Leinart may have already learned(the hard way?) more than Warner can teach him off the field. The last couple of years he has made bold statements about his position on the team and it seems he has learned that that stuff is always going to come back to bite you and he seems to be more media cautious than Warner ever has.
I like his current approach and his genuine excitement and involvement during the stretch run bodes very well for when he gets his chance.
I always thought it was a little strange that he stayed on at USC and I think the last couple of years of growing up/maturing were staring him in the face and he was hesitant to get started with the process. No classes, nothing new to learn on the field, LA hotties to choose from...I can see the appeal for sure but that was always the biggest red flag in my opinion for him. I couldn't put my finger on it at the time because I really thought he was NFL ready and prepped well by Carrol.
I would have much preferred to see him anxious to get his NFL career started but he wouldn't be with the Cardinals if he had so maybe it all worked out for a reason. He's swallowed his pride and bought into making himself better(just like Warner had to do with Whis in charge, even though Warner's head is starting to swell a little now. Swagger-good. Swolen ego-bad. Keep him in line, Whis.) and I think he's going to be a coach's delight when he is handed the reigns next time around.
In a perfect world, the Cardinals will have commanding leads that don't slip away that Leinart can start getting onto the field more in 2009. That may be the biggest long term benefit of firing Pendy. No lead was safe and Warner was playing for a contract/afraid of losing his job in 2008. 2009 will see Leinart start to grow.
With all the guarenteed money given to Warner, is it possible Whis/Graves wanted him to be secure with his place on the field so that they could get Leinart some playing time? I can't help but think of Montana/Young. I think they'll start working him in more frequently.
