Don't Be Down On Matt Leinart... Just Yet

With the recent retirement of Kurt Warner- there's a very good chance that former USC QB Matt Leinart will be the starting QB for the Arizona Cardinals this year. My roommate was mentioning how much Leinart sucks and how crappy the Cardinals are going to be in 2010. While having Leinart start next year will be a downgrade for Arizona, I'm not convinced that the statement "Matt Leinart sucks" in true.

Guess these QBs

QB A: first 16 GS, 57.1 Comp %, 6.5 YPA, 2.4 TD%, 3.4 INT%
QB B: first 16 GS: 56.7 Comp %, 6.5 YPA, 4.5 TD%, 4.9 INT%
QB C: first 11 GS: 52.9 Comp %, 6.0 YPA, 3.1 TD%, 6.1 INT%

OK, time's up, did you guess them? QB A is Matt Leinart, QB B is Peyton Manning, and QB C is Troy Aikman. Leinart has the better completion percentage, the best YPA, and the best INT% throughout his first 16 GS than the Hall of Fame Troy Aikman and the future greatest QB ever Peyton Manning

Now let me clarify, I am not saying that Leinart will be a hall of famer and a great like Manning and Aikman. I'm not even saying he will be good. That 2.4 TD% is really low and probably won't cut with his INT% being higher than his TD%.

But what I am saying is that Leinart needs to be given a solid chance before we truly judge his talent. Like most athletes, quarterbacks need time to develop. Very rarely do you see guys become studs in the league their rookie year and sustain it. Sure, it happens, but just because it doesn't happen, like with Leinart, doesn't mean the QB "sucks"

Take a look at Jay Cutler and Vince Young. Young, Leinart, and Cutler were all drafted around the same time in 2006. Both men improved (yes even Cutler) since there rookie season. But both guys have started more games and have gotten much more consistent playing time.

I don't mind the decision that Leinart will become a full time starter. I actually think he does possess the skills needed to become a really good QB- but he needs playing time and practice to get to the next level and develop.

So let's wait and see how Leinart performs consistently for the next couple of years before we see if he "sucks" or not