A couple of observations re: Matt

[PACardsFan]

The coaching staff is giving Derek Anderson enough rope to hang himself with. Derek Anderson was signed prior to the draft. While they knew that they were going to draft a QB, they were not sure who they would pick up. After going through OTAs and Training Camp, they determined that they liked Skelton's potential and Max Hall's moxie and determined that DA may not be needed. They want to give DA a chance with the #1's to guage how he could play if needed. If DA blows it, he is gone, if DA plays well, he stays on the roster as the backup.

Either way, I predict that Leinart is starting against St. Louis.

P.S. I hope that his does not blow up in my face!!!!

I could go into detail, but I won"t. I'll keep it simple - I think you are absolutely right. We'll see.

 

[PACardsFan]

I think that anyone patting themselves on the back or "happy to be right" seriously need a reality check.

This kind of turmoil doesn't happen to teams that play into January. We are 15 days til kick off and you can't fill out large portions of your starting lineup.

This kind of turmoil shows gross incompetence on a management level. This should have been dealt with months ago. As a manager, I would never go into a critical time with a team I didn't have 100% confidence in.

This kind of turmoil saps fan enthusiasm for the upcoming season. We have people talking about the draft already for pete's sake.

This kind of turmoil only serves to divide fans who should be united in supporting the Cardinals. Hell azcentral.com has a poll that literally says "Are you with Team Matt or Team Derek". Whatever happened to "Team Cardinal"

This kind of turmoil must really suck if you took the coach at his word and went out and bought a Leinart jersey (I don't own one) to replace your Warner jersey. I saw a lot of new ones at the last game.

This kind of turmoil can lead to the same divisions within locker rooms that the fans express here. Athletes are just bigger and more eccentric versions of ourselves.

I don't mind the move, I can't stand the timing or the execution. In one fell swoop Whis has effectively tapped a large portion of the credibility he has gained in his time here. It is division champs or reputation bust.

Wow! You're really caught up in that turmoil thing. Can we please let Whisenhunt go through his evaluations in the preseason before we start throwing the term "gross incompetence" around. I've been a fan since '63 & trust me - he's the BEST coach we've EVER had. This is also the best FO that we've ever had. Please spare me your negativity. I guarantee you that Whiz is quite confident with this group & will be ready to go to war come week 1. Did you happen to see the Colts give up 60 the other night. Oh, the turmoil that must be in the Colts camp!! I've listened to Cardinal players & they are frothing at the mouth to get the season started. There's NO division in this locker room. As a Moderator, you shouldn't spew such nonsense. Your certainly entitled to your opinion, but it's disappointing just the same.

 

[Shane]

Wow! You're really caught up in that turmoil thing. Can we please let Whisenhunt go through his evaluations in the preseason before we start throwing the term "gross incompetence" around. I've been a fan since '63 & trust me - he's the BEST coach we've EVER had. This is also the best FO that we've ever had. Please spare me your negativity. I guarantee you that Whiz is quite confident with this group & will be ready to go to war come week 1. Did you happen to see the Colts give up 60 the other night. Oh, the turmoil that must be in the Colts camp!! I've listened to Cardinal players & they are frothing at the mouth to get the season started. There's NO division in this locker room. As a Moderator, you shouldn't spew such nonsense. Your certainly entitled to your opinion, but it's disappointing just the same.

I agree he is overly negative about the situation. However what does being a mod have to with it and his opinion?

 

[PACardsFan]

I agree he is overly negative about the situation. However what does being a mod have to with it and his opinion?

I'm sure you're right! I just hate to hear solid Cardinal fans be so negative during the preseason.

 

[RonF]

I don't understand why a solid Cardinal fan can't make a negative comment about a player, coach, offensive line, defensive line without being labeled as a Card hater? We all have the same goals, winning, but differ on what players will get us there. The fact that we have different opinions doesn't make one right and the other wrong. In the beginning, we all wanted Leinart to succeed, however, if it is time to move on in another direction, so be it.

 

[Russ Smith]

The coaching staff is giving Derek Anderson enough rope to hang himself with. Derek Anderson was signed prior to the draft. While they knew that they were going to draft a QB, they were not sure who they would pick up. After going through OTAs and Training Camp, they determined that they liked Skelton's potential and Max Hall's moxie and determined that DA may not be needed. They want to give DA a chance with the #1's to guage how he could play if needed. If DA blows it, he is gone, if DA plays well, he stays on the roster as the backup.

Either way, I predict that Leinart is starting against St. Louis.

P.S. I hope that this does not blow up in my face!!!!

That's my guess too they're giving Anderson one last chance to show why it makes sense to keep him and likely lose Hall who won't clear waivers.

I think the reason they had Hall running with the 2nd team in practice is they wanted to see just how much grasp of the offense he really has. He looks very comfortable in it and seems way ahead of Skelton in that regard so IF they were to cut either Anderson or Matt, Hall would be the backup unless we could claim a veteran backup off waivers. I think they wanted to make sure Hall was as far along in the offense as they thought.

Now I think they want to give Anderson essentially most of one half with the starters, against starters, to essentially audition for a job either in Arizona or somewhere else.

now if that's dead wrong and Matt has lost the starting job, I have to assume it's due to something else besides just how he played, there has to have been some off field issue that popped up because Anderson hasn't played well enough to explain them suddenly benching Matt.

I still say he's the starter against the Rams, the real question is will Anderson be on the roster.

 

[Cardiac]

Whis does have us all scratching our collective heads. All kinds of theories being thrown around and at this point I don't have a single one that is the most likely correct one. I do know that it's not because CKW hates ML and won't give him a fair chance.

If CKW sees DA's and ML's play as about even right now then I could invision DA as the starter. The reasons are:

Better arm.
Less time in the system so ML should be outperforming at this point.
CKW has not had as much time to coach DA up so the ceiling for him is higher then ML.

In my heart of hearts I hope DA plays well and ML LIGHTS IT UP.

 

[az jam]

I still say he's the starter against the Rams, the real question is will Anderson be on the roster.

Sorry to disagree with you Russ but for me the real questions is will Leinart be on the roster.

 

[Doc Cardinal]

Sorry to disagree with you Russ but for me the real questions is will Leinart be on the roster.

If Leinart goes and Andrson stays......we'd better be sure how good Hall and Skeletor are.

 

[Russ Smith]

Sorry to disagree with you Russ but for me the real questions is will Leinart be on the roster.

LaCanfora on NFL Network is saying the Cards are NOT planning to release Matt at this point, that he is now competing with Anderson for the starting job.

I'd like to keep all 4 of our QB's I just don't think it's possible we're going to lose Hall if we try to get him onto the PS.

Tough call I don't want to have 2 rookie backups, but I think both kids have shown enough that you'd ideally want to keep them.

For me it comes down to Anderson has played more than Matt in the NFL, and has played more than Matt in the preseason, he is what he is, he's not going to suddenly develop in Chad Pennington as a touch passer. You know what you have in DA, you don't know what you have yet in Leinart.

 

[az jam]

We will certainly have a better feel for what is going to happen after the game based on performance.

It would really be great for both Anderson and Leinart to do well.

 

[Cheesebeef]

These are the things I can not reconcile:

#1. It would be career suicide for Whisenhunt to "Set Matt up for fail". This is the Not For Long league for coaches. If the QB fails, the team fails, and thus the coach fails.

So...

#2. We can only conclude that Matt has failed. In the four years that he has been here, the coaching staff has volumes of tape and hundreds of hours spent observing him. He was on such thin ice, that those snaps he took in pre-season were his last chance.

But....

#3. This is where the gross mismanagement comes in. If Leinart failed, then it was decided based on knowledge already had and not on a few snaps in pre-season. As a manager, I am acutely aware of which of my employees has a long term future in my company and I plan for the worst. This seems like the Cardinals knew there was a problem and planned for the best. I certainly would never shake up a team during crunch time as it completely changes the focus of the team.

Thus...

#4. One must conclude that Whisenhunts bosses have flat ignored his recommendations and have saddled him with a bad employee.

So is it:

#1. Whis is a moron who actively seeks to defeat himself

#2. Whis is a foolish optomist who can't accurately forecast or prepare for issues within his team.

#3. Rod Graves is some amagalmation of the above.

It has to be one of those 3.

Reports are that Wiz and the staff wanted Bulger and were told no... based off that report, the team having no contingency plan for Gerald Hayes even though it was blatantly obvious to some that depending on an ILB with back problems was penny wise and a pound foolish and trading away our starting CB without bringing anyone else in to maintain what little depth we had there (for a second straight season), I'd say 3 is as good a bet as any.

although, it may not be 3... it may be we just tightened the purse strings and that's numero quatro... the man upstairs.

 

[Stout]

Reports are that Wiz and the staff wanted Bulger and were told no... based off that report, the team having no contingency plan for Gerald Hayes even though it was blatantly obvious to some that depending on an ILB with back problems was penny wise and a pound foolish and trading away our starting CB without bringing anyone else in to maintain what little depth we had there (for a second straight season), I'd say 3 is as good a bet as any.

although, it may not be 3... it may be we just tightened the purse strings and that's numero quatro... the man upstairs.

What reports are you talking about? This is the second time I've seen you mention this. I have no recollection of reading or hearing about it. If I had, it would have sent me off into an anti-Graves rant.

 

[Crazy Canuck]

The widespread chat from those who would ordinarily be in the know, runs along the line that Leinart simply came into this season with the belief that the job was his, period... and that he did the bare minimum this offseason and in camp. If you want to find yourself in the Whiz Doghouse, this is the quickest way there...

Seems to me Matt attempted to take the short cut to the starting QB position, and it back-fired. You would have thought he would have remembered how Kurt stole the starting job from him by outworking him. Oh well...

Well, that is certainly not what Whiz had to say about Matt's offseason.

 

[Shane]

I have no recollection If I had, it would have sent me off into an anti-Graves rant.

That is a constant with you anyway.

 

[82CardsGrad]

Well, that is certainly not what Whiz had to say about Matt's offseason.

Again - you keep pinning your impressions on what Whiz says and not what he does. You should consider altering your approach when it comes to Whiz. His actions are quite telling... much more so than his words!

 

[Cheesebeef]

What reports are you talking about? This is the second time I've seen you mention this. I have no recollection of reading or hearing about it. If I had, it would have sent me off into an anti-Graves rant.

I haven't mentioned that before as I just saw it from other posters over the last day or so.

 

[Crazy Canuck]

I too have re watched it and here is my opinion.

In the two series when we were 4th and 1, Matt looked to the sideline on both occasions and very enthusiastically indicated that he wanted us to go for it.

On both occasions, we punted. Matt looked very frustrated. I agree with him.

We should have gone for it and tried to extend the drives. It's good practice for that situation, it's preseason, there is no reason not to go for it.

So his body language IMO coming off the field was not aloof with the game in general, but rather frustration that we didn't go for it in those situations.

That is my opinion.

Also, I too have seen Matt with his head in the headset and leaning in on Warner huddles many times in the past. People act like when they show him on the sideline he's sitting on the bench, chewing gum and reading cosmo.

And in the third quarter when Anderson had a 4th and one on our side of the 50 yard line, Whiz let him go with it.

 

[Crazy Canuck]

Again - you keep pinning your impressions on what Whiz says and not what he does. You should consider altering your approach when it comes to Whiz. His actions are quite telling... much more so than his words!

Well, if his words do not correspond to action, he's going to find himself with a problem. I made a living playing hockey, and when the Coach looked me in the eye and said something I took it as Gospel. The guys, individually and collectively have to know where they stand.

 

[Stout]

I haven't mentioned that before as I just saw it from other posters over the last day or so.

I think it is completely fabricated. That would have set this board off if it had been reported for real.

Edit: I'm not saying that you fabricated it yourself, Cheese

 

[Stout]

That is a constant with you anyway.

That is a bold-faced lie, Shane. I have become such a sticky-sweet lightsider that supported Whis and Graves for the last two years that it's crazy. That doesn't mean that I haven't disagreed or gone off once or twice, but that certainly has NOT been the constant lately for me.

 

[Crazy Canuck]

That is a bold-faced lie, Shane. I have become such a sticky-sweet lightsider that supported Whis and Graves for the last two years that it's crazy. That doesn't mean that I haven't disagreed or gone off once or twice, but that certainly has NOT been the constant lately for me.

I can attest to the veracity of this statement in your defence...

 

[82CardsGrad]

Well, if his words do not correspond to action, he's going to find himself with a problem. I made a living playing hockey, and when the Coach looked me in the eye and said something I took it as Gospel. The guys, individually and collectively have to know where they stand.

So did Whiz look YOU in the eye when he uttered whatever it is that makes you believe his actions are inconsistent with his words?
Is it remotely possible that Whiz (rightly so) chose NOT to enter camp in a controversial manner? That he actually was hoping that Matty would be able to step up and become the leader he needs to be?

 

[Cardiac]

I think it is completely fabricated. That would have set this board off if it had been reported for real.

Edit: I'm not saying that you fabricated it yourself, Cheese

I heard MJ or some such reliable source discuss it during a radio interview.
The actual statement was that some coaches within the organization wanted Bulger but the FO told them they already had DA and ML so no.

 

[Crazy Canuck]

So did Whiz look YOU in the eye when he uttered whatever it is that makes you believe his actions are inconsistent with his words?

Is it remotely possible that Whiz (rightly so) chose NOT to enter camp in a controversial manner? That he actually was hoping that Matty would be able to step up and become the leader he needs to be?

I don't think Whiz has been inconsistent to his words at this point. The guy you've described - says one thing, does another... would be two-faced, to put it charitably.

He lauded Matt's offseason, pointed to dysfunction in the "O" writ large, and in announcing that DA would start, said that he was merely flipping the starting order from game 2 to game 3; that the depth chart had not changed - and that the third game was not a dress rehearsal.

Based on play this evening, etc., he's free to make any decision he chooses and remain consistent, to my mind.

It's MY BELIEF until proven wrong, that too many with a bias against Matt, think that it's all over for him, but the crying. And, just maybe, some of those people should pay a bit closer attention to what Whiz says, and a little less to their "gut" which is in perfect digestive harmony with their bias.