As Cardinals "NFC Champ Camp" Winds Down, Matt Leinart Appears Super Charged

Flagstaff, AZ—Ahhhhh, the cool pines!

There are few places among NFL training camps that are as all-around beautiful as the stomping grounds of the NFC Champion Arizona Cardinals. For years, there wasn't a better trip for Valley of the Sun Cards fans than that late July trek up the hill, from the scorching Sonoran Desert floor of Phoenix, to the cool tall pines in one of America's more sedate college towns.

Past camps were often a 2-1 rotation of sunny vs rainy days, the difference between practice on the outdoor fields near, or actually inside the Northern Arizona University's Walkup Skydome. This season has been abnormally sunny during the day, and most practices have been in the great outdoors.

There may or may not be much difference in the amount of work put in, but for the few hundred loyal fans that made the trip, there was a special kind of intimacy when practices were held outside, in the shadow of the  San Francisco Peaks.

But this camp has been different in so many ways than Cards' training camps past. In fact, its almost unrecognizable!

Besides the 10- to 20-fold increase in fans lining the grassy knolls surrounding the fields, there are far more "sponsored product placements" dotting the area than ever before.

Cardinals training camp has gone from a quaint, late summer get-together between friends, to the NFL big time, all in 12 short months.

It's amazing what a trip to the Super Bowl will do to and for an otherwise-accommodating little sub .500 team from the desert.

Last year, head coach Ken Whizenhunt named third-year QB Matt Leinart as the starter heading up the hill, even following the din of fan dissent related to beer-bong photos making their way around the Internet. There were questions regarding his maturity. There were questions of his work ethic. There were questions of his dedication to his craft, but there was little question who was going to start under center when the season began.

A career rekindling year and three playoff wins later, there is again no question who will be under center when the season starts this year as well. The surgically-repaired, salt 'n pepper-chinned All-Pro quarterback Kurt Warner will be showing the posterior of center Lyle Sindelyn the back of his hand.

The Cardinals have been up here two-plus weeks now, and are set to break camp today. The backup QB position, thought to be Leinart, was left open by Coach Whiz. That means that a guy four years removed from a top 10 draft pick, was suddenly one step above fighting for a roster spot. Another heaping helping of humble pie for the perceived flamboyant Hollywood hotshot quarterback.

Leinart has matured in his time in Arizona. He always has maintained that he's a "regular guy", and in many ways, he is. I mean, is it that outlandish that a 25 year old guy is pounding beer with young fillies on his arm at a party?

Sure, he's still a rich young 20-something guy that, unlike most other regular 20-something guys, can make a phone call, and be hanging out with Paris Hilton tonight. But he now understands that his glory days at USC got him a fat contract and red carpet ride into the NFL, but little more. It doesn't mean he'll automatically be an NFL success story.

"People think they know me" Leinart says.  'I realize there are people that love me, and want me to do well. And there are haters that love to hate me for whatever reason".

And he's right. While many Cards fans want him to succeed, there are those that, for some reason, don't. Maybe its envy or jealousy in that they can't just call Paris on a whim. Maybe its the first-round QB money paid to the anointed 'savior' of the Franchise, who has started but a relative handful of games, and made way for Warner to take the team to the promised land, while Leinart counted his gold.

A now-matured Leinart puts it in proper perspective if he's to succeed. "Its disappointing people can feel like that when they don't even know the person. That's life," he says. "People judge other people all the time, whether or not you're a quarterback. But I don't understand it. I don't really get it."

And Leinart is just regular enough to "get it" from one standpoint. "Maybe coming out of college, I could understand a little better why...being in the limelight. But that was a few years ago. Now, I'm just trying to be a good quarterback".

His performance against Pittsburgh a week ago likely solidified his spot behind Warner. This week in Glendale, it will be Brian St. Peire coming in following Warner, who is scheduled to play into the second quarter.

Leinart will bide his time. He will quietly and professionally go about his business of "trying to be a good quarterback". He has that air of confidence that a Super Bowl caliber QB must possess to reach the promised land. Some will call it confidence, and some will call it cocky. But Leinart definitely sees bright things in his future.

"I can picture myself laughing and smiling...kind of laughing at everybody that doubted me," he now says. "I'm not there yet, but I'm getting there. I feel confident. I can kind of sense it, and it feels good."