National Football League

Cards cut Leinart: Where it went wrong

Published Sep. 4, 2010 7:08 p.m. ET

foxsports

The no-nonsense Whisenhunt met with Leinart last Monday, heard him out, then promptly named Anderson the starter for the Thursday night preseason finale against the Redskins. Undrafted rookie Max Hall was the star of the 20-10 victory, completing 7 of 9 passes for 126 yards and leading the Cardinals to two touchdowns.

Leinart, like the afterthought he has become, saw some gratuitous snaps and completed 3 of 5 passes for 14 yards.

So what’s next for a player whose USC-Hollywood-manufactured overexposure never matched his limited skill set?

Now that Leinart is free for the taking, there still may be limited employment options for him. The Giants, officially closed their door on Friday by trading for Vikings backup Sage Rosenfels, as first reported by FOXSports.com's Alex Marvez.

Will Leinart sign with a team that has no intention of starting him? He may not have a choice, unless he wants to battle Jeff Garcia or Daunte Culpepper for a No. 1 gig in the United Football League.

The Bills may take a crack at Leinart, rather than go all in with Trent Edwards. The Steelers may need an extra arm now that Ben Roethlisberger’s initial stand-in, Byron Leftwich, is out indefinitely with a torn MCL in his knee. Maybe Pete Carroll will feel charitable in Seattle and give his former USC star a chance to unseat second stringer Charlie Whitehurst .

What Leinart does with his next NFL shot will determine whether it’s his last one. A change of scenery could be a real spark for him. It has to be.

Then again, it’ll require a monumental change in Leinart’s annoying sense of entitlement and kicked-back approach to his football career that ultimately determines whether he salvages his NFL legacy. If not, he joins the growing list of Heisman Trophy winning busts whose college greatness never translated into pro success.

That prospect should make him feel frustrated and disappointed.

Nancy Gay is Senior NFL Editor for FOXSports.com.