Did Whisenhunt Trade a Personal Headache For a Professional One?

It's the scenario that was waking Ken Whisenhunt up at night. What if, given
ridiculously limited preseason opportunities and horrible down and distance situations, Matt Leinart actually makes some big throws and moves the Cardinal offense? What if, without Larry Fitzgerald, any semblance of a running game, and an evening mist masquerading as an offensive line, the snotty little punk moves the football team? Would he then be stuck with the guy? Could he tolerate a season where his signal caller was a guy that he'd despised and disparaged from day one?

In neighboring Nevada they have "None of the above" on election ballots. In Arizona,
the Cardinals had an "Anybody But Leinart" box on their depth chart. Whisenhunt not
only enthusiastically checked that box, he tore through the ballot and gouged the
table underneath. All diplomatic preseason puffery to the contrary, the coach had
sent in his absentee ballot last spring.

How else to explain making a change to established stiff Derek Anderson after three
series, two of which were aborted by a running game for which a loss of merely one
would be a victory march? How else to explain promoting Anderson after some decent
relief turns, then ignoring Leinart's excellent performance in a similar role?

Now it's fair to say that Matt Leinart hasn't shown anything that would lead a
reasonable person to expect that he'll ever be anything more than a mediocre NFL
quarterback. It's also fair to focus on his perceived lack of leadership and maturity,
although it's tough to pull off that leading man persona when your coach is standing
behind you holding his nose with one hand and stroking your backup with the other.
Patton was by all accounts a pretty fair strategist and leader, but when he fell out
of favor with Ike, the tanks rolled off to war with somebody else.

But it's equally fair to point out that Anderson has had multiple opportunities and
his career arc is declining at a rate that rivals congressional approval numbers.

So Whisenhunt pulled out the intangible card. It's been a coaching staple for decades,
a way to promote the coach's choice over the people's choice. It explained Billy
Kilmer's wobblers over Sonny Jurgenson's lasers in the George Allen era, and a gun shy
Daryl Lamonica over a young Ken Stabler, costing the Raiders a couple of early Super
Bowl berths. It's as good an explanation as any for Derek Fisher as a starter.

The beauty of the intangible card is that it's wild. Completely wild, matching not
only any other card in the deck, but adapting to any adverse situation that might
arise. A drive opening run loses five yards, well that's on Leinart's lack of
leadership. The pass protection looks like a bloody scene from the streets of
Pamplona, and it's because he's lost the locker room. Beanie Wells fumbles in the red
zone, aborting a nice two minute drill, well you get the idea. If Leinart had those
intangibles, those things just wouldn't happen. Any concerns over the fact that, by
your own explanation, your team is tanking because they prefer another quarterback?
Nah!

But the nagging question isn't about Derek Anderson replacing Leinart. It's how low
down the quarterback totem pole Whisenhunt was prepared to go to avoid playing
Leinart. Obviously you can't get much lower than Anderson, a guy who had one stretch of five good games followed by a stench lasting for years. Would Brady Quinn have been a satisfactory fall back, a guy prettier than Leinart and with a lesser arm? Did JaMarcus Russell miss out on his last chance to be a starting quarterback? If Anderson had blown out a knee, would Max Hall have been given the reins? Would John Skelton?

The answer is that even Red Skelton would probably have sufficed.

So Coach Whisenhunt is sleeping more soundly for now. Leinart is gone and he won't
have to run the admittedly small risk of being proved wrong, a fate far more
unpalatable than losing for many coaches. It's up for debate whether his sleep might
get disturbed after his chosen leader offers up his first three interception half
which, judging by Derek Anderson's track record, should occur by Week Two.

I'm thinking not. Sometimes it's better to lose with your guy than win, or at least
lose less, with THAT guy. Hey, we'll always have our intangibles. Fans and management
might not agree, but Whisenhunt will cross that bridge when he comes to it.

It should be easily recognizable. Matt Leinart got tossed off of the same bridge.