Matt Leinart (1 Viewer)

[Pskov1420]

I don't watch college football at all and have never seen this guy play, but all I remember is how he would have been the consensus #1 if he came out last year, and for the majority of this year he was touted as the number one pick too. Now all of a sudden people are sayuing he might be only the 3rd best QB in this class (Young, Cutler) and plenty of doubts over his arm strength, decision making, mobility etc. etc. have arisen. Surely a guy that (apparently) had 'Franchise QB' stamped all over his forehead two years ago shouldn't be getting disparaged like this. Again, I have never seen the guy play, not anyone else in this class for that matter, and would just like to know why the sudden turnaround. Is it just a vocal minority generating a storm over nohing or is he actually now considered overrated in comparision to previous evaluations?

 

[bagger.]

He'll be the first QB taken in this year's draft right behind Bush.

 

[BlueOnion]

So much of the pre-draft information is hearsay. Those who want to draft him are touting other guys and those who consider themselves experts cannot measure the intangibles.He is still the best franchise quarterback prospect out there (in my eyes).

 

[dgreen]

Last year's draft had Alex Smith and Aaron Rodgers as the top QBs. Leinart's competition is better this year. It's not so much that Leinart is no longer expected to be good as it is others in the draft are expected to be really good.

 

[Jason Wood]

We talked about this during the season...Leinart came into the college season as the #1 pro prospect on most boards, all eyes have been on him. When that happens, scouts spend more time wondering where they MIGHT be wrong about the kid versus projecting ways he could be great. It's all about expectations.Once Leinart starts working out for teams, he will easily cement his status as not only the top QB prospect but a must top 3 overall pick at that.It's just that right now people are gushing over guys like Cutler [the unknown], Young [the raw guy with massive upside] because there's less of a consensus on them and more of a chance that scouts can convince themselves they are "stealing" a guy.You know you're not stealing Matt Leinart. If you're a scout for a team with anything beyond the top 3 picks, you can really, REALLY convince yourself that getting Jay Culter could be highway robbery.

 

[BlueOnion]

We talked about this during the season...Leinart came into the college season as the #1 pro prospect on most boards, all eyes have been on him. When that happens, scouts spend more time wondering where they MIGHT be wrong about the kid versus projecting ways he could be great. It's all about expectations.

Jason summed it up best here. Leinert's position on NFL Teams' draft board has not changed. However, those who make a living on reporting college prospects to potential consumers (Kiper and his ESPN insider product to us FBGers) generate more attention by talking someone up the draft board then reporting 'nothing has changed'.

 

[Deranged Hermit]

Short of Leinart blowing out his knee during workouts, he should (and will) be the second choice in this draft. I'd actually take him number 1 over Bush.

 

[Tau837]

Your poll choices and the question aren't compatible IMO. Whether or not his stock has fallen and how his career will play out are two different things.Most responses here suggest that his stock really hasn't fallen, and I agree. The gap is probably narrower than expected at the beginning of the year, but that probably has more to do with other players playing better than expected than Leinart's stock falling.None of that has anything to do with how Leinart will perform in the NFL. I think roughly half of the QBs taken very high in the first have ultimately been busts, yet they were all judged at the time to be great prospects, as Leinart is now. IMO he will be a decent starter with an outside chance of being better than that.

 

[cstu]

Leinart is still an elite prospect, but when you're already at the top there's nowhere to go but down. The only thing to hold against him after last year is the Rose Bowl loss, which wasn't even his fault. Personally, I have them ranked Leinart, Cutler and Young - mostly because Leinart should be able to start next year. IMO, Cutler is a much better prospect than Young since he's a very good passer yet still has the ability to run.

 

[BoulderBob]

Leinart will need the perfect situation, as most QB's do. I see him making a pro-bowl or two but I don't think he can make the throws an elite QB can.

 

[AB in DC]

. Now all of a sudden people are sayuing he might be only the 3rd best QB in this class (Young, Cutler)

 

[-OZ-]

You know you're not stealing Matt Leinart. If you're a scout for a team with anything beyond the top 3 picks, you can really, REALLY convince yourself that getting Jay Culter could be highway robbery.

That sounds eerily familiar. Funny because the last QB I can remember being touted so high as a junior, just to go back to school and possibly lose ground (relative to others) is Peyton (still 1.01, but some did say Leaf had more upside).

While the system gets a lot of credit, you're getting a proven winner with Leinart. Top 10 QB within 3 years. I'll take him ahead of Cutler or Young, although VY is extremely tempting - especially if he landed in Tennessee or (somehow) Arizona.

 

[Deranged Hermit]

Leinart will need the perfect situation, as most QB's do. I see him making a pro-bowl or two but I don't think he can make the throws an elite QB can.

What the heck have you seen from his college games to back this up? The dude had as much poise and great decision making skills as I've seen. His numbers slipped a bit this year because he wasn't selfish and took what the defense gave him. If they stacked the line, he threw, if not Bush gashed them. They simply didn't need him to throw all that much.I know I've been defending Leinart a lot today (and I despise USC), but I don't see where the problem is. Classic examples of over-analizing if there ever was one.

 

[-OZ-]

Leinart will need the perfect situation, as most QB's do. I see him making a pro-bowl or two but I don't think he can make the throws an elite QB can.

What the heck have you seen from his college games to back this up? The dude had as much poise and great decision making skills as I've seen. His numbers slipped a bit this year because he wasn't selfish and took what the defense gave him. If they stacked the line, he threw, if not Bush gashed them. They simply didn't need him to throw all that much.I know I've been defending Leinart a lot today (and I despise USC), but I don't see where the problem is. Classic examples of over-analizing if there ever was one.

Matt Leinart in college = Ben Roethlisberger in the NFL.

Now, does Leinart in the NFL = Ben Roethlisberger in the NFL?

 

[gocats]

Leinart will need the perfect situation, as most QB's do. I see him making a pro-bowl or two but I don't think he can make the throws an elite QB can.

What the heck have you seen from his college games to back this up? The dude had as much poise and great decision making skills as I've seen. His numbers slipped a bit this year because he wasn't selfish and took what the defense gave him. If they stacked the line, he threw, if not Bush gashed them. They simply didn't need him to throw all that much.I know I've been defending Leinart a lot today (and I despise USC), but I don't see where the problem is. Classic examples of over-analizing if there ever was one.

 

[Warehouse Nasty]

Leinart will need the perfect situation, as most QB's do.  I see him making a pro-bowl or two but I don't think he can make the throws an elite QB can.

What the heck have you seen from his college games to back this up? The dude had as much poise and great decision making skills as I've seen. His numbers slipped a bit this year because he wasn't selfish and took what the defense gave him. If they stacked the line, he threw, if not Bush gashed them. They simply didn't need him to throw all that much.I know I've been defending Leinart a lot today (and I despise USC), but I don't see where the problem is. Classic examples of over-analizing if there ever was one.

Gocats clearly knows what he's talking about

 

[ScottNorwood]

Absolute hall of famer. No question.

 

[Warehouse Nasty]

He'll be the #2 pick in the draft because he's the most sure thing in the draft. He's got great accuracy and his record speaks for itself. His mobility and his arm strength aren't great but aren't really a weakness either. I'd say his toughness is unknown as he really didn't take many hits, but there is something to be said for not missing a game in 3 years.All in all, I think he'll be the highest graded QB coming out of college since Peyton Manning.

 

[Buckychudd]

Your poll choices and the question aren't compatible IMO. Whether or not his stock has fallen and how his career will play out are two different things.

Most responses here suggest that his stock really hasn't fallen, and I agree. The gap is probably narrower than expected at the beginning of the year, but that probably has more to do with other players playing better than expected than Leinart's stock falling.

None of that has anything to do with how Leinart will perform in the NFL. I think roughly half of the QBs taken very high in the first have ultimately been busts, yet they were all judged at the time to be great prospects, as Leinart is now. IMO he will be a decent starter with an outside chance of being better than that.

Terrible poll.

 

[nygiants56]

I don't watch college football at all and have never seen this guy play, but all I remember is how he would have been the consensus #1 if he came out last year, and for the majority of this year he was touted as the number one pick too. Now all of a sudden people are sayuing he might be only the 3rd best QB in this class (Young, Cutler) and plenty of doubts over his arm strength, decision making, mobility etc. etc. have arisen. Surely a guy that (apparently) had 'Franchise QB' stamped all over his forehead two years ago shouldn't be getting disparaged like this. Again, I have never seen the guy play, not anyone else in this class for that matter, and would just like to know why the sudden turnaround. Is it just a vocal minority generating a storm over nohing or is he actually now considered overrated in comparision to previous evaluations?

Randy Moss dropped like a stone before the draft, falling out of the top 10...now he's headed to Canton..

 

[Warehouse Nasty]

I don't watch college football at all and have never seen this guy play, but all I remember is how he would have been the consensus #1 if he came out last year, and for the majority of this year he was touted as the number one pick too. Now all of a sudden people are sayuing he might be only the 3rd best QB in this class (Young, Cutler) and plenty of doubts over his arm strength, decision making, mobility etc. etc. have arisen. Surely a guy that (apparently) had 'Franchise QB' stamped all over his forehead two years ago shouldn't be getting disparaged like this. Again, I have never seen the guy play, not anyone else in this class for that matter, and would just like to know why the sudden turnaround. Is it just a vocal minority generating a storm over nohing or is he actually now considered overrated in comparision to previous evaluations?

Randy Moss dropped like a stone before the draft, falling out of the top 10...now he's headed to Canton..

Randy Moss is a LONG way off from clinching a spot in Canton.

 

[-OZ-]

I don't watch college football at all and have never seen this guy play, but all I remember is how he would have been the consensus #1 if he came out last year, and for the majority of this year he was touted as the number one pick too. Now all of a sudden people are sayuing he might be only the 3rd best QB in this class (Young, Cutler) and plenty of doubts over his arm strength, decision making, mobility etc. etc. have arisen. Surely a guy that (apparently) had 'Franchise QB' stamped all over his forehead two years ago shouldn't be getting disparaged like this. Again, I have never seen the guy play, not anyone else in this class for that matter, and would just like to know why the sudden turnaround. Is it just a vocal minority generating a storm over nohing or is he actually now considered overrated in comparision to previous evaluations?

Randy Moss dropped like a stone before the draft, falling out of the top 10...now he's headed to Canton..

Randy Moss is a LONG way off from clinching a spot in Canton.

He's not a lock yet, but as a prediction, this isn't farfetched at all.

 

[Harpua]

title of thread and poll do not match each other.

 

[CanadianNFLJunkie]

Short of Leinart blowing out his knee during workouts, he should (and will) be the second choice in this draft. I'd actually take him number 1 over Bush.

WHY? Bush seems OJ-ique or Paytonique to me while Leinart might be a very smart QB but he's got a suspect arm and bad knees. Sure Leinart might do well with the right system but I think Bush will excel with any system in the pros.

 

[Deranged Hermit]

Short of Leinart blowing out his knee during workouts, he should (and will) be the second choice in this draft. I'd actually take him number 1 over Bush.

WHY? Bush seems OJ-ique or Paytonique to me while Leinart might be a very smart QB but he's got a suspect arm and bad knees. Sure Leinart might do well with the right system but I think Bush will excel with any system in the pros.

WTF are you talking about? Where is this suspect arm you speak of? Oh yeah, you're just regurgatating what you read somewhere. Tom Brady doesn't have a canon, he seems to do well. Montana too as well as a slew of other QB's. I'm not comparing him to those great QB's but I'm just saying the 'suspect arm' arguement is bull####.Bush will NEVER be an 25 touch a game RB in the NFL. Until he blew up for all those yards in that game at the end of the year, he wasn't even a top 5 pick in some mocks. You want to see hype, see Bush. To compare him to OJ or Sweetness is absolutely absurd. Bush is the product of Leinart's skills, not the other way around. I won't say Bush won't be GOOD, but I will say Leinart has a better chance to be GREAT.

 

[RedRaiders]

I'm pretty sure sandbagger could have won the Heisman with that offense. I'm sure Jay Cutler could have.Leinart is soft and overrated and behind a crappy o-line this guy will make David Carr look like Tom Brady.

 

[bagger.]

I'm pretty sure sandbagger could have won the Heisman with that offense.

I throw a wicked sweet out and up.

 

[Jason Wood]

I'm pretty sure sandbagger could have won the Heisman with that offense. I'm sure Jay Cutler could have.

Leinart is soft and overrated and behind a crappy o-line this guy will make David Carr look like Tom Brady.

The worst argument ever

maybe he could've...then again, maybe the pressure of having to be all-world and putting up monstrous stats game in, game out while being under a huge media microscope instead of being lauded for just "hanging in there" would've been a bit of an adjustment for Cutler.

Shaq O'Neal is bigger, stronger and has a better arm than Matt Leinart...could he have won the Heisman in his place?

 

[Rockchild]

A lot of the downgrading talk about him is brought on by his being in the spotlight for so long. That is the downside of 'staying another year'. What more could he have done? Another Heisman? Or National title? He was over scrutinized this year because there was nothing new to report about his game. That is probably the reason Vince Young came out this year. What more could he do? He could win a Heisman or another National title but everything about him would be over scrutinized and there is always the prospect of injury.

 

[candymanvandyfan]

I'm pretty sure sandbagger could have won the Heisman with that offense. I'm sure Jay Cutler could have.Leinart is soft and overrated and behind a crappy o-line this guy will make David Carr look like Tom Brady.

Yes, what RedRaiders said.