How bad was Matt Leinart’s debut with the Bills? Well, he just got cut
By Ross Jones, FOXSports.com So, the Bills decided to employ quarterback Matt Leinart last week. After the injuries to E.J. Manuel and Kevin Kolb, they needed to add depth in a hurry. Well, let’s just say Leinart’s debut with the Bills against the Lions in the fourth preseason game didn’t go according to plan. And yes, there was a plan. Leinart was supposed to play in the first half, but after throwing 2 interceptions and completing 3 of 11 passes, head coach Doug Marrone had seen enough. With 12 minutes left in the second quarter, second-year quarterback Thaddeus Lewis filled in admirably. Well, kinda. Laces Out breaks down each of Leinart’s five horrifying drives.Series 1: Leinart missed on his first pass intended for Marquise Goodwin, who left the game with an injury. Drive ended after three plays. Three-and-out. Series 2: Bills offensive coordinator Nathaniel Hackett was trying to ease Leinart into the action, but after two Tashard Choice runs were sniffed out, he decided to open up the passing game. Not a good idea. Leinart threw a strike to Lions cornerback Bill Bentley. Interception. Series 3: By now the Bills were in a 7-point hole, but all was salvageable. Leinart completed a short pass to running back Frank Summers for three yards. The Bills finally got a first down on a 7-yard run by Choice. Leinart would incomplete two more passes and the drive would stall. In comes Shawn Powell the punter. Punt. Series 4: OK, this thing might be getting out of hand. Detroit scores another TD, but maybe Buffalo can recapture some momenutum? Yeah, not so fast. Leinart missed on his first pass, would complete a short one on his second and was sacked on his third. Three-and-out. Series 5: Alrighty, folks. After a 2-yard run, Leinart threw another incomplete pass. Go figure. Hackett wanted to take a shot down the field and Leinart threw another pick to Rashean Mathis. Leinart’s final stat line: 3/10, 11 yards, 2 INTs, QB rating: 0.0 MORNING-AFTER UPDATE: Well, that's didn't last long. Five days after desperate Buffalo brought the former first-round draft pick to town, NFL.com reports that Leinart tweeted Friday morning that he had been released by the Bills. "Tough game. Tough situation. No excuses. (Thank) you to the Bills organization!" Leinart wrote on Twitter, before he removed the tweet. Thanks for playing. Questions? Comments? Send them to lacesoutmail@gmail.com and we might respond in our weekly mailbag!
