Matt Leinart - Hollywood's & The NFL's Finest

The charismatic Matt Leinart is now a quarterback for the NFL's Arizona Cardinals.  Prior to his 2006 drafting, he played for USC , where he racked up an MVP Award in the Rose Bowl for 2004, the Manning Award, and the Victor Award for the Player of the Year.  He also won college football's top honor, the Heisman Trophy Award, in 2004.

Unlike other gifted 2006 NFL draftees like Winston Justice, Mario Williams, and Reggie Bush, Matt Leinart grew up as a rather un-athletic child.  Thanks to a condition that made him cross-eyed and a glandular problem that cause him to overeat, Leinart received a lot of nasty ribbing from his peers as a kid.  Yet he was able to turn his frustration around and sublimate it in athletics.

At Mater Dei High School, Leinart posted tremendous statistics, and he went on to lead USC to a 37 and 2 record the year he won the Heisman.  His performance put him in the company of other great USC alums, including Archie Griffin, Jason White, and Billy Sims.

Leinart is also a terrific QB in terms of making intuitive snap decisions--his football brilliance shined particularly in a contest against Notre Dame in 2005.  He managed to get a pass off to Dwayne Jarrett to trounce Notre Dame with a remarkable 61-yard play.  Despite a bout with tendonitis and some questions about his long-term arm strength, there is no doubt in the minds of most sports commentators that Matt Leinart will prove to be one of the Arizona Cardinals' best 2006 acquisitions.