State Of The Arizona Cardinals Roster: Quarterbacks
by Andrew602 on Jan 25, 2010 4:00 AM MST
in 2010 Offseason
32 comments
One thing we featured during last year's offseason was ROTB's "State of the Arizona Cardinals Roster" segment. We brokedown each position and evaluated where the Cardinals stood from there. This year we'll do the same, providing an outlook for next year and looking at any potential free agents. The first position on our list will be the quarterbacks. With all the drama surrounding Kurt Warner's decision to stay with the organization or not, the Cardinals face an interesting dilemma heading into next season.
Kurt Warner
Age and 2009 Stats: 38 years old (06/22/1971) - 3753 yards, 66.1%, 26 TDs, 14 INTs, 93.3 QB rating
Contract Status: Signed through 2010
2009 Analysis: Kurt Warner didn't have the same pass-happy year as 2008 but still managed to throw for 3,700 yards and 26 touchdowns. 2009 featured some highs and lows for the 38 year old, as he had a five touchdown and five interception performance during the regular season. He capped off the last home game by throwing five touchdowns in the highest scoring game in playoffs history against the Packers. Perhaps the biggest controversy of 2009 was when Warner's helmet was slammed against the turf at St. Louis week 11. The blow to the head resulted in a concussion and also forced Warner think twice about playing in the NFL.
2010 Outlook: Warner's future with the Cardinals is clouded but there's certainly a chance he could return to the team. If he returns he'll continue to play with an explosive offense, filled with playmakers. Warner clearly has some gas left in the tank and showed that by butchering a very good Packers secondary in the playoffs. The difference will be whether or not he truly wants to return to the game he loves to play so much.
Matt Leinart
Age and 2009 Stats: 26 years old (05/11/1983) - 435 yards, 66.2%, 0 TDs, 3 INTs, 64.6 QB rating
Contract Status: Signed through 2011
2009 Analysis: Matt Leinart didn't see much of the field in 2009, but did start in an entire game against the Titans when Kurt Warner was forced to sit out with concussion symptoms. He lead the team into Tennessee and put the Cardinals in position to win the game while making minimal mistakes. He also stepped in for Warner in the final regular season game and threw two interceptions. It's clear that the Cardinals didn't see enough of Matt in 2009 to determine how ready he is to take over for a future hall of famer.
2010 Outlook: Many fans will cringe if Warner announces his retirement in the coming weeks. Matt Leinart hasn't shown many flashes of his former self and hasn't seemed to strike much confidence in the Cardinals coaching staff. The good news is that Leinart would get the entire offseason to work with the starting offense should Warner call a career.
Brian St. Pierre
Age and 2009 Stats: 30 years old (11/28/1979) - 12 yards, 50%, 1 TD, 1 INT, 56.3 QB rating
Contract Status: Unrestricted free agent
2009 Analysis: St. Pierre didn't contribute much in 2009 for the Cardinals. He did have a lot of firsts for his career however(1st completion, 1st TD, 1st INT, 1st yards). He battled with Matt Leinart for the #2 job in training camp, but after an abysmal performance in the preseason, that thought quickly vanished.
2010 Outlook: BSP will be a free agent this year and he hasn't given the Cardinals much reason to keep him around. He'll be 31 years old in 2010 and has only completed 2 passes to his name. We've likely seen the end of St. Pierre in Arizona.
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Overview and Needs: The Cardinals need to establish first and foremost, what they'll do with Kurt Warner. He's set to make his decision very soon and if it is to retire, all of the load then rests on Matt Leinart's shoulders. That change would have a domino effect, as the Cardinals would have to scramble to add two serviceable back ups for Leinart. At this point, the Cardinals need to bring in a quarterback that can challenge him in training camp. The last thing the Cardinals need is an overly confident Matt Leinart behind center next season. Here are some potential free agents at quarterback:
- Matt Moore - He's a restricted free agent but if the Carolina Panthers don't resign him, the Cardinals should give serious consideration to Moore. He kept the Panthers from a losing season and rejuvenated the team in the second half of the year. He ended the year in place of Jake Delhomme, throwing 8 TDs and 2 INTs. Moore can air it out and he'd have a much better set of receivers to throw to in Arizona.
- Kellen Clemons - Before anyone calls for my head, consider that Clemons is just 27 years old and was playing for the NY Jets for the first four years of his career. He never had a premiere wide receiver and has experienced two coaching staffs in just four years. Consider this as well - Clemons has had to battle Chad Pennington, Brett Favre, and now Mark Sanchezin the past three seasons and kept each QB battle close during the offseaon.
- Jon Kitna - Although Kitna is already 37 years old, he has a mind filled with experience. He didn't do much with his time in Dallas, so if we want to look at his last significant season, we have to go back three years. In the '06 and '07 seasons, Kitna threw 39 touchdowns and nearly 8,200 yards. If Leinart went down to injury, I'm confident the Cardinals offense wouldn't dip too much with Kitna under center.
When it's all said and done, I'd imagine we'll also see a late round pick in the draft used to shore up the Cardinals need at quarterback. I also believe if Warner does retire, there's a greater chance the team resigns Brian St. Pierre. What are your thoughts on the quarterback position and how much confidence do you have in Matt Leinart leading the offense next year?
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Eagles fan here...
In the event Kurt Warner retires, I’m curious about your thoughts on Donovan McNabb. Hypothetically speaking, you’re the Cards GM and the Eagles offer you McNabb for your 1st round pick – Do you pull the trigger on that deal?
No I don't think so...
Not that McNabb isn’t great and we wouldn’t love to have him, but he is getting up there in age. Perhaps a third round pick, or perhaps even as high as our second rounder.
another QB needed now
Of the options you’ve outlined, I like the Clemons one the best. I doubt that Moore will be available and I don’t think he’s nearly as good as many seem to think. If a good backup can’t be found from another team, they should go for a QB early in the draft, unless there’s a sleeper they have their eye on who could be gotten in later rounds. Even if Warner returns they need to add somebody to the mix.
Leinart...
I’m trying to talk myself into being optimistic about Leinart. He hasn’t shown much yet. He is not Kurt Warner. I’m sure he has strengths, but those probably don’t show up as much when he’s in there because game plans are made for Kurt. The one game that he actually prepared to start was in Tennessee and he played pretty well IMO against a good defensive team on the road. But even in this case, I’m not sure he looked as good as he could, partially because the game plan was probably different than it had been most of the season and the rest of the offense wasn’t as proficient at certain things.
The main issue I’ve seen with him thus far has been accuracy. But, how accurate can you expect a guy to be when he isn’t getting many reps in practice with the starters. I doubt he’ll ever be as accurate as Kurt, but I’m sure he will improve with more reps.
Bottom line is that I trust our coaching staff to put game plans together to emphasize his strengths. Our offense has gotten to the point where we can run the ball some and that will help Leinart a lot.
All that said, I think the team should, and will, explore other options for depth at the position.
lienart not warner
i’m tired of hearing this. warner has to play in europe when he was lienarts age. it takes time and experience to play like warner has the past couple of years. how many years through out warners career has he been on the bench with nobody willing to start him?
this is lienarts team and we need to give him a chance. he will never “be warner” but he can be just as good of a football player if he’s given an opportunity.
i’m amazed to hear cardinal fans talk sh!t about him. and to say that the coaching staff has no confidence in him, that’s b.s. every time i hear whiz talk about him he has nothing but confidence. maybe you should stop reading other peoples opinions on him and listen to the coach that has turned this franchise around!!!
When has coach Whisenhunt ever talked bad about a player?
Of course he’s always going to say the right things to the media.
What? I didn't break it, I was just testing its durability, and then I placed it in the woods becuase it's made out of wood and I just thought he should be with his family.
Revenge of the Birds
all im saying is
whisenhunt continuosly points out that he has confidence in lienart and always states that he will be playing.
Lienart isn't Warner.
And its not his team anymore. He was given the job as a 1st round pick. But he hasn’t earned anything. If this was his team the Cards would not have given a 37 year old QB $23 mil to come back last year. If Kurt doesn’t come back, I agree the job would be his to lose. But he could lose it, again (see also Kurt Warner signs with the Cardinals after losing his job to Opie Manning).
Life's too short. Be a fan. Orlando Magic, Arizona Cardinals,Tampa Bay Rays and of course "the U"! What a winning combo.
by hevchv on Jan 25, 2010 4:16 PM MST via mobile up reply actions
Warner comes back, Leinart holds a clip board one more year and we draft a late round guy to replace BSP
That’s my prediction for this group. I’d only look to the free agent group of QB’s if Warner retires and in that case I’d look for someone with a bit less experience than Kitna but a bit more than either Moore or Clemons. Somebody like Byron Leftwich or Daunte Culpepper (ie veterans who are cut by their current team) would be a better fit in my mind. I don’t want Leinart looking around at the QB’s behind him and seeing younger faces. He’s need an older guy to continue to help him with the mental side of the game.
Be careful....to a hammer, everything looks like a nail.
by Bezekira on Jan 25, 2010 10:26 AM MST reply actions 2 recs
I really hope the Cardinals don't even consider Culpepper.
He really needs to retire this time around.
What? I didn't break it, I was just testing its durability, and then I placed it in the woods becuase it's made out of wood and I just thought he should be with his family.
Revenge of the Birds
I always liked Leftwich.
I always see him and picture his Marshall o-lineman carrying him from play to play. With that said, he has pretty decent accuracy but he is less mobile than Kurt. With our tackles he will never get a pass off.
Life's too short. Be a fan. Orlando Magic, Arizona Cardinals,Tampa Bay Rays and of course "the U"! What a winning combo.
by hevchv on Jan 25, 2010 4:07 PM MST via mobile up reply actions
Matt looked nice during the short period that he spelled Warner in the Saints game. Oviously Matt can throw deeper, If only we can duplicate Kurt’s brain into Matt’s head. Nothing against Matt, but Kurt has a gift. Perhaps Matt will have one too.
Matt CAN'T throw deeper.
He has a noodle arm. John Lott you forgot one.
Life's too short. Be a fan. Orlando Magic, Arizona Cardinals,Tampa Bay Rays and of course "the U"! What a winning combo.
by hevchv on Jan 25, 2010 4:03 PM MST via mobile up reply actions 1 recs
Warner will not retire this year.....
As he is a devout Christian, he would throw away the opportunity to make several million dollars which he could then use to help his charities. That is his calling.
He will be back. There is absolutely no question about that.
I think there's a huge question about it.
If there wasn’t a question about it then would this convesation be taking place? Do you have an idea how much Warner would make in 2010 if he were to return? [hint: it’s probably not as much as you think it would be]
by LowcountryJoe on Jan 25, 2010 6:30 PM MST up reply actions
I recently heard that his last year, if he stays, is worth $11 million....
But that doesn’t add up if his whole contract was originally worth $23 million when he signed it in 2009. He supposedly had a $15 mil signing bonus and $4 million base pay per year for the two years of the deal.
Who knows, but I’m sure it’s a lot of money that would be foolish to throw away if his goal is to spend the rest of his life helping the needy.
He’s not going anywhere with that kind of loot coming at him…..no way.
If I'm not mistaken...
His contract was for $23 mil ($4 mil base per year plus $15 mil bonus). The bonus was paid in full so his salary this season is only $4 mil next year. Cap hits and salaries are two different things. With a $23 mil salary for two years, his cap hit is $11.5 per season.
Life's too short. Be a fan. Orlando Magic, Arizona Cardinals,Tampa Bay Rays and of course "the U"! What a winning combo.
by hevchv on Jan 26, 2010 1:46 PM MST via mobile up reply actions
Redskins?
Maybe I’m wrong but isn’t this Jason Campbell’s last year, I wouldn’t mind adding him or maybe Colt Brennan to the Cards. Although i completely trust Leinart and hope for the best
Campbell is RFA
Campbell will be a restricted free agent if their is no CBA. Skins will probably let him go. Chad Pennington and Rex Grossman will be unrestricted free agents.
what about chase daniel
I saw him play at the college level, and followed him play in the preseason with the Redskins. The only touchdowns scored in the preseason by the Skins were from Chase Daniel. I think he could be a great addition to the Cardinals.
I really hope Kurt returns next year. I would like to see him retire as a Superbowl champion.
by Anonymous Surfer on Jan 25, 2010 7:51 PM MST reply actions
Palko?
I’d like to see Cardinals bring back Palko at least as a number 3 QB. I liked him in the preseason.
my .02
Matt Moore has a cannon of an arm, I would grab him in a heartbeat, but the Panthers would be stupid to get rid of him, but then again they were incredibly stupid to sign Delhomme to an 89 gazillion contract after last post season too so who knows.
Perhaps the biggest dark horse I can think of is Moore and Delhomme’s backup, Hunter Cantwell. He also has a strong arm and in my mind has clutch written all over him. He was a walk on at Lousiville and then went undrafted. He stepped right in as a freshman, and then also in later years, and didn’t miss a beat when Louisville was a high scoring team under Petrino. At that point in time Brian Brohm was considered a potential #1 overall pick and in my mind Cantwell was better.
There was a preseason game where he led the Panthers on a comeback and finished the two minute drill with a TD. I am really high on Cantwell but there are still so many questions about him, or any No.3 QB I suppose.
I like the suggestions of Jason Campbell, Colt Brennan, Chase Daniel and Tyler Palko.
McNabb, Vick or Kolb isn’t horrible either
http://undrafteds.com/
Moore played DB in high school, so maybe thats extra reason to trade for him lol.
I honestly can not see the Panthers parting with Moore, but I also can not see them paying a backup (If Moore starts next season) the type of money they are paying Delhome. It will be interesting to see what happens with the Panthers.
I believe that comeback was against the Giants on Monday night right? Or am I totally thinking of something else?
What? I didn't break it, I was just testing its durability, and then I placed it in the woods becuase it's made out of wood and I just thought he should be with his family.
Revenge of the Birds
ding ding ding
exactly Andrew. I dunno, call me crazy, maybe I am going overboard about Cantwell, but I just think he has that “it” factor. I could be totally off base. It wouldn’t be the first time.
http://undrafteds.com/
Moore
I went back to look at some tape of Moore in his last few games and he did look alot better than I remembered. But I have to think the Panthers are going to figure out a way to keep him, since Delhomme has been so ineffective. What choice to they really have? But I would not be opposed to the Cards trying to get him.
I hope that Warner stays
But if he retires, I will root for Matt. He hasn’t always been good, but I am not going to root for him to fail like some Cardinals fans have done.
Lifelong Arizona Cardinals/Chicago Bears fan.
I can't stand band-wagoner fans, stick with your team, throughout the good and the bad.
by JoeCB1991 on Jan 26, 2010 9:35 AM MST reply actions 1 recs
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