Looks Only Get You So Far

Matt Leinhart, a quarterback for the Arizona Cardinals, is in a nightmare where he has not yet woken up to realize the danger he is in. Leinhart was the stud quarterback for USC who was drafted in the first round of the NFL in 2006. Yet, upon arriving in Arizona to make his debut, he lost his starting spot to veteran Kurt Warner. Now, in 2010 Leinhart has a chance to win it back (Warner has retired) and looks to be losing it again to another young quarterback, Derek Anderson.

What is so pathetic about Leinhart is that his response to being told that he would not be starting in a preseason game, is that he is demanding an explanation from the team and moreover, motivating the team to trade him away. Does he not realize that he is letting his dream job run away from him? Leinhart is a cancer that the Cardinals are smart to dump. Yet, he is expensive - with a $2.485 million base salary this year and $7.36 million salary the next. I pitty the team that picks up that tab.

Hopefully, when Leinhart wakes up, he will realize that those good looks and charming smile will not get him through life in the NFL. The NFL requires heart and commitment. Leinhart needs to stop asking to leave, but instead study a playbook. He reminds me of that popular girl in high school who could do no wrong, yet at the 10 year reunion she is stuck in a rut with little potential. Hopefully, Leinhart can keep his dream alive and avoid waking up to his nightmare.