Coach Green on Leinart: California tough

By Peter Altman  |   Monday, September 04, 2006  |  Comments( 2 )

Arizona Cardinals
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Arizona Cardinals head coach Dennis Green offered an interesting observation in reassuring the media that Matt Leinart would be ready for backup duty when the season opens against the San Francisco 49ers this Sunday. Green said of Leinart:

"He's not going to want to sit out. As I say, he's from California, he's a tough guy."

Since when was being from California synonymous with being a tough guy? Sure, the current governor is a former action hero, and the state has spawned the Black Panthers, Hell's Angels, Crips and Bloods -- all indisputably tough. But despite the earnest efforts of these organizations to build the street credibility of the state, in most of the country the mention of California conjures up visions of peaceniks, hippies, surfers and entertainers -- not paragons of toughness.

There is no denying that Matt Leinart is tough. Santa Ana, Calif., where he grew up, isn't Compton, but it's not Beverly Hills, either. Leinart was born with an ocular condition called strabismus which left him with crossed eyes until corrective surgery at age three. He has described himself as having been an overweight kid with thick glasses who was teased and tormented by his peers. In a story fit for a Disney movie, Leinart focused his energy on sports, became a prep school phenomenon and was awarded a scholarship to attend USC. It's not at all hard to believe that the ugly duckling became tough on his way to becoming a Cardinal.

The signs of toughness are evident over the past few years. Winning the Heisman Trophy while leading your team to an NCAA Championship: tough. Foregoing the NFL draft to try to win another: tough. Losing in the championship game: tough. Walking into camp in Tempe, Ariz. two weeks late as a rookie holdout, after having been publicly blasted by your new coach: tough. Trying to begin your professional football career while the media peppers you with questions about your ex-girlfriend, an NCAA Division I basketball player who will miss the upcoming season to have your baby: very tough. Leinart's is a history that could make a man tough, but none of these experiences are inextricably linked to his California roots.

It's hard to imagine from where Dennis Green might have gleaned his view of the Golden State as the Tough State. Perhaps a goon accosted Green as he strolled down Fisherman's Wharf during the time he worked as an assistant for the San Francisco 49ers under Bill Walsh. Maybe working for Walsh, a strong leader and native Californian -- ergo tough guy -- convinced Green that California was the birthplace of the tough.

One would hope that coach Green was not taking a potshot at the quarterback. One would hope that the statement was a sincere expression of what Dennis Green believes. One would hope that Green would be doing everything that he could to smooth the path for his young prospect.

Matt Leinart has a tough enough road ahead of him as he strives to become a legitimate NFL quarterback.

Get more on Matt Leinart and the Arizona Cardinals at RealFootball365.com
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