Matt Leinart (FOX CFB Analyst)

[OSUBasketballJunkie]

yahoo.com

8/30/06

<TABLE cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=0 width="100%" border=0><TBODY><TR><TD class=yspsctnhdln>Leinart pleased with smooth transition to NFL</TD></TR><TR><TD height=7><SPACER type="block" width="1" height="1"></TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE><TABLE cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=0 width="100%" border=0><TBODY><TR><TD>By BOB BAUM, AP Sports Writer
August 22, 2006
TEMPE, Ariz. (AP) -- Matt Leinart is pleased with his smooth, quick transition to the NFL, but losing is unfamiliar and uncomfortable, even if it's early. "I know it's preseason," the rookie quarterback said. "But the feeling of losing, I haven't had that too many times in my career, even in high school."
</TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE>Leinart, 37-2 as USC's quarterback, knows that even the best teams lose more than that in the NFL. Still, he wants to help instill a winning attitude in a Cardinals franchise that has had one winning season in 21 years.

"In college, it was expected to win, it was just how many points we were going to win by, it seemed," he said. "There were a few close ones here and there, but that was the mind-set that we had, and that's the mind-set we need to have here."
Leinart's NFL baptism was a challenging one, to say the least. He was inserted into the game at New England with just under two minutes to go in the half. He responded with a pair of scrambles for 29 yards to set up Neil Rackers' field goal, Arizona's lone score in a 30-3 loss on Saturday.
"I felt like I had some good composure in the pocket and made some plays on the move," he said. "There's a few throws that I should have made, but those will be there, just feeling more comfortable with the system and stuff. Next time I just want to be able to move the sticks and put some points up on the board."
Leinart completed four of 11 passes for 45 yards but had two dropped. He was not intercepted.
"He needed a little more help out there, but I thought he had solid play," coach Dennis Green said. "He's a talented player. He's got great poise, and that's the thing that really showed up."
Before his NFL debut, Leinart participated in only two days of training camp after ending his contract holdout by signing a six-year deal that could be worth as much as $51 million, with $14 million guaranteed.
"I'm happy with how quickly I got back into this stuff," he said. "A couple of days of training camp and I didn't really miss a beat."
Friday night against the Bears in Chicago, Leinart expects to enter the game early in the second half.
"I know I'm becoming more confident out there with the team," he said, "understanding what the guys are, getting the connection and the timing and all that stuff down."
Green wasn't ready to officially name Leinart the backup quarterback behind starter Kurt Warner, even though the choice seems an obvious one. John Navarre has completed 12-of-23 passes for 70 yards with three interceptions.
"I'm just competing," Leinart said. "Obviously right now I'm getting all the second-team reps and all that, but nothing is given to you. I'm just going to keep doing it, keep getting better."
Leinart said one difference from college that he discovered in a hurry was the speed of the NFL game.
"Definitely the biggest thing is those guys up front are moving fast, they're moving a lot faster than they did in college," he said. "They're going harder, they'll bull rush you, they'll do everything. You've just got to have your feet in the pocket and maintain your composure."
He was not surprised, though, that he was able to move into action so quickly.
"I was here in the summer and knew a bunch of stuff," Leinart said. "At USC, I was tutored very well with audibles and understanding defenses, so when it came to this transition, it was a little easier. Obviously it's more complex in the NFL but the basic stuff I know pretty well and I'm just going to keep getting better. "They keep throwing more stuff at me and, kind of like a sponge, I just absorb it and move on to the next thing."

 

[osugrad21]

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Posted on Thu, Aug. 31, 2006
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Leinart the dad, says pregnant USC hoopster's father

Daily News Wire Services

<!-- begin body-content --> Southern California basketball player Brynn Cameron will miss the upcoming season because she is expecting a baby with Arizona Cardinals quarterback Matt Leinart, according to her father.
Cameron is due to deliver a boy in November, Stan Cameron told the Ventura County Star.
Cameron, a 20-year-old junior guard, and Leinart dated while he attended USC. He graduated in December and was drafted by the Cardinals in April.
Asked yesterday about Cameron, Leinart said, "I'm not going to comment."
Cameron and Leinart reportedly broke up last year but still talk frequently, Stan Cameron said.
"Brynn does not want to get married," he said. "She wants to finish school and let Matt do his thing and then figure it out."
Cameron said his daughter doesn't want to comment until after the baby is born.
"It might not be the best timing in the world, but we are obviously very happy to have a new baby in the family," Stan Cameron said. "Brynn just found out about a month ago and told the team on Monday."
USC announced Tuesday that Cameron would sit out this season for undisclosed personal reasons. She averaged 9.8 points as a freshman starter for USC but appeared in only 13 games last season after undergoing a second surgery on her hip.
"Once the baby is born, she wants to get back to playing basketball again and finish school," Stan Cameron said. "I know Brynn will make a great mom. Things will be fine. It will be fun."

 

[OSUBasketballJunkie]

ABJ

Cards' rookie QB leaves game with injury

Associated Press

<!-- begin body-content -->GLENDALE, Ariz. - Arizona rookie quarterback Matt Leinart left Thursday night's preseason game against Denver with a sprained right shoulder.
An MRI is planned for Friday, but Leinart said the injury was no big deal. He said the shoulder popped out of its socket when he was hit, then back into place as he jogged off the field.
"It was kind of a fluke thing. It just got out of socket a little bit and I was running off it was kind of hanging there, but I popped it back in and it was fine," he said. "I could have gone back in and played if I had to."
The injury occurred when Leinart was sacked by Patrick Chukwurah late in the third quarter. He stayed in the game for one more play, completing a pass, before going to the sidelines.
Earlier in the game, Leinart directed an 87-yard touchdown drive, throwing 17 yards to Troy Walters for the score.
<!-- end body-content -->

 

[Steve19]

Leinart the dad, says pregnant USC hoopster's father

Daily News Wire Services

<!-- begin body-content -->Southern California basketball player Brynn Cameron will miss the upcoming season because she is expecting a baby with Arizona Cardinals quarterback Matt Leinart, according to her father...Brynn will make a great mom. Things will be fine. It will be fun."

http://graphics.fansonly.com/photos/schools/usc/sports/w-baskbl/auto_action/95834.jpeg

Reminds me of this Vodafone advertisement, oops! (follow this link and play the Vodafone advertisement of the girl in the blue bathrobe: http://www.dandad.org/awards06/entry.asp?entry_id=12373). You need to have Apple Quicktime loaded to view the file.

A couple of these ads are a real scream.

 

[stxbuck]

That sucking sound Leinart is hearing is half of his signing bonus going to his baby mama.....now he knows how Santonio Holmes and Co. feel...........

 

[bighawk]

Living in Southern California it seems that all the news about Matt Leinart is negative...or should I say, in this part of the country where right is wrong and wrong is right, quite positive. At least he knows his equipment works...and he appears to be doin' his thing with no obligations. Yet what about the kid. I sure feel badly for him as he may never know what "normal" means in a family unit. So much for living life with little or no consequences...other than child support of course.

 

[OSUBasketballJunkie]

Dispatch

Leinart update

Matt Leinart’s shoulder injury is not serious and Arizona coach Dennis Green said the rookie quarterback might be available for the season opener Sept. 10. Leinart is slated to back up starter Kurt Warner.
The left-handed Leinart suffered a sprained right shoulder when he was sacked by Patrick Chukwurah in the third quarter Thursday in a preseason game against Denver. Leinart was impressive in the preseason, completing 29 of 47 passes for 314 yards and two touchdowns with no interceptions.

 

[BuckWrestler141]

I just read this, I don't watch the show "Punk'd" but was hoping somebody got it to check and see if it was really as weak of a move as it sounds...

Leinart lost me forever during the episode of "Punk'd" when the cops mock-arrested him and a friend for soliciting a prostitute, then agreed to drop Leinart's charges if he sold out his buddy … followed by Leinart incredibly agreeing to do so … followed by an ecstatic Ashton Kutcher leaping out of a van to tell him he'd been Punk'd. Does that sound like something a great QB would do? Would Tom Brady or Brett Favre EVER sell a buddy like that? No way. That show told me everything I ever needed to know about Matt Leinart's future as an NFL quarterback. Pencil them in for 6-10

Would have been even better if he was with Kurt Warner.

 

[OSUBasketballJunkie]

ABJ

Green may bench Warner for Leinart

BOB BAUM

Associated Press

TEMPE, Ariz. - Matt Leinart in the lineup for Kurt Warner? Could happen.
While Cardinals coach Dennis Green didn't say the rookie would replace the struggling veteran for Arizona's next game, he also didn't dismiss the possibility Monday.
"I don't talk personnel on Monday," Green said. "We'll start looking at things and have a staff meeting and take it from there."
Green's noncommittal comments came in the wake of Warner's awful performance in Sunday's 16-14 home loss to the St. Louis Rams. The 35-year-old quarterback was intercepted three times - once with the team at the Rams 1-yard line and another at the St. Louis 14.
To cap it off, Warner fumbled a snap at the Rams 18 with 1:46 to play as Arizona was positioning itself for a winning field goal.
ESPN.com reported Monday night that the Cardinals were expected to start Leinart against the Falcons in Atlanta on Sunday, citing team sources the Web site did not identify. Warner's turnovers are what changed Green's mind about starting his first-round draft pick, according to the report.
When asked if he remained committed to Warner, Green said, "You know what? I've not thought about who the starting players are right now. ... Normally personnel is something we do on Tuesday."
Hardly an endorsement for Warner heading into a game with Atlanta.
Warner has fumbled five times, losing two of them, and thrown four interceptions in the last two games.
Players weren't available for interviews on Monday, but Warner was asked about the possibility of losing his job after Sunday's loss.
"I'll let coach Green make that decision," he said. "Of course I know what I would do, but that's not my decision to make."
The Cardinals' ugly loss came in front of a sellout crowd of 63,278 in their new stadium, and many of the fans let Warner know what they thought of his performance as he left the field.
"I'm not worried about that," Warner said. "I mean, whatever."
Warner was NFC offensive player of the week after Arizona's season-opening victory over San Francisco, but the offense has produced just 24 points in subsequent losses at Seattle and against the Rams.
"You can have a defensive struggle type game, but 24 points in two weeks, I don't think we're probably put together that way, to be honest with you," Green said. "I don't think we'd win very many games."
Warner and center Alex Stepanovich have had problems with the snap at times, even in pregame warmups. Although he was seen jawing at his center after the fumble, Warner told reporters the snap was good.
"I did my assignment," Stepanovich said, "and the next thing I know the ball is on the ground."
Warner finds himself in this precarious position for the third time in his career. After leading St. Louis to two Super Bowls in three seasons, he lost his job to Marc Bulger, then signed with the New York Giants in 2004. He was the Giants' starter for nine games, but was benched in favor of rookie Eli Manning.
Leinart is without doubt Arizona's franchise quarterback of the future after the team took him with the No. 10 pick overall in April. The plan this season was for Leinart to watch and learn from the sidelines, but Green is an impatient coach who has not hesitated to switch quarterbacks in his uphill fight to bring a winner to Arizona. Green praised Leinart's poise and performance in the preseason.
With a 12-23 record in two-plus season with the Cardinals, Green admits he has wondered at times whether he can turn around the long-suffering franchise.
"I think any time a coach doesn't win enough, he's got to think about that," he said. "I'd be crazy not to. I've won a lot of games in my career. The question is I haven't won here."

 

[OSUBasketballJunkie]

ABJ

Confident Leinart knows he'll be target

BOB BAUM

Associated Press

TEMPE, Ariz. - The starting call has come earlier than expected for Matt Leinart, who went through his first practice as an NFL first-string quarterback on Wednesday.
Leinart capped the session with a little extra work on the field with Edgerrin James, then pronounced himself confident for his first start for Arizona on Sunday against the Kansas City Chiefs, although he acknowledged, "They're probably licking their chops with a rookie quarterback coming in."
With costly mistakes plaguing Kurt Warner and the sputtering offense, coach Dennis Green decided to switch to Leinart, who was supposed to spend the entire season learning as a backup.
"This was not our intention. It's not what we wanted," Green said, "but we're 1-3 and just so many turnovers have brought it on."
Leinart has impressed coaches and teammates since he came to the Cardinals after a surprising drop to the No. 10 pick in the draft.
"I think you've got to understand who Matt Leinart is," Green said. "As far as college football is concerned, I don't know if there's a quarterback in the history of the game who has had as much success on that level."
USC was 37-2 with Leinart at quarterback, earning two national championships and winning a Heisman Trophy for him in 2004. But that was not the NFL, and it wasn't the downtrodden Cardinals, who are off to a 1-3 start for the fourth year in a row and have one winning season since 1984.
"What I want to try to do is not cram everything in and try to do too much," he said. "I'm comfortable with what I'm doing. Really, football is obviously studying your opponent and knowing what you're going to do, but really just playing, just going out there thinking and playing football."
He will operate behind a suspect offensive line that drew a public berating by Green this week. On his weekly radio show, the coach said it was time for the line to "stop whining" and work harder.
As any new quarterback would be expected to do, Leinart defended the line.
`I think they're going to be fine," Leinart said. "I think we just need leadership out there and hopefully I can come in there and just kind of bring a spark. Those guys have talent. We've struggled as an offense, and that's on everybody. That's not just on those guys. I know that they're going to be fine. I have faith in them, and I think they have faith in me.
"And I think we're going to see that this Sunday."
Warner, who has lost starting jobs before to Marc Bulger in St. Louis and Eli Manning with the New York Giants, pledged his support and promised to help Leinart, but said the transition to the pro game is bound to take a while.
"To have a full grasp is going to take a long period of time, and I'm sure Matt's not even close to that yet," Warner said. "How quickly he'll be there? I don't think it will be at least until sometime next year where he feels completely comfortable with everything, relaxed and just can play football."
Leinart, though, said his goal is to do just that right away, and to enjoy it while he's at it.
"I'm not sure what it's like in the huddle when Kurt was in there, but I know the type of guy I am," he said, "going in there talking, keeping the guys motivated, just playing, just having fun. That's what it's all about."
His goal, like the quarterback he replaces, is to get the ball to the team's playmakers: James, Larry Fitzgerald and Anquan Boldin.
"I think Matt's way ahead of where most guys are when they come in," center Alex Stepanovich said. "I wouldn't say he's arrogant, but he's got a good confidence about him. He knows what he can do and what he can't do, so I think he'll be fine."

 

[ScarletBlood31]

Great game by Leinart tonight. He did what he needed to do, but some of his teammates let him down. He even led the team down the field at the end of the game, and handed the ball off twice instead of passing for the first down, and lost after a missed 40 yard FG.

I gained a lot of respect for him tonight. He's going to be a good one.

 

[NFBuck]

Sad thing is that he's already their best QB since Neil Lomax.

 

[OSUBasketballJunkie]

ABJ

Cardinals' Leinart excused from practice

Associated Press

TEMPE, Ariz. - Arizona Cardinals quarterback Matt Leinart was excused from practice Wednesday after attending the birth of his son in Southern California.
Brynn Cameron, a University of Southern California basketball player, gave birth to a boy, Cole, on Tuesday night in Southern California. Further details were not available.
Leinart was expected to return to the team later Wednesday.

 

[OSUBasketballJunkie]

ABJ

Leinart basks in new fatherhood

BOB BAUM

Associated Press

TEMPE, Ariz. - Matt Leinart was a proud father, showing off baby pictures to teammates, as he returned to Arizona Cardinals practice Thursday after a day off to attend the birth of his son in southern California.
The rookie quarterback was with former girlfriend Brynn Cameron, who gave birth to the couple's son, Cole, on Tuesday night, then was given Wednesday off by Cardinals coach Dennis Green to remain with them a bit longer.
"It was a great experience," said Leinart, who provided a rare glimpse into the private life that he normally guards closely. "The best thing is we brought a healthy boy into this world. Now my next job is to be a great dad."
Leinart and Cameron were together for much of the quarterback's time at USC. She plays basketball for the Trojans and plans to return for her junior season next year. Leinart thanked Green for allowing him to miss a practice.
"Everything went well. Everything's great," he said. "Now I look forward to every chance I get to get back there."
Green said he felt it was important for Leinart to have the time to attend the birth.
"He's a great guy, he's a great person," Green said. "He's a very mature adult. I think he's going to be a great father."
Leinart said it was an interesting few days because of his awful experience on Sunday, when he drew several fierce hits in the Cardinals' 22-9 loss at Oakland. It was his first bad outing in his three NFL starts.
The emotions shifted in a hurry for the birth, which conveniently enough for him occurred in the middle of the week between games at Oakland and Green Bay.
Asked if Cole was left-handed like his father, Leinart laughed and said, "We don't know that yet."

 

[methomps]

Silent