t have the job of starting quarterback. That is possessed by Kurt Warner, who at 37 is 12 years older than Leinart and was written off by most everyone in a position of power in the league.
Leinart? He started 11 games as a rookie and the first five of 2007 before he went on injured reserve with a busted collarbone. A training camp battle with Warner did not go well – Warner won the job, Leinart sat. It’s been that way ever since. He will be the backup, one injury away from playing tonight in Super Bowl XLII.
“You work so hard going into training camp and you think you are going to be the guy and then it doesn’t happen that way,” Leinart said. “So I really had to step back and say, ‘You know what? I can be a distraction and be all mad and point the finger or I can be a good teammate and support Kurt and still work by butt off and prepare every day like I’m the starting quarterback.’ And that’s the road I decided to take.
“I feel that if I would have gone the other way it would have probably been a wasted year for me because I would have been more of a distraction than being a teammate.”
It’s an odd pairing. Leinart calls Warner “Pops” and “Old Man” but says he has been a valued mentor. Leinart remains the quarterback of the future for the Cardinals, but Warner shows no sign of slowing down and offers no sense that he’s leaving any time soon.
“I’ve been there. I’ve been the guy looking from the outside in, just hoping and waiting for that opportunity,” Warner said. “The one thing I always tell Matt is stay patient and utilize every single opportunity you get so when the time comes, you’re ready to succeed, you can seize it and run with it. I didn’t start my first game in the NFL until I was 28 years old and my career has turned out pretty good. He’s got a few years yet before he reaches that age.”