Could Cardinals QB Derek Anderson earn the starting role by Week 1?
August 25, 2010 by Dan Parzych
Filed under Arizona Cardinals, Exclusive, Featured, NFC, NFC West
CBSSports.com’s Josh Katzowitz recently published an article regarding Arizona Cardinals quarterback Matt Leinart and whether or not his starting job is in jeopardy. Now that Kurt Warner is officially retired, it was assumed Leinart would take over the starting job at quarterback—until recently.
The Cardinals signed former Cleveland Browns quarterback Derek Anderson to a two-year deal worth $7.25 million—$3.25 million guaranteed—in March as insurance policy to play behind Leinart. Despite the hype coming out of USC, Leinart is one bad season away from receiving the JaMarcus—forgive me, “bust” label.
After Arizona selected him with the 10th overall pick in the 2006 NFL Draft, Leinart held out for over two weeks before receiving the big payday he desired—a six-year deal worth $50.8 million. In the four seasons since, Leinart has played in just 29 games, throwing for 3,893 yards. What’s even more disappointing is he has more career interceptions (20) than touchdown passes (14).
Through two preseason games, it’s hard to analyze Leinart considering he’s played just six drives and completing 10 of 13 passes for just 77 yards. However, the one statistic that sticks out against Leinart is of the six drives he’s played, four of them consisted of three-and-outs.
As for Anderson, he showed us in 2007 the potential is there. With a handful of weapons in Braylon Edwards and Kellen Winslow, Anderson emerged as one of the top quarterbacks that season on the way to his first Pro Bowl after throwing for 3,787 yards and 27 touchdowns.
Forget what happened last season; there’s every reason to believe Anderson can succeed with receivers like Larry Fitzgerald and Steve Breaston alongside him. Not only is his arm stronger than Leinart’s, but Anderson is more experienced and has proven to be successful with a strong supporting cast.
So will Anderson earn the starting spot during Week 1 when the Cardinals head to St. Louis to take on the Rams? It’s tough to determine at this point, but Anderson will certainly have a chance to prove his case with two more preseason games against the Chicago Bears and Washington Redskins.
Dan Parzych is the Lead NFL Content Editor for www.RantSports.com/NFL, where he writes and edits NFL content for www.RantSports.com.
