Leinart, Leftwich one play away from big roles

Matt Leinart threw more passes at potential dates than defensive backs this season.

"It hasn't been the way I pictured it," the Cardinals' backup quarterback said about his first trip to the Super Bowl, "but it's been good."

Byron Leftwich knows the feeling.

"I'm not sure if I'd feel any different if I was the starter," the Steelers' backup QB said. "But one thing I've learned, at least, is that you don't have to be 'the guy' to enjoy the experience."

Leinart, 25, and Leftwich, 29, were big men on campus whose selections in the first round of the NFL draft _ in 2005 and 2003, respectively _ were supposed to augur bigger and even better things in the pros. It just hasn't worked out that way. Each is still just one play away from the chance to make those predictions ring true.

"I know I'm here for emergencies, but hey, I've held my own against these guys more than once before," Leftwich said. "And it isn't like guys like us suddenly forget how to play."

Leinart signed a six-year, $51 million deal and segued smoothly from Heisman Trophy winner and national champion at Southern California to NFL rookie in Arizona. But he got off to a slow start in 2007, then broke his collarbone and wound up losing the starting job to veteran Kurt Warner. He hasn't been asked to handle much more than a clipboard since.

Leinart threw just 29 passes during the regular season in relief of Warner, for 264 yards and one touchdown. Not surprising, when Leinart makes headlines these days, it's more likely because he's dating Paris Hilton or the supermodel of the moment than anything he's accomplished on the field.

Leftwich maintained a much lower profile at Marshall, but left behind one of the iconic images in sports. He broke his shin in a November 2002 game against Akron, only to return and be carried down the field between plays by two offensive linemen while rallying the Thundering Herd to a 17-point comeback.

Sadly, that image of Leftwich limping and trying to play through pain would prove to be a tableau for his NFL career. Drafted by Jacksonville, he twice earned and then lost the starting job because of ankle injuries, then did it one more time after moving to Atlanta early in the 2007 season.

When Charlie Batch, Pittsburgh's No. 2 passer, sustained a season-ending injury at the start of the preseason, Leftwich put down his plans to compete for a starting job somewhere and signed a one-year deal with the Steelers at the veteran's minimum of $645,000. He didn't play much more than Leinart this season, completing 21 of 36 passes for 303 yards and two TDs.

But Leftwich replaced an injured Ben Roethlisberger against the Redskins back in his hometown of Washington, and that win was satisfying enough to make riding the bench tolerable the rest of the way.

"The last year and a half, being on the surgery table, all that rehabbing, it lets you know that things happen for a reason," he said. "When you find yourself somewhere you've dreamed about for 25 years, it takes a minute to realize it almost never turns out the way you thought.

"But trust me," Leftwich said through a wide smile, "this has been a blessing in disguise."