Cards naming Warner starter won't affect Leinart's future

Now that the Arizona Cardinals have chosen Kurt Warner as their starting quarterback, there's a feeling out there that the club missed -- and missed badly -- on Matt Leinart.

Matt Leinart's chance will come; maybe sooner than expected. (US Presswire)

So the former first-round draft choice doesn't open the season. Big deal. I guarantee he plays at some point, and he may have to step in permanently if Warner screws up or gets injured.

And that's not a bad thing.

Despite what you think or may hear Leinart is still the Cardinals' quarterback of the future. Warner is the quarterback now because the Cardinals believe he gives them a better chance to win now -- not next year or the year after that, but now -- and a lot of that has to do with an experience factor that cannot be overstated.

Warner started 85 games in his NFL career and two Super Bowls; Leinart started 16, but only five for coach Ken Whisenhunt.

So Whisenhunt knows more about Warner than he does Leinart, and what he knows is that Warner a year ago threw 27 touchdown passes in 11 starts, threw for a career-best 484 yards against San Francisco and played what Warner told me was "one of my best seasons in the NFL."

But then there's this. Look at the Cardinals' schedule: Three of their first four games are on the road, including consecutive contests on the East Coast (against Washington and the New York Jets). If I'm the head coach, I want my steadiest, most experienced, hand there, and Warner has it.

So give him a chance to get you through because we all know the history of the Arizona Cardinals on the road: They're the Harold Stassens of visiting teams, always coming in second best. They lost 40 of their last 49 there, including six of eight a year ago, and that must change if they're going to catch Seattle.

And the Cardinals do think they can catch the Seahawks in the NFC West. So they will give Warner a chance to demonstrate the poise, leadership and, yeah, experience he showed last year when he was 5-6 as a starter.

But if he bellyflops, the Cardinals have Leinart waiting to step in.

"I am very encouraged how he handled adversity," Whisenhunt said about Leinart in a phone conversation Saturday afternoon. "In fact, I'm more encouraged than ever. After people were calling for his head after throwing the interceptions against Oakland and that report (that he would not open the season as the starter) came out, he focused on what he had to do and prepared for playing well (Friday) night."

Leinart responded with his best performance of the preseason, leading the Cards to two touchdown drives and completing 10 of 14 for 177 yards and a score against Denver.