Leinart struggles in Cards win

Leinart struggles in Cards win
by Kent Somers - Aug. 23, 2008 10:55 PM
The Arizona Republic

OAKLAND - In coaching, there's an axiom that has been around since the whistle was invented: Don't make decisions until you have to, because sometimes they are made for you.

That could be the case with the Cardinals' quarterback situation.

Matt Leinart or Kurt Warner? The answer might have been provided by Leinart on Saturday night against the Raiders at McAfee Coliseum.

The Cardinals won 24-0, but they did it despite Leinart, not because of him.

Leinart had three interceptions in the first half and completed just 4 of 12 passes for 24 yards. His passer rating was 2.8, which wouldn't even be a good GPA.

Coach Ken Whisenhunt deferred opinions on the matter until he reviews game video but didn't sound like he was close to making a change.

"This is a process," he said. "This is part of the process, how Matt handles this and how he responds to this. You are not going to play great every week. We understand that.

"It wasn't all Matt. I know, from seeing it on the field, where our receivers went to the wrong side of the (defensive backs) and didn't follow what they're supposed to on their assignments."

Leinart dressed and left the locker room before reporters entered, so others were left to evaluate his mental state and give reasons for his mistakes.

"I know Matt's down," Whisenhunt said, "but I'm not worried about Matt's confidence, because I think this competition, being pushed by Kurt, has made him mentally tougher."

Two of Leinart's interceptions came when he misfired on long throws, allowing safeties to make plays. The other interception came when he scrambled and inexplicably tossed a pass into the hands of cornerback Stanford Routt.

Only one of his passes, a 14-yarder to receiver Anquan Boldin, seemed to be thrown with much conviction or accuracy. It's hard to see Saturday's video helping Leinart keep the job.

Warner started slowly when he entered late in the first half. When pressured on a third down, he fumbled the ball, but the Cardinals recovered. He presided over two touchdowns to open the second half, although he didn't have a lot to do with them other than one 25-yard pass to Boldin.

Warner couldn't say if Saturday brought him closer to the starting job.

"My whole objective is get myself ready, try to get comfortable for that first game if my number is called," he said.

Rookie running back Tim Hightower made a handful of nifty runs on the first possession of the second half. There was one off left tackle for 21 yards, one around left end for 6 and then a 13-yard draw for a touchdown.

On the next possession, running back J.J. Arrington busted a 67-yard touchdown run with the help of nice blocks from tight end Jerame Tuman and rookie tackle Brandon Keith.

Just like that, the Cardinals led 17-0, and Warner was done for the night. He completed two of his four pass attempts for 40 yards.

Though most of the attention Saturday was focused on the Cardinals' quarterback situation, it was the defense that ruled the night. If it had not played well early, the evening could have been ugly.

The front four continually pressured Raiders quarterback JaMarcus Russell. Linebacker Gerald Hayes was stout against the run. Safety Adrian Wilson shut down screens and draws, and inside linebacker Karlos Dansby intercepted a pass.

The pass rush came from varied sources. Outside linebacker Clark Haggans had a sack. Linebacker Bertrand Berry provided consistent pressure, as did end Darnell Dockett.

"Oh, man, I didn't even know how many weapons we got," end Antonio Smith said. "We're going to be stacked."





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