Devil's Advocate: Let Matt Leinart Play

Arizona Cardinals fans, you may have a problem.

Apparently, first-year head coach Ken Whisenhunt is a little confused.

I blame the Arizona heat. In a state that just broke its own record for 110 degree days in a summer, you can't blame a guy for having his brain cooked.

I mean, how else can you explain Whisenhunt's insistence on alternating between quarterbacks Matt Leinart and Kurt Warner?

That's right, you can't.

Even Whisenhunt has had a hard time explaining the Cards’ current QB situation.

“It's really not pulling one guy to put another guy in,” the coach said during his Monday press conference. “It's more of a package thing.”

Right.

And the KKK is more of a social club.

Sadly, Whisenhunt's brain meltdown may cost him more then just his sanity.

It may cost him his franchise QB.

Although Leinart has been publicly supportive of his coach's moves, the situation has begun to eat away at the young signal caller.

In an exclusive interview with Yahoo Sports' Michael Silver after the Cards’ 21-14 win over Pittsburgh, Leinart gave an indication of his true feelings.

“I just want them to ride-or-die me,” Leinart said of the Cardinals. “If I'm the franchise quarterback, play me and let me stumble, because I'll fight through it, and that will help me and our team in the long run. I know coaches want to win now, and I guess they have their reasons. But I don't understand it, and this switching back and forth is almost worse then getting benched.”

While Leinart's comments aren't unexpected, they raise a very interesting question:

Is Whisenhunt sacrificing the future of the team in an attempt to win now?

When the Cardinals drafted Leinart, they figured they were getting something they hadn’t had in forever—a franchise QB.

After starting 11 games last season, Leinart entered this season firmly entrenched as the starter. With the arrival of the offensive-minded Whisenhunt, the future looked bright in Arizona.

Now, though, the future is in doubt, as one has to wonder what long-term effects Wisenhunt’s tinkering will have on Leinart.

I understand Whisenhunt's desire to win now, but is winning now worth another five or more seasons in last place?

No, it's not.

Let's be honest here: The Cards will be lucky to make the playoffs this season.

More importantly, Kurt Warner is neither the answer nor the future.

But is Matt Leinart up to the job?

The only way to find out is to let Leinart play—and I mean every play, not a series here and a series there.

If Whisenhunt is only concerned about winning then he needs to bench Leinart outright and declare Warner the starter. 

Making Leinart into a human yo-yo isn't going to do anybody any good in the long run.

The Cardinals paid Leinart way too much money for him to split time. If a change needs to be made, it has to come sooner rather then later.

At the end of the season, the organization can make an assessment of the quarterback situation. If they decide Leinart can't cut the mustard, they can try to trade him for a veteran like Donovan McNabb or Byron Leftwich—someone to take them to the next level.

Until then, someone close to Whisenhunt needs to tell the coach it’ll be his ass if the timeshare blows up in his face. The last thing ownership needs is for Leinart to demand a trade...and then become a Pro Bowler for another team.

If that happens, that brain damage Whisenhunt obviously suffers from will be the least of his problems once Cardinals fans get a hold of him.