At the conclusion of each college football season we are
left with a Heisman Trophy winner and National Champions,
simple enough, right? Well, in the case of the USC
Trojans and quarterback Matt Leinart, there is
significance to the potential outcome of this season which
cannot be overstated. If a 2nd Heisman Trophy
winner and national championship are achieved under the
brief tenure of USC head coach Pete Carroll, it would be
nothing short of amazing from an historical perspective.
Imagine that scenario being the prelude to Leinart
following in his predecessor’s footsteps by becoming the
#1 overall selection in the 2005 NFL draft. Seem
unlikely? It isn’t. Despite Matt Leinart’s inexperience,
it is a scenario that is at least plausible, if not
realistic.
What the University of Southern California has managed to
accomplish under head coach Pete Carroll is in large part
due to the continuity and stability he has brought to
recruiting and coaching. When Carroll took over the
program and brought with him an expectation of success, he
was met with immediate and intense skepticism and
dissatisfaction. After only 3 seasons, those feelings
seem to have grown into a genuine belief that the
expectations he brought with him will not only be met, but
will be surpassed. Expectations of greatness have been
sorely missing for a long, long time at Southern Cal.
While Carroll and his staff have already successfully
engineered a resurgence, perhaps the biggest boost to the
USC football program will be provided if Leinart’s ‘2nd
act’ includes completing a sweep of accomplishments and
awards after this season.
My positive expectations for his ‘2nd act’
might seem unrealistic if it were not for Leinart already
having defied the widely held negative expectations of
him. For a time leading up to the 2003 season, Matt
Leinart was a bit of an enigma to everyone other than USC
offensive coordinator Norm Chow. After all, Leinart had
not attempted a single pass in a game and he certainly was
not the immediate clear-cut favorite to replace Heisman
Trophy winner Carson Palmer as the Trojans’ starting
quarterback. It’s fair to say that hope trumped
expectation heading into the 2003 season.
Leinart earned the starting job based on his grasp of the
QB-friendly offense, and his ability to operate
efficiently within it, rather than by possessing such
outstanding athletic talent that would normally be a
mandate for him being given the job. Whatever the
reasoning, looking back, it was clearly a good decision.
At the conclusion of his first active season of college
football, Matt Leinart had eclipsed the Heisman winner who
had preceded him. His passing percentage, efficiency
rating, touchdown passes, interceptions and won-loss
record were all superior while starting 13 games. He
completed 255 of 402 passes (63.4%) for 3,556 yards, 38
TDs and just 9 interceptions. Still, one might discount
Leinart’s performance in 2003 by attributing it to the
system and the talent around him.
At first glance, it’s an all too easy argument to make
with playmakers like wide receivers Mike Williams and
Keary Colbert working in a system that has produced
quarterbacks the likes of Heisman winner Carson Palmer,
not to mention Ty Detmer, Jim McMahon, and Steve Young.
Certainly these factors contributed to Leinart’s success.
Perhaps the best illustration of this might be the 2nd
of Leinart’s 5 TD passes in a 52-28 win against Oregon
State. Mike Williams made a spectacular one-handed catch
at the back of the end zone on a 9-yard pass from Leinart
as the 1st half was winding down. With catches
like that, one might think Leinart’s success is only about
what’s happening around him. Likewise, Keary Colbert’s
phenomenal individual performance in the Rose Bowl could
be seen as further evidence to support the claim that the
supporting cast and the system have made the man. In
part, that’s undeniably true. But the performance by
Colbert also demonstrates why Leinart contributes
substantially to the winning formula himself. In the
course of winning the Rose Bowl MVP, Leinart threw 2
touchdowns to Colbert. Those throws showcase one of
Leinart’s greatest and more measurable talents — his
exceptional accuracy. In the case of Colbert’s’ first
touchdown catch, Leinart lofted the ball 25 yards
downfield with perfect touch and timing, landing it into
Colbert’s outstretched hands. Later in the game, with
Michigan defender Jeremy LeSeuer draped all over Colbert
20 yards downfield, Leinart managed to perfectly place the
ball where only his receiver could make the play. Colbert
returned the favor by making an extraordinary one-armed
grab, dropping LeSeuer to the ground in the process, then
trotting another 25 yards into the end zone. Both Colbert
and Williams are exceptional playmakers but regardless of
whether or not a receiver has the talent to be a
playmaker, his QB must still deliver the football.
It is usually clear whether or not a quarterback has the
physical skills necessary to succeed, however, what cannot
be so easily evaluated are things such as toughness,
heart, leadership, and grace under pressure. Leinart
clearly showcased those traits late in the 2003 season
during a game at Arizona State. For USC, this game was a
‘must win’ and both the Trojans and Sun Devils knew it.
It wasn’t looking good for the Trojans when Leinart went
down with knee and ankle injuries in the first half.
Things went from bad to worse when Arizona State returned
the opening kickoff of the 2nd half for a
touchdown to take a 17-10 lead. With a bad wheel, not
only did Leinart return to the field, he did so
impressively, leading the Trojans to victory with 27
unanswered points. Leinart kept Rose Bowl and national
championship aspirations alive for the Trojans and kept
himself front and center on the highlight reel.
While highlight reel images may bring a certain excitement
to Leinart’s impressive statistics, his ability to win is
what removes any doubt about his potential. He may not
have the cannon arm and deep ball ability of Daunte
Culpepper or the legs and the breakaway running ability of
Michael Vick; but like Tom Brady (the quarterback he seems
destined to be most compared with), he seems to have the
intangibles that are apparent in quarterbacks simply known
as winners. The intangibles found most clearly in Leinart
are the ability to read the defense, react in his offense,
and manage the game, all of which culminate in being able
to make the throws he needs to make. Thus far that has
translated into playing at a consistently high level and
consistently winning and I see no reason why that will not
continue at the next level.
Leinart is the type of QB that although he doesn’t have
the best measurable skills (downfield throwing, 40 speed,
footwork in the pocket, etc.), his ability to make the
right throws at the right time simply matters more. One
could argue that the combination of his decision-making,
his accuracy, and his poise, which are all exceptional,
will always win out over any shortcomings he may have, and
I would tend to agree. As long as Tom Brady periodically
wins Super Bowls, the model for success that he has set
will remain intact; and early on and rather clearly,
Leinart has demonstrated that his play is consistent with
that model. On his level, at a major program in the
college game, Leinart has compiled Heisman-worthy numbers,
while winning all but one of his starts. Should he manage
to surpass the standard he’s already set for himself,
he’ll confirm where the questioning of his arm strength
and his mobility belong relative to his ability to make
winning throws.
Leinart’s successful pursuit of a Heisman and a national
championship likely would be, and certainly should be,
enough to propel him to the very top of the draft board in
2005. And just as USC handled the transition from Palmer
to Leinart, Leinart completing an immensely successful ‘2nd
act’ would be a substantial factor in USC continuing with
its model for success under Pete Carroll and Norm Chow.
Leinart’s own transition to the NFL will then become the
focus of conversation. Unlike Tom Brady, who was a 6th
round selection, Leinart will be scrutinized as a top
draft choice even before his first day on the job. Based
on his ability to perform under pressure, I won’t be
surprised if we see his success extend to the NFL in
similar proportion to his journey from never having thrown
a single college pass to being a Heisman Trophy favorite
in just one year and perhaps a Heisman winner and #1
overall selection. With that we may be hearing his name
talked about for a long time to come. I, for one, expect
nothing less.
