Kurt Warner Named Starting QB for Cards

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In beating out franchise quarterback Matt Leinart for the job, Kurt Warner has been named the starting QB for the Arizona Cardinals to start their 2008 season. After what he termed a “fair evaluation” of the position, head coach Ken Whisenhunt said that Kurt gives the Cards their best chance to win right now. Kurt is more then ready to handle the responsibility, but understood the awkwardness of the process:

“It’s probably rare to see it play out this way than the other. (Teams) are always looking for the next guy to be able to run the show. You also realize in this business — you want to win now and who’s going to give us that best chance to win now.”

It would seem the Cardinals are in an enviable situation with two players capable of starting at quarterback, but it’s not so much that the decision was difficult based on quality of play. Matt played well in a backup preseason role last week against Denver (10-of-14 passing for 177 yards and a TD), but he really didn’t do anything to prove he deserved the starting spot prior to that game and that’s disappointing because he was drafted and paid to be the aforementioned franchise quarterback for this team. Kurt Warner is the perfect backup with his ability and experience, but you have to believe the Cardinals are concerned with Matt’s development. And Matt’s really not going to improve his game watching from the sidelines. Still, the business of the National Football League is to win and win now. And I agree with everyone who was involved in making this decision — Kurt Warner does give the Arizona Cardinals their best chance to win football games right now. If Matt is ready to take the starting spot at his next opportunity (due to injury or poor play by Kurt), he could still become the unquestioned leader of this team.

Source: AZCardinals.com, Photo: Newscom