The Golden Boy That Wasn't

He won the Trojans a share of the National title in 2003. He won the Trojans the BCS title in 2004 and in the same year he won the Heisman Trophy. He was pretty much a consensus number 1 pick after that season. He was only a junior and still had another year of eligibility at USC. While most scouts felt he was ready to make the leap to the NFL, Matt Leinart surprised everyone and decided that he liked the college life and wanted to play his last year of college ball. He had Hollywood friends, hung out with stars, and only needing one more class to graduate, Leinart enrolled in a ballroom dancing class--really.

In the 2006 NFL Draft Leinart fell from possibly the first overall pick to the tenth pick, selected by the Arizona Cardinals. He was supposed to be the franchise, the face of the Cardinals. He was supposed to be the one who led the Cardinals to the Super Bowl. Instead his job was ripped by an aging veteran, Kurt Warner. And Warner has now led what was supposed to be Leinart's team to the Super Bowl while Leinart can only stand on the sideline with the clipboard, watching.

What happened to the Golden Boy? His decision to stay in school is now pretty telling. Being a quarterback in the NFL requires dedication, drive, confidence, and all of the physical skills. While it's clear that Leinart had the physical tools, he didn't exhibit the drive necessary to succeed at the professional level. Instead of going into the NFL and getting into training camp (Leinart actually held out during a contract dispute) and learning the pro game, Leinart chose to lounge around USC and be the Big Man On Campus for another season. He didn't really want to be in the NFL. He never really showed the comittment to being a pro. He didn't want to grind, didn't want to put in the work, and it now shows.

Now Leinart will watch Warner play in the biggest game of the year. While he's still young, you have to wonder, Will he ever be a starting quarterback in the NFL? Perhaps the real question is, Does he want to be one?