Leinart focused on becoming A-list QB | EastValleyTribune.com
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It’s easy to forget that Matt Leinart is a football player. What with his cameo in an upcoming Adam Sandler movie, his Hollywood friends and the dispute with his son’s mother over child support payments, he gets more play in gossip magazines and celebrity-oriented Web sites than he does the sports pages.
Leinart has become a modern-day version of Joe Namath, sans the panty hose commercial.
“I hate that guy. He’s so stuck up,” Cardinals guard Deuce Lutui said.
For a second, you wonder if jealously is going to come between Leinart and his offensive line. Then Lutui starts to laugh.
“Hey, I’m joking,” he said. “He ain’t Hollywood big-timed me yet.”
As Leinart heads into his second season with the Cardinals, it’s time to put to rest the notion that he prefers partying over playing football.
Yes, he has some A-list buddies.
Yes, he’s been seen with Paris Hilton and Britney Spears, and he doesn’t need a GPS system to find the Scottsdale bar scene.
But there’s having a good time and there’s having too good of a time.
Leinart, 24, understands the distinction. And that plays well with his teammates, who appreciate the fact his head still fits into his helmet.
“He’s not somebody that acts like he’s bigger than everybody else,” running back Edgerrin James said. “That’s the one thing players respect. You don’t come across like you’ve been in the league eight or nine years. You come across like it’s your first year and you want to learn, and that’s what he did.”
It’s almost comical now to think that one of the reasons Leinart dropped to the 10th overall pick in the 2006 draft was over concerns that he had “gone Hollywood.”
Leinart is anything but a prima donna when he puts on the shoulder pads. He participated in every offseason workout over the summer. He bought his offensive linemen watches after the 2006 season and ran with them the first day of training camp.
He has become a team leader not because of what he says but because of the example he sets.
“That cliche, ‘Actions speak louder than words,’ is very appropriate for Matt,” coach Ken Whisenhunt said. “He’s a young, talented quarterback that really wants to be good.”
There’s no point in asking Leinart about his football player/celebrity duality. He’s tired of the topic and its insinuations. Mention, for example, his one-day acting gig in Sandler’s movie and he says, quickly and sternly, “It’s football season.”
Nor should a reporter try to delve into his personal affairs. Leinart no longer will talk about the joy of being a father to his 9-month-old son, Cole. The last time he did so, Cole’s mother, Brynn Cameron, told a California newspaper that Leinart isn’t as active a father as he makes himself out to be.
It’s probably wise for Leinart to keep his private life private. He has crossed over the threshold — willingly or unwillingly — from athlete to celebrity. The less he says, the less the supermarket tabloids will be interested in him.
Cardinals fans, of course, don’t care if Leinart changes diapers or romances starlets. What they want to know is whether the uncertain rookie of last season is about to become a star.
“I think he’ll take a big step,” wide receiver Anquan Boldin said. “Guys get a lot more comfortable going into their second year. They know what to expect.”
Leinart had his moments last season. He threw for 2,547 yards and was brilliant in several games, most notably the Monday night affair against the Chicago Bears in which he completed 24 of 42 passes for 232 yards and two touchdowns. He shredded the Minnesota Vikings’ defense for 405 yards and completed at least 60 percent of his passes in five of his last six starts.
But he also threw more interceptions (12) than touchdowns (11) and had some clunkers, most notably a 13-for-32, two-interception performance against the Oakland Raiders.
“I know expectations are high, but I’m not worried what other people are going to say about me,” Leinart said. “I’m worried about helping this football team. … I know personally I just feel more confident and more controlled in the huddle, knowing where I’m going with the ball, knowing the protections.
“I struggled quite a bit last year but I’m going to learn from all my mistakes.”
Leinart focused on becoming A-list QB
Leinart focused on becoming A-list QB
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