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Cards take a gamble
Rookie QBs often struggle when starting in the NFL
Doug Haller
The Arizona Republic
Oct. 7, 2006 12:00 AM
The biggest challenge Matt Leinart faces as the Cardinals starting quarterback: Hardly anyone expects him to win.
Playing quarterback in the NFL is believed to be one of the most difficult tasks in sports, tough for veterans, nearly impossible for rookies. The game moves quicker. The play clock ticks. Defenses attack.
According to ESPN.com, 26 rookie quarterbacks have started the past six seasons. Only six have a winning record. Overall, the group is 61-101.
"I'll tell you right now: You're taking a step back with a rookie quarterback," ESPN analyst and former quarterback Ron Jaworski said. "Matt's certainly talented. He has a very bright future. But his time is not right now. The Cardinals will not win this season with Matt Leinart."
Still, it's hard to fault the 1-3 Cardinals. Teams are allowed to struggle these days, but not with a high-priced quarterback holding the clipboard. Already this season, Tennessee has turned to Vince Young, the versatile athlete from Texas. In Denver, fans long for strong-armed Jay Cutler, even though veteran Jake Plummer has provided two wins in three tries.
This would not have happened two decades ago. Baltimore Ravens offensive coordinator Jim Fassel remembers when quarterbacks sat for five years, absorbing the system, forming relationships. But expectations and anxious executives have reduced the development period. Steve McNair recently told Fassel he was happy to serve as an understudy for just two seasons when the Houston Oilers drafted him out of Alcorn State in 1995.
In Cincinnati, former Heisman Trophy winner Carson Palmer felt lucky to watch for the entire 2003 season, learning as Jon Kitna led the woeful Bengals back to respectability. Palmer started 13 games the next season. A year later, he threw a team-record 32 touchdown passes and led Cincinnati to the playoffs.
"It was frustrating that first year, but looking back, I'm not sorry it turned out that way," Palmer said. "I had a chance to sit back with less pressure and really learn how the NFL works. I didn't play, but I still felt like I made a lot of progress."
Leinart, 23, steps in Sunday against the Kansas City Chiefs as the league's third-youngest starting quarterback, a year older than San Francisco's Alex Smith and a week older than Tennessee's Young.
One thing Leinart has going for him: intelligence. Those who have worked with Leinart rave about it. He studies. He asks questions. He is willing to sacrifice. Just a few days ago, Leinart stayed after practice and worked on play-action passing with tailback Edgerrin James, the duo walking off the field 20 minutes after their teammates.
"I'd say he's in the top two or three percent of guys who have come out in terms of smarts," said Pete Carroll, Leinart's coach at Southern California. "That gives him an advantage. It's so challenging, so difficult, but Matt will have as good of command of the offense as anybody can have. I don't think there's any aspect of his preparation or makeup that will keep from being successful, other than the fact that he's new."
The problem will be transferring those smarts to the field, where adrenaline soars to unprecedented heights. Five years ago, then-Atlanta Falcons coach Dan Reeves watched rookie Michael Vick call plays in the huddle, then approach the line of scrimmage. Once the snap came, no one seemed to know what was going on, so Reeves had an assistant coach record Vick in the practice huddle. The playback didn't surprise him.
"He was calling the play so fast no one could understand him," Reeves said. "The play clock was winding down - nine, eight, seven - and he was in such a hurry to get the play off. When he listened to the recording, he couldn't believe it was him."
The lesson: Slow down, relax, breathe. A rattled quarterback accomplishes nothing.
"A lot of things can escalate in a hurry," former Cardinals starter Kurt Warner said. "Sometimes the play comes in late, sometimes you stumble over a play call as you're trying to think about it, sometimes you forget the snap count or turn the wrong way. It happens to everybody, but dealing with that anxiety and keeping it all in check is one of the hardest things for rookies to do, not letting one bad thing turn into another and another."
Positive results usually take time. Troy Aikman won one game his rookie season in Dallas. Peyton Manning won three in Indianapolis. David Carr won four in Houston.
Exceptions exist. Miami's Dan Marino won 12 games in 1983. Pittsburgh's Ben Roethlisberger led the Steelers to the 2004 AFC championship game.
Does Leinart have a chance? Most agree it depends on his supporting cast. Will the offensive line protect him? Will the running game surface? Will the defense force turnovers?
"The odds aren't with you, but not too long ago Drew Bledsoe got hurt in New England and Tom Brady came in with little experience (he had thrown three NFL passes) and won the Super Bowl," Fassel said. "It's rare, but it can happen."
