How much PT will Leinart see?

By Krupka  |   Sunday, July 09, 2006  |  Comments( 0 )

Arizona Cardinals
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In this past April's draft, the Arizona Cardinals were ecstatic to see former USC quarterback Matt Leinart drop to them with the 10th overall pick. So without any second thoughts, the team drafted him.

Immediately, the question was posed to head coach Dennis Green: Will Leinart start in 2006?

The excellent talent evaluator gave the answer most expected. Leinart will be "ready to play," but veteran Kurt Warner is the guy.

Green didn't mince words, making it clear to his team and both quarterbacks involved that the former league MVP would be the starter. Barring any unforeseen injury to the nine-year veteran, expect to see the rookie, Leinart, carrying a clipboard on the sideline.

And that's not a bad thing.

Turning back the hands of time, it will be seen that Green has done this before, and had great success in doing so.

As the head coach of the Minnesota Vikings, he drafted Daunte Culpepper with the No. 11 pick in 1999. He elected to hand the reins of the offense to veteran Jeff George, and let Culpepper be the understudy learning on the sidelines.

In that season, George led the Vikings to the playoffs before losing to the eventual Super Bowl champion St. Louis Rams, who were led, of course, by the same Kurt Warner that heads the Cardinals' potent offense.

Coming off a year on the sidelines, Culpepper assumed the role of starting quarterback for the 2000 season. He had a terrific year, bringing the Vikings all the way to the NFC Championship Game.

Green seems prepared to do the same thing this time around, too. So it begs the question. If Leinart isn't starting, how much time should we expect to see pass before he plays?

While Green has yet to answer that, in all likelihood, the rookie will only see time at the end of blowouts, and depending on the team's record and Warner's health, he could see a start or two toward the end of the year.

With great expectations this year, look for Leinart to follow Culpepper's example of learning from the sidelines before being thrown into the fray.

Eric Krupka can be reached at ekrupka@realfootball365.com

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