MATT LEINART QUARTERBACK

Given what we know (or think we know) about Matt Leinart, what are our expectations for the Arizona Cardinals in 2010?

Matt Leinart QB
6’5” 232 lbs
Drafted 2006, Arizona Cardinals, Round 1 Pick 10

When looking at the Arizona Cardinals and Matt Leinart I have to look at the quarterback and ask the question, “can Matt Leinart take charge and lead this team”?  And I say, “why not”?

I look for head coach Ken Whisenhunt to reel in the offense a little bit and try to implement a more balanced attack with a 50/50 run/pass ratio .  That means Chris (Beanie) Wells and Tim Hightower better be ready to step it up.  Having one of the leagues best wide receivers, Larry Fitzgerald,  and some other good receivers in the mix should make things easier for Leinart entering his 5th NFL season.

Leinart’s 2006 rookie season happens to be his best season.  Beginning week four that year and continuing through week 16, Matt led the Cardinals completing 213 of 376 pass attempts. One knock on him that year was his td/int ratio, 11 tds 12 ints. Still, as a rookie, I think he did pretty good.

I looked back a few years to see what kind of stats some other quarterbacks put up in their first year after being the backup for extended time.  David Garrard QB Jacksonville Jaguars, spent five years as the backup before his first full season in 2007.  Garrard ranked #16 among fantasy QBs scoring 252 points.  He completed 208 of 325 attempts,  threw 18 touchdowns,  and was only intercepted 3 times.  The next player I looked at was Matt Schaub QB Houston Texans.  After being a backup for three years and injured the better part of the next two years,  Matt finally got his chance to start and play a full season in 2009.  He didn’t disappoint his owners, as he finished as the #4 QB in 2009 with 372 completions,  544 attempts, 4467 passing yards,  27 tds and 14 ints.  Matt Cassel,  Kansas City Chiefs,  had much more success while running the New England Patriot offense but his stats with the Chiefs were respectable considering the team around him.  He was 272/494 for 2924 yards with 16 tds and 16 interceptions, compared to the year before (Patriots) where he posted 328/518 for 3693 yards, 21 tds and 11 ints in what was actually his first full year after being a backup for three years .  Aaron Rodgers, Green Bay Packers, sat for three years behind Brett Favre in Green Bay.  During his first year at the helm of Green Bays potent offense he posted super stats and followed that in 2009 with an even better year.  We had rated Rodgers as the #1 QB in our 2009 Quarterback rankings.

We also took a look at a couple quarterbacks who started for their teams right away, but weren’t as highly rated coming out of college as Matt Leinart.  They included Joe Flacco of the Ravens and Kyle Orton quarterback of the Denver Broncos .  Looking at Flacco and Orton’s stats, I think Matt Leinart can put up decent numbers as the starter in 2010. Team wise, I think Texans Matt Schaub QB / Andre Johnson WR duo and Matt Leinart QB / Larry Fitzgerald WR duo are very similar situations.  Anquan Boldin WR has been traded to the Baltimore Ravens, so I see Leinart’s numbers reading something like 260 completions, 433 attempts, 2860 yards, 16 tds / 11 ints. He will have some games where he performs like a #1 quarterback but I see him more as a fantasy football backup in 2010. If he progresses this year and you can stash him on your team for spot duty then you might have a diamond in the rough for 2011.

Matt Leinart will perform good enough this year to lead the Cardinals to another division championship.  I don’t see the San Francisco 49ers, Seattle Seahawks, or St Louis Rams overtaking Arizona in 2010.  St Louis is missing too many pieces, Seattle will be putting together a new system under their new coach, and QB Alex Smith will not have what it takes to get the 49ers to the next level in 2010.  So I see the Cardinals winning the division but not advancing past one game in the playoffs.

Fantasy RoundTable opinions: Round Table Members

Article provided by: J. Piatt
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