Whiz made QB choice with 49ers in mind

[PACardsFan]

Part of me STILL wants to see Leinart as our starter, but objectively, Anderson is the better fit for this offense. ESPECIALLY, against the niners. As aggressive as their front 7 will be, they would have absolutely eaten our offense alive with Matt under center. They would have packed their D in, giving Leinart those 2 yd dumps & swallowed our RB's in the backfield. It would have been really ugly. There's a reason why Warner struggled so much last year against the niners. The hip made him even more immobile than he was previously (which was very immobile) & his shoulder didn't allow him to go down the field. Look, Whiz is ultra competitive & he wants to beat the 49ers BADLY! Even though we won the division last year, it irks him to no end that they physically beat us up in both games last year. Whiz understand that to beat Singletary's defense, you have to go over the top. That will force the whiners to spread their D & it would subsequently create some running lanes for us. Anderson has his flaws, no doubt, but he does have the capability of adding that dimension to our offense. Whiz looks for strength of arm, size & intelligence in a QB. Leinart was only big & a very soft "big" at that. Anderson brings far more of the attributes that Whiz needs for his offense to work. Skelton is raw, but has what Whiz is looking for. Hall has intelligence & a quick release. Sorry guys, but Leinart is simply a BAD, BAD fit for the Cardinals.

 

[CaptTurbo]

ML would be killed by the 9ers
DA will be picked off by the 9ers.

Not sure which is worse. Max Hall might be the right fit for the 9ers. Fats decisions and more accurate.

 

[Duckjake]

ML would be killed by the 9ers
DA will be picked off by the 9ers.

Not sure which is worse. Max Hall might be the right fit for the 9ers. Fats decisions and more accurate.

Max Hall may be the right fit for our offensive line. He's the QB who is best able to throw the ball accurately while running for his life.

 

[PACardsFan]

ML would be killed by the 9ers
DA will be picked off by the 9ers.

Not sure which is worse. Max Hall might be the right fit for the 9ers. Fats decisions and more accurate.

Niners don't have ballhawks in their secondary. I'll take my chances throwing deep to 6'4" & 6'5" receivers. BTW, I love Hall also. Who knows, by the time we play the Niners, Hall may be the starter.

 

[bg7brd]

Part of me STILL wants to see Leinart as our starter, but objectively, Anderson is the better fit for this offense. ESPECIALLY, against the niners. As aggressive as their front 7 will be, they would have absolutely eaten our offense alive with Matt under center. They would have packed their D in, giving Leinart those 2 yd dumps & swallowed our RB's in the backfield. It would have been really ugly. There's a reason why Warner struggled so much last year against the niners. The hip made him even more immobile than he was previously (which was very immobile) & his shoulder didn't allow him to go down the field. Look, Whiz is ultra competitive & he wants to beat the 49ers BADLY! Even though we won the division last year, it irks him to no end that they physically beat us up in both games last year. Whiz understand that to beat Singletary's defense, you have to go over the top. That will force the whiners to spread their D & it would subsequently create some running lanes for us. Anderson has his flaws, no doubt, but he does have the capability of adding that dimension to our offense. Whiz looks for strength of arm, size & intelligence in a QB. Leinart was only big & a very soft "big" at that. Anderson brings far more of the attributes that Whiz needs for his offense to work. Skelton is raw, but has what Whiz is looking for. Hall has intelligence & a quick release. Sorry guys, but Leinart is simply a BAD, BAD fit for the Cardinals.

Good post. I've been thinking the same thing. If we sweep the 49ers, I'm certain we win the division.

 

[moklerman]

This checkdown thing is getting way out of hand. Leinart has never shown himself to be incapable(not to say he's excelled) of throwing downfield or afraid to try.

Warner went through the same thing as far as perception goes. One year, the experts and fans are convinced that he shouldn't start because he's too aggressive and won't take the checkdown and be safe with the ball. The next year he's not aggressive enough and needs to just throw it up there and give the receivers a chance.

Lombardi was on NFL Total Access last night complaining that the Cardinals have a high flying offense but Leinart's longest pass completion this preseason has only been 18 yards. Well, he's only had 23 pass attempts. Just how many of those should have been long completions?

And I've brought it up before, Warner was not throwing very many long passes last year yet I don't recall a single pundit expressing concern over it.

 

[PACardsFan]

This checkdown thing is getting way out of hand. Leinart has never shown himself to be incapable(not to say he's excelled) of throwing downfield or afraid to try.

Warner went through the same thing as far as perception goes. One year, the experts and fans are convinced that he shouldn't start because he's too aggressive and won't take the checkdown and be safe with the ball. The next year he's not aggressive enough and needs to just throw it up there and give the receivers a chance.

Lombardi was on NFL Total Access last night complaining that the Cardinals have a high flying offense but Leinart's longest pass completion this preseason has only been 18 yards. Well, he's only had 23 pass attempts. Just how many of those should have been long completions?

And I've brought it up before, Warner was not throwing very many long passes last year yet I don't recall a single pundit expressing concern over it.

Watch Leinart"s release. It's very long & methodical. Not conducive for going down the field, especially against the Niners.

 

[kerouac9]

PA, you should see how DA performed his entire career against the good defenses in Pittsburgh and Baltimore.

Last season against the 3-4 defenses of the Ravens and Steelers Derek Anderson was a combined 20 for 43 with 1 TD and 4 INTs. San Francisco's defense is probably better than the Ravens' and not quite as good as the Steelers.

Despite that, I think it would be a mild upset if Derek Anderson lasted all the way until the first 49ers game as the starter.

 

[LarryStalling]

Part of me STILL wants to see Leinart as our starter, but objectively, Anderson is the better fit for this offense. ESPECIALLY, against the niners. As aggressive as their front 7 will be, they would have absolutely eaten our offense alive with Matt under center. They would have packed their D in, giving Leinart those 2 yd dumps & swallowed our RB's in the backfield. It would have been really ugly. There's a reason why Warner struggled so much last year against the niners. The hip made him even more immobile than he was previously (which was very immobile) & his shoulder didn't allow him to go down the field. Look, Whiz is ultra competitive & he wants to beat the 49ers BADLY! Even though we won the division last year, it irks him to no end that they physically beat us up in both games last year. Whiz understand that to beat Singletary's defense, you have to go over the top. That will force the whiners to spread their D & it would subsequently create some running lanes for us. Anderson has his flaws, no doubt, but he does have the capability of adding that dimension to our offense. Whiz looks for strength of arm, size & intelligence in a QB. Leinart was only big & a very soft "big" at that. Anderson brings far more of the attributes that Whiz needs for his offense to work. Skelton is raw, but has what Whiz is looking for. Hall has intelligence & a quick release. Sorry guys, but Leinart is simply a BAD, BAD fit for the Cardinals.

Good post. I would like to make a couple of counterpoints to your statements.

1. One of the Niner loses can be attributed in part to Lyle Sendlien. He was tipping every snap count when the Cards were in shotgun formation. That is the reason why the Niners were destroying the offensive line on passing plays.

Check this video: http://www.nfl.com/videos/nfl-game-highlights/09000d5d81239711/Pre-WK-3-Matt-Leinart-highlights

2. I would venture to say that Leinart is more mobile than Anderson. I am not sure how mobile Anderson is but proof of Leinart is going back and checking the video of his performance against the Packers last year in pre-season. He even passes scrambling to his right in the video.

3. I will add that if you question Leinart's ability to go over the top you should refresh your memory by watching the video also.

 

[moklerman]

Watch Leinart"s release. It's very long & methodical. Not conducive for going down the field, especially against the Niners.

Now Leinart's release is a problem?

I mean...???

Does he even tie his shoes the correct way any more?

 

[Mulli]

Now Leinart's release is a problem?

I mean...???

Does he even tie his shoes the correct way any more?

This just it. If Leinart wasn't so lazy, we might know more about his shoe tying.

But no: it is always flipflops, loafers and slipons.

So Cal loser.

 

[MrYeahBut]

ya know, I'm left handed and I just realized I put my leg in the left side of my pants first...I wonder if I've been doing this wrong my whole life. Maybe that's why I've always been a Card fan

 

[JeffGollin]

Wiz tends to be a "long range" thinker and reactor.

As important beating the Niners might be toward winning our division this year, I doubt that he'd base his QB decision on "matching up favorably with the Niners" if it meant not matching up as favorably in the other 14 games.

I do think - taking the long view - that Wiz and the Cardinal FO may be taking a fresh look at the overall identity of the NFC West (i.e. less pass-happy and more apt to take on the personality of the NFC East).

Compared to a few years ago, The Niners play tougher. The Rams under Spags figure to play more physical football. I'm not sure about Pete Carroll but Seattle could follow suit.

The Cardinal defense is definitely looking tougher and more physical. The offense (with the addition of Faneca and Hadnot) definitely looks to be tougher and more physical. Which begs the following question:

From a personality standpoint, which of the 2 Cardinal QB's comes across as "grittier" and more suitable to lead a more smashmouth offense?

From admittedly my distant vantage point away from the scene in NJ, my guess is that Anderson's personality would be the better fit for what Wiz wants his offense to be like.

(OT - I can't get out of my mind, the pass Leinart threw that got Fitz injured. Do you think he (fairly or unfairly) acquired the for hanging his receivers out to dry - the way he places the ball)?

 

[kerouac9]

I think the QB choice was less about Derek Anderson than it was about #7. Apparently everyone forgot how awful Derek Anderson was in that Houston Texans game against a bunch of nobodies.

 

[PACardsFan]

PA, you should see how DA performed his entire career against the good defenses in Pittsburgh and Baltimore.

Last season against the 3-4 defenses of the Ravens and Steelers Derek Anderson was a combined 20 for 43 with 1 TD and 4 INTs. San Francisco's defense is probably better than the Ravens' and not quite as good as the Steelers.

Despite that, I think it would be a mild upset if Derek Anderson lasted all the way until the first 49ers game as the starter.

The Browns had the worst receivers in the NFL last year, now he'll have one of the best in the NFL. I'm not saying that DA is the next coming, far from it. But, based on what Whiz wants this offense to look like, he's the better fit. I agree with you in that he may very well NOT be the starter by the time we play the Niners. I'm really high on Hall, but...............he is a rookie.

 

[LoyaltyisaCurse]

Seems to me that Warner was "Captain Checkdown" for most of the game vs. Niners last season.

Its funny how the national media has poo-poo'd Leinarts performance because its all "check down" or "short passes." They've all followed the same provided stips.

Then they use one, ONE pass that he threw incomplete to show he sucks...this is ridiciulous.

The "great" big armed D. Cavaricci has thrown exaclty ONE more TD in more than twice as many attempts.

 

[Crazy Canuck]

This checkdown thing is getting way out of hand. Leinart has never shown himself to be incapable(not to say he's excelled) of throwing downfield or afraid to try.

Warner went through the same thing as far as perception goes. One year, the experts and fans are convinced that he shouldn't start because he's too aggressive and won't take the checkdown and be safe with the ball. The next year he's not aggressive enough and needs to just throw it up there and give the receivers a chance.

Lombardi was on NFL Total Access last night complaining that the Cardinals have a high flying offense but Leinart's longest pass completion this preseason has only been 18 yards. Well, he's only had 23 pass attempts. Just how many of those should have been long completions?

And I've brought it up before, Warner was not throwing very many long passes last year yet I don't recall a single pundit expressing concern over it.

In fact, we were second last in the league on passes over 40 yards. We were a short, intermediate run after the catch passing offence. And, in my view, Leinart is still the best on staff to manage that approach.

 

[Crazy Canuck]

The Browns had the worst receivers in the NFL last year, now he'll have one of the best in the NFL. I'm not saying that DA is the next coming, far from it. But, based on what Whiz wants this offense to look like, he's the better fit. I agree with you in that he may very well NOT be the starter by the time we play the Niners. I'm really high on Hall, but...............he is a rookie.

From what I gather, Whiz's offence is short and intermediate passing, depending on run after catch. And a solid running game leading to play action possibilities. All phases depend on solid line protection, and aggressively getting off the line. One can argue that Anderson could do well if we effectively establish the run, leading to play action, but, accuracy is critical to all other phases of the passing game, and even the most vociferous Leinart detractors must admit that he is more accurate.

 

[PACardsFan]

Good post. I would like to make a couple of counterpoints to your statements.

1. One of the Niner loses can be attributed in part to Lyle Sendlien. He was tipping every snap count when the Cards were in shotgun formation. That is the reason why the Niners were destroying the offensive line on passing plays.

Check this video: http://www.nfl.com/videos/nfl-game-highlights/09000d5d81239711/Pre-WK-3-Matt-Leinart-highlights

2. I would venture to say that Leinart is more mobile than Anderson. I am not sure how mobile Anderson is but proof of Leinart is going back and checking the video of his performance against the Packers last year in pre-season. He even passes scrambling to his right in the video.

3. I will add that if you question Leinart's ability to go over the top you should refresh your memory by watching the video also.

I was so enthused about Matt after that performance, but he was putrid the few times he played during the regular season. Hell, Warner shredded the Bears D, yet actually had to come back into the game after Matt couldn't get 1 first down. You mentioned mobility in that film. He made a nice head fake, rolled right & then floated an interception. Bottom line, he was great on the short ones, pretty good on the intermediate routes & below average on the longer stuff. Trust me, I LIKE Matt. He'd be MY choice. I'm just trying to rationalize & be objective as to why he isn't Whiz's choice.

 

[Crazy Canuck]

I was so enthused about Matt after that performance, but he was putrid the few times he played during the regular season. Hell, Warner shredded the Bears D, yet actually had to come back into the game after Matt couldn't get 1 first down. You mentioned mobility in that film. He made a nice head fake, rolled right & then floated an interception. Bottom line, he was great on the short ones, pretty good on the intermediate routes & below average on the longer stuff. Trust me, I LIKE Matt. He'd be MY choice. I'm just trying to rationalize & be objective as to why he isn't Whiz's choice.

I think you've found the proper term.

 

[27Veer]

I say again, let's get 2 games into the season and see what happend. If D A is up to norm he will ba among the league leaders in interceptions.

 

[PACardsFan]

From what I gather, Whiz's offence is short and intermediate passing, depending on run after catch. And a solid running game leading to play action possibilities. All phases depend on solid line protection, and aggressively getting off the line. One can argue that Anderson could do well if we effectively establish the run, leading to play action, but, accuracy is critical to all other phases of the passing game, and even the most vociferous Leinart detractors must admit that he is more accurate.

Whiz's offense evolved into a shorter & intermediate passing attack, because Warner's shoulder (2009) didn't allow for the bigger stuff. Ideally, Whiz loves the long ball. He did in Pittsburgh & let's not forget that 3 long balls to Fitz against Atlanta, Carolina, & Philly were the reason we ended up in the SB.

 

[Reddog]

Check this video: http://www.nfl.com/videos/nfl-game-highlights/09000d5d81239711/Pre-WK-3-Matt-Leinart-highlights

What I see is a fundamental flaw in his release. He pats the ball on every throw which slows down his release. If there is any truth to Fitz's complaints about being laid out by Matt's passes it is because the ball takes too long to get to the receiver and the DB's have that extra instant to get a step toward the play. That delay is enough to crerate seperation if thrown properly. Most of these highlights are to WR's that are open enough for this not to threaten them.

 

[NeverSayDieFan]

EXCELLENT post PACARDSFAN...

I keep thinking that the Tenn. game last year was a micro-cosm of what Matt's future would be with the Cards. We score points. Just NOT enough to win! Always a FG or a TD short! ...And I agree that no one is thinking...D.A. in the Pro-Bowl. (Surprise us D.A., PLEASE!) It's more about Matt NOT scaring the D of the other team. Kurt Warner scared them! They knew from the start they were going to be in a shoot-out! Again, GREAT post PACARDSFAN! GO CARDS!

 

[Garthshort]

I guess the hope is that a couple of DA fastballs will hit a couple of SF defenders in the head, puting them out of action.