80/142 56.3% 940 yds 6.6 ypa 2TD(1.4%) 7INT(4.9%) 5 FUM 60.8 rating
That's what Warner did through the preseason and games 1 & 3 this year. It has taken a seasoned, pro-bowl, QB much time, effort and work with the coaches and receivers for him to get into a rhythm his year.
Why should Leinart, without any real practice time be expected to step in and replicate what Warner has struggled to get to this year?
They weren't running the offense for him as evidenced by the run/pass ratio dropping to 50/50.
Leinart didn't have any dropped interceptions or bad reads, he converted 3 third downs and other than holding the ball too long on one play did what he had to do. Whis declined to attempt a relatively makeable 50 yard FG and Becht fumbled the ball away. So Leinart had one 3 and out and the Cardinals didn't light up the scoreboard when he came in.
Let him get a couple of full games under his belt where he gets to practice all week. Maybe he will underperform but a circle the wagons game is hardly what we should base his future on.
mocklerman-----you rock. The real problem, is that people have been so accustomed to KW's HOF performances that anything less is unsatisfactory. Also, they don't seem to understand that not having reps during the week with the starters on a REGULAR basis is detrimental to any QB coming off the bench cold and having the same success that the starter did.
When Matt WAS a starter, he was quite successful, (despite the fact that under Greene, he had no suitable assistants to coach him up, AND that Greene was more inclined to deflect criticism away from himself than he was to actually help his coaches or players). Even going into his second year, until he was injured, he did OK for a kid pretty much on his own so far as the learning curve was concerned.
Whizenhunt has said that Matt has learned and progressed steadily during his time on the bench watching KW. Since Whiz has not lied to any of us about anything else, I assume he is correct in his assessmment of Matt's progress toward becoming a starter in this league.
Even the players seem comfortable with him----(see Rolle's comments to Urban in an interview on the official site).
Right now Matt is a back-up QB. His job is to come into a game cold and preserve a win. He has done that, and to expect him to have the same rythm that the starter has with his unit, is just not fair. Judge him on his performance as a back-up. The time will come when he will get the chance to start, and we will then judge him on his performance as a starter, when he is allowed the reps with the first unit that starters normally get during the week before the game.
