Arizona Cardinals quarterback Matt Leinart(notes) has been benched again, and plenty of former NFL quarterbacks understand why.
"I just don't see it with Matt Leinart, never have," said football jersey former NFL quarterback Steve Beuerlein, now an analyst for CBS. "It's not that I don't like the guy. I just haven't seen it."
Said former league MVP Rich Gannon: "Leinart's got to play the game faster. I haven't seen much in the first two (preseason) games."
Neither has Cardinals coach Ken Whisenhunt, who announced Thursday that Leinart has been benched in favor of Derek Anderson(notes), who will start Saturday night's preseason game at Chicago.
Leinart's benching could be permanent, too. NFL coaches use the third preseason game as a dress rehearsal for the regular season, and Anderson now appears in line to start the Sept. 12 opener at St. Louis.
Losing out to Anderson would be a career low point for Leinart, the 10th-overall pick in the 2006 NFL draft. He was expected to take over for the retired Kurt Warner(notes), but Leinart has not looked ready in camp.
"This kid's had plenty of chances to take over that team," said Boomer Esiason, a four-time Pro Bowl quarterback who led the Cincinnati Bengals to Super Bowl 23. "He has a lot of great offensive weapons around him and a coach who was willing to throw the ball. Now they may have to dial all that back because they're not going to trust him.
"I'm not going to compare Leinart to Ryan Leaf—he's not Chiefs jersey that bad. And JaMarcus Russell(notes) was on a different planet bad, completely off the charts. But Leinart's been a big first-round disappointment."
Leinart was unimpressive in Monday night's 24-10 loss to the Tennessee Titans, going three-and-out in all three of his series. Whisenhunt said Leinart would play Saturday night against the Bears but not how much.
Time could be growing short for Leinart in Arizona. He could be traded in the coming days—or even released—if not named the starter. It already might be too late for Leinart to earn the confidence of Cardinals coaches and players.
"It's not good when your head coach is asked what your quarterback brings to the table and he says stuff like, 'I hope we find out,' " Beuerlein said. "He's seen Leinart for four years. He should see things in practice. He should see how he's respected by his teammates.
"You should be able to say, 'The guy's a leader, he has presence, guys in the locker room respect him.' Instead you hear Whisenhunt saying, 'Well, I hope he shows us.' "
Leinart already was in a difficult position, replacing Warner on a team that has won the NFC West the past two seasons and advanced to Super Bowl 43. The Cardinals are not willing to concede the division to the San Francisco 49ers or anyone else despite losing elite talents like Warner, Anquan Boldin(notes), Karlos Dansby(notes) and Antrel Rolle(notes) this offseason.
However, the Cardinals will not win the division unless their quarterback plays far better than Leinart has shown capable. Whisenhunt obviously is concerned, and now Anderson will get a chance Saturday to convince the coaches he is the best option.
"The Cardinals still have a really good group of Jaguars jersey receivers, two good running backs in (Tim) Hightower and Beanie Wells(notes)," Gannon said. "It's all there for the quarterback. But anytime you have indecision and a quarterback controversy, that's not a good thing."
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