Matt Leinart is getting another great opportunity by becoming Carson Palmer's backup quarterback for the second time. He has been traded to the Oakland Raiders who signed Leinart to a one-year contract this last Tuesday. This is going to give them two former Heisman Trophy winners from Southern California at quarterback.
Leinart was able to reach a deal after working out for the Raiders to show that he has fully recovered from a broken left collarbone that cut short his 2011 season. Nothing better than a quarterback showing a team they are ready to play. Oakland also brought in Peyton Manning's former backup, Jim Sorgi, for a tryout but decided to go with Leinart. It was a better choice to go with Leinart than Jim Sorgi for having more experience.
Leinart is the only backup on the Raiders roster who has thrown a pass in the NFL. Terrelle Pryor, who was taken last summer in the supplemental draft, played one game last season and committed a penalty his only time on the field. Rhett Bomar spent two years on the New York Giants' practice squad. It must be difficult to give another quarterback the experience when they only use one quarterback for every game. Oakland has had difficulty with injuries and winning when they need to. Leinart spent two years behind Palmer at USC, including when Palmer won the Heisman Trophy in 2002. Leinart took over the Trojans the next season and won two national championships and the Heisman Trophy in 2004. This is incredible for a team to produce 2 back to back quarterbacks winning the Heisman Trophy. That shows the dedication snd coaching USC is sccomplishing. He was drafted 10th overall by Arizona in 2006 but has struggled as a pro. He started 11 games as a rookie with the Cardinals but only seven games in the past five seasons. This just shows that not every Heisman winner can produce in the NFL. It is about teamwork. The entire USC was incredible getting the best high school students to play there and that will lead to getting great pass protection to help any quarterback look good. When you look at smaller college with less opportunity for the best college players and they have outstanding careers like Kellen Moore from Boise State University winning 50 games in his college career with lesser talent should not be overlooked. Leinart was drafted in the first round and played horrible in the NFL and Kellen Moore was passed over even though he won the most football games in college history. Leinart broke his collarbone after five starts in 2007 and then was beaten out for the starting job the following season by Kurt Warner. He spent the past two seasons with the Texans as Matt Schaub's backup. He is lucky to be able to play in the NFL after he broke his collarbone. Leinart got a chance to start last season with the Texans after Schaub broke his right foot, but Leinart got hurt in the first half against Jacksonville on Nov. 27, after completing 10 of 13 passes for 57 yards and a touchdown, ending his season. Leinart was cut by the Texans in March. This shows how much NFL believes in there players getting injured. This is also why Leinart is lucky to have a team have him sign a contract in the NFL. Leinart has completed 57.6 percent of his passes in his career with 15 touchdowns, 20 interceptions and a 71.6 passer rating. Having this type of rating is a reason for not playing for having more interceptions than touchdowns.
He will also be reunited in Oakland with offensive coordinator Greg Knapp, who was his quarterbacks coach with the Texans. It shows that there is something about Leinart that Knapp liked and is bringing him back to the team he coaches for. This will make things easier for Oakland since Knapp knows him from the ther team and he will be easier to coach than someone new. The Raiders also confirmed an NFL Network report that they have fired longtime scout Jon Kingdon after 33 years with the organization. Kingdon was the head of college scouting and general manager Reggie McKenzie had said earlier this off season that he wanted to bring in his own team after the draft. This may give Oakland a different view of what they need to accomplish to become a winning team since it has been a while since they have been a winning team. No matter how they play this year, there fans still love them. If you are looking to find love, then go to a free online dating website at http://HeartsBond.com
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