The KEY, Matt Leinart DO NOT throw interceptions. Take care of the ball, you do not have to win games you have to manage games. The biggest issue is Schaub was pretty good this season converting third downs, that is very difficult in the NFL. Leinart will have to manage the game which means take what he is given not try to do to much, he will need to get confidence making the short passing game critical to setting up the run, he will need to be patient and play 60 minutes of smart football. Anyone can beat any team if you turn the ball over. Seattle beat New Orleans because of stupid turnovers. We need Leinart to play within the system and we need our defense to step it up one more level. They must continue to shut down the run and get to the QB, if the defense continues to play lights out and Leinart does not turn the ball over we make the playoffs and have some hope.
You know.... when they hired Wade, I said he'd be inheriting a pretty talented group of defenders, based solely on draft position (lots of 1st and 2nd rounders). I don't think it's absurd to imagine Kubiak and his system bringing out the best in a highly-drafted prospect. Coaching, environment, surrounding talent - QBs can't go it alone. He has an optimal set-up here.
For people comparing tools between Schaub and Leinart, it's a pointless comparison. Probably half the backup QBs in the NFL have better tools than Schaub. Seriously, who doesn't have a better arm or run faster or put more zip on the ball than Schaub? Most QBs do. The problem with Leinart is that he can't possibly replace is Schaub's brain. Not even just his football IQ, but his innate knowledge of the offense and his receivers. When I watch Schaub make decisions in the face of a pass rush, I feel many times he doesn't even need to think. He just innately knows where to throw the ball because he knows the offense and his receivers so well. This comes from experience and repitition that no backup QB can possibly have. So I'm not looking for Leinart's tools here. He has all the tools necessary for this offense. And being a backup for a year now, he should know the playbook too. What I'm looking for is how well the guy can learn. How quickly he can develop a chemistry with his teammates. How well can he learn to adjust to defenses, blitz packages, coverages, etc. Thank goodness he has 6 games against less-than-quality opponents. Hopefully he'll be serviceable come playoff time.
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He had an optimal set-up in Arizona. He was given the keys to a team that went to the Super Bowl the following year, and he blew it.
Local sports radio is so painful to listen to whenever there is a little bit of adversity affecting the team. Ugh. Thank God for XM radio. My expectations for this team are still for them to get to the AFC championship game, no less.
Exactly. I think everyone's just hoping that he's matured somewhat and figured out the offense, I really think all the receivers value drops in terms of fantasy and real football and Foster/Tate's goes up. He's gonna check down a lot and see a lot of Owen Daniels/Dreesen getting targets. I doubt he's learned the offense well enough to recognize the blitz and pick the correct play efficiently enough to win tough games. Our defense will really have to hold us down these next few weeks.
That's a bit of a simplistic look. The Cards were 9-7 in a joke of a division in their "Super Bowl year" of 2008, and were 3-2 in Leinart's five starts in 2007 before he went down for the season with a broken collarbone. The two losses were each by three points on the road. It's not to say that Leinart was great; certainly Warner came in after the injury and took hold of the job. But I wouldn't say that a 9-7 NFC West team was the "optimal setup", nor would I say that going 3-2 in his most recent time as a regular season starter qualifies as blowing it.
Leinart will be pretty conservative, so that should be helpful to a point. But he can't be captain checkdown all the time, he has to take those deep shots like Schaub did. It's easy to give Leinart a hard time but there is a part of me that thinks he can be servicable. There is even an optimistic part of me that thinks the game has finally clicked for him and he will be able to see the entire game. For the criticism Schaub got, he read defenses and saw the entire field very well. Leinart's past is riddled with him getting tunnel vision.
In 2007, Leinart started 5 games, but he basically lost the job in the 3rd game. Warner played in a majority of 2 of those wins, and nearly brought them back in another (they were down 20-3 with Leinart, ended up tying the game with Warner before losing on a last second field goal). That offense was optimal for a good QB.
I hate to defend Leinart too much but I don't think he was ready and/or mature enough at that time to manage that kind of offense.
Arizona's rushing offense was 29th in 2007 and 32nd (dead last) in 2008. Their passing attempts were 5th in 2007 and 2nd in 2008. I wouldn't call that optimal for QB success. It was a receiver-driven offense designed for a veteran gunslinger, not a second-year QB still learning the ropes. It's certainly a far cry from the situation here, where the Texans have arguably the best rushing offense in the league and rank in the bottom third in passing attempts.
Leinart won't even pay child support to that ugly girl he knocked up at USC, and Kurt Warner made him look like Browning Neagle. Keep Hope Alive though Texans, that running game and D is reminiscent of his Non-trojan using Trojan days.
I'm sure it wasn't the 400 comments about how Carson Palmer is fat and sucks. I said I used to be nice to you poor Texans fans... now this year you've gotten an ego and you need somebody to keep your asses in check. Somebody has the be the voice of reason in this sea of homers, and who better than me, since I know it all. I said Leinart sucks but you'll still make the playoffs. Isn't that progress?
It's not the physical capability to run this offense I'm worried about. It's Leinart's decision making that I'm worried about.
What happens to that running game when teams don't have to worry about the play-action anymore and start putting 9 in the box and daring Leinart to make a play? I guess we'll find out in 2 weeks...
