Leinart not alone in second-chance league

Being given up on can be the best thing that ever happens to an NFL quarterback.

It certainly didn’t hurt Drew Brees. Or Kurt Warner. Or Steve Young. Brett Favre was dumped by the Falcons, told he was no longer wanted in Green Bay and given up on by the Jets before having arguably the best season of his career. The league is full of second-chance quarterbacks. Among them are Brady Quinn, Jason Campbell, Donovan McNabb, Marc Bulger, Jake Delhomme, Byron Leftwich and Michael Vick.

And becoming a second-chance quarterback may not hurt Matt Leinart either. In fact, if he does get punted by the Cardinals, it could be the best thing for him. “Guys on their second team find out it doesn’t revolve around them,” said a front office man and former offensive coach. “They become more trainable.”

In order for Leinart to be all he can be, he might need a wakeup call that being traded or cut would provide. The knock on him, according to some of the coaches who have been around him, is Leinart isn’t a leader. His work ethic also has been criticized, but the Cardinals say that has improved recently. “It’s as good now as it’s ever been in terms of focus, attitude, professionalism,” Cardinals general manager Rod Graves told me. “But it still gets down to delivering on game day.”

ICONMatt Leinart might benefit from a wakeup call in the form of being traded or cut.

A pro scout put it this way: “Leinart has low-level intangibles, and the problem is he doesn’t have the physical skills to get away with it.” It’s one thing to be a mope with a golden arm. It’s another to be a mope who doesn’t perform.

This is Leinart’s fourth year with the Cardinals. Showing gradual improvement at this point isn’t enough. It might be enough had he been a fourth-round pick. But Leinart was taken with the tenth pick in the draft. The expectations that go along with that pick are making it difficult for him to succeed in Arizona. Those expectations won’t follow him to his next team, however.

Leinart, assuming he moves on, will get a fresh start. He’ll move on without the baggage that has weighed him down with the Cardinals. And he’ll move on with a healthy dose of reality that should change his perspective for the better.

Leinart is puzzled about how the Cardinals are treating him, given the fact that he has completed 82.6 percent of his preseason passes. The numbers say he has outperformed Derek Anderson. But the decision head coach Ken Whisenhunt is making isn’t about numbers, or even preseason games. It’s a big-picture decision based on everything Leinart has done since camp started, and the trust, or lack of trust between Leinart and his team and organization.

Graves explained it this way. “Ken is looking for consistency, a certain level of leadership, command on the field and a presence about him. I think he’s capable of providing that. One of the things that’s turned our football team around is the sense of urgency Ken has created with our players. You have to perform. You have to come in and get it done. Nobody is handing anyone a position. Whether you are a quarterback or a defensive lineman, you have to do things the right way, the way he wants it done.”

Anderson might not have won the Cardinals starting job as much as Leinart has lost it. Or never claimed it. But Anderson has some possibilities for the Cardinals.

He also happens to be a second-chance — or really, a third-chance quarterback. He was waived by the Ravens before ever playing a game, and then cut by the Browns this March. In between, he had some success, even playing in a Pro Bowl and earning a contract extension. But Anderson did not respond well to that success. Perhaps getting cut again was exactly what he needed.

It’s a tough call for the Cardinals, given all the money and time they have invested in developing Leinart. And the bet here is that Leinart still will have success as an NFL quarterback.

But the reality is it looks like a divorce is in the best interests of both parties — just like it was for Anderson and the Browns.

Email Dan Pompei your questions at dan.pompei@nationalfootballpost.com