Cardinals quarterback Matt Leinart has been criticized in the press and by his own coach this off-season, mostly because of the widely circulated pictures of him partying.
Some have said the pictures showed nothing more than a guy having a good time in the privacy of his own home, but Leinart told the Orange County Register that he now thinks his free-time activities were "mistakes," and he adds that, "I have to realize I'm a role model and act like one."
Leinart sounds like he wants to change his public image, and if that's the case, his teammate Kurt Warner would be a good guy to emulate. Warner has been in the public eye for close to a decade now, and I can't think of a single time that he's done anything off the field that would be categorized as a "mistake." Leinart has said he's learned a lot from Warner about playing quarterback; it would be good for Leinart to learn from Warner about being a celebrity.
David Boston had back-to-back 1,000-yard receiving seasons for the Arizona Cardinals in 2000 and 2001, when he was just 22 and 23 years old. He looked like he was going to be the best receiver in football for a decade to come.
It didn't work out that way, of course, because of a combination of Boston getting caught using steroids, getting arrested for drunk driving and displaying the kind of attitude that made him unwelcome in any NFL locker room.
So it's surprising to read an article from Canada, where he's now with the Toronto Argonauts, in which Boston comes across as the ultimate team player: He talks about how he is willing to play through pain just to help his team win, and how he loves the game so much that he's just happy to be playing it. That's not the Boston NFL fans remember.
But if this new and improved Boston is for real, it's not out of the question that he could be back in the NFL some day. He's only 29 years old, and he has incredible talent. All he ever needed was the right attitude, and he may have found it in Canada.
As of the most recent report, Arrington was being held in Nash County Jail.
A second-round draft pick after a great final season at Cal, Arrington has been mostly a disappointment in three years with the Cardinals. Last season coach Ken Whisenhunt got him more involved in the passing game with some success, but as a runner he has 467 yards and 3.1 yards a carry in three seasons. He's just the kind of marginal player whose job could be in jeopardy if he can't stay out of trouble off the field.
Arizona Cardinals wide receiver Anquan Boldin has made it clear that he's unhappy with his contract. But how unhappy?
According to an article on the Cardinals' official web site, he's unhappy enough that he's considering skipping training camp. Asked by a writer for the web site if he'll be there, Boldin replied via text message, "I honestly can't say at this point."
It's not surprising that Bodlin is unhappy -- he wants the same kind of deal that Larry Fitzgerald got this off-season -- but I'll be shocked if he holds out of camp. The Cardinals just don't seem like they're in a position where they're going to cave to his demands, and all Boldin is likely to do if he holds out is pick up fines in the neighborhood of $15,000 a day.
Note: Kudos to the Cardinals for putting stories like this on their official site. Too many teams still think their official web sites have to be filled with puff pieces.
They started on a gossip web site, got picked up by blogs and were then a fixture in the mainstream media. But if there was any question that the infamous pictures of Cardinals quarterback Matt Leinart partying with co-eds had made the big-time, those questions have been answered now that the pictures have been the subject of a Jeopardy! answer:
Under the category "The Brat Fest" (I have no idea what that means), Alex Trebek offered, "This Heisman-winning Cardinals quarterback was sacked in the off-season by photos of his hot tub party."
It's college tournament time on Jeopardy!, and the contestant from Michigan correctly responded, "Who is Leinart."
Mary Tillman, the mother of Pat Tillman, appeared on 60 Minutes Sunday night and says she still can't get the truth about her son's death from the U.S. Army. Here's a brief clip:
At that time, Tillman's family was led to believe that he was killed by the enemy, which was reinforced when the Army awarded him a Silver Star for his "gallantry in action against an armed enemy." They were told his convoy had been ambushed and he had charged up a hill, forcing the enemy to withdraw and saving the lives of his fellow Rangers.
That story was a complete fabrication, but the whole story is still, according to Mary Tillman, a mystery.
Pat Tillman was an American hero, and it's baffling that our nation's military still won't give his mother a straight answer about exactly what happened when he was killed. It's been more than four years since Pat Tillman died, and it's time for Mary Tillman to hear the truth.
Arizona Cardinals quarterback Matt Leinart was at the center of a media firestorm when photos of him partying, including the one above, were widely disseminated, first at TheDirty.com and then on ESPN and elsewhere. So what lesson did Leinart learn?
"Obviously, you learn life lessons in things," Leinart said. "My mindset has been on football, clearly, going into this minicamp or going into this summer. When you play football, you are a name out there or a person in the spotlight; it is tough, you have a target on your chest. But you learn a lesson and you move on."
But when asked specifically about the power of the Internet, Leinart smiled and said, "The internet is a bad thing."
The Good: Going into the draft, Arizona had quite a few needs to fill. There were several defensive positions that needed someone who could come in and start immediately, while others were lacking quality depth. And with the first two selections, coupled with the late-round pick of Chris Harrington (rotational pass rusher), they were able to fill all of those needs.
The Bad: The Cardinals weren't able to secure the big time running back most analysts believed they needed, but they were able to lock down Tim Hightower in round five. And while he may not be a Darren McFadden or even a Ray Rice, he's a Marion Barber-like running back who could give Arizona exactly what they need anyway. In addition to their failure to land a game-breaking back, Arizona missed out on a solid safety and additional depth at linebacker.
The Grade: B+. People may not be very high on Tim Hightower right now, nor very high on the 2007 version of Calais Campbell, but both of those players have a tremendous upside. I'm not a scout by any means, but I fully expect Campbell to return to his 2006 form, with Hightower providing all the help Arizona could possibly need behind Edgerrin James.
Cornerback Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie might have the highest upside of any player in this draft. He's an amazing athlete who dominated at the I-AA level and will be a very good player for the Cardinals.
The cousin of the Chargers' Antonio Cromartie, Dominique plays a lot like him: He's a ballhawk, he's got great straight line speed, and when you watch them run, their gaits are even similar.
The only doubt about Rodgers-Cromartie is how quickly he'll be able to contribute to an NFL defense, especially against the run, as he didn't do that very well at Tennessee State and there's an awfully large step up in quality from the running backs he faced at Tennessee State to the ones he'll face in the NFL. The best guess is that it'll take a year before he's a starter, but that he'll be a very good special teams contributor from Day 1.
Arizona Cardinals defensive tackle Gabe Watson is out of commission until at least the start of training camp after he suffered a knee injury when he slipped and fell while running on a treadmill, Kent Somers of the Arizona Republic reports (via PFT).
Watson was working out on his own at a health club when he suffered the injury. He underwent surgery to repair a fractured kneecap and will be less than 100 percent when training camp opens in July, although the team is optimistic that he will be ready to go when the regular season starts in September.
"The thing that's disappointing is that Gabe has shown such great progress and he's getting it," Whisenhunt said. "Just the fact that he was working to get himself in shape after he had done his workout here is a testament to him.
"One thing that's an advantage for him is that he's in such better shape at this point than he's ever been in, it gives him a much greater chance at getting back quickly."
While Watson is sidelined, Alan Branch is first in line to take his place in the starting lineup at defensive tackle. But Branch, too, has had trouble staying in shape. The Cardinals will need Branch to hit the treadmill, and to watch his step while he's on it.
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