The Silence of Matt Leinart's Arizona Cardinal Teammates Speaks Volumes

Ken Whisenhunt hasn't made an official decision as to who will be the Arizona Cardinals starting quarterback on Sept. 12. His players aren't sharing their opinions, either.

According to AzCentral's Kent Somers, Larry Fitzgerald and Adrian Wilson aren't willing to say who they'd like to see under center for the team.

Their silence may say everything the coaching staff, teammates and fans need to know.

Fitzgerald and Wilson are team leaders on both sides of the ball for the Cardinals and have been teammates of Matt Leinart's since he entered the NFL in 2006. They've seen every play and practice of his career, more than even Whisenhunt himself, and their comments were tepid at best.

"I'm not going to comment on that; that's a no-win situation for me to be in," Fitzgerald told Somers. "We all trust in Coach Whisenhunt's philosophy and expertise. He's led us to two straight playoff seasons ... so why wouldn't we believe in what he's going to do?"

Fitzgerald's success is obviously directly impacted by who is at quarterback this season. He's most likely caught hundreds of passes -- which is fewer than most women at USC -- if not more, from Leinart between games and practices since 2006 and he doesn't so much as mention having confidence in him. (Then again, it's understandable to lack confidence in someone who had Nick Lachey as a best friend and dated Paris Hilton.)

Wilson's comments were similar. He told Somers that he "doesn't really care [what's going on at quarterback]. We have a lot of veterans on defense, so to us, it really doesn't matter."

Are both playing it safe -- unlike some of Anderson's throws this preseason -- and trying to avoid stepping on their coaches' toes? Maybe, but if both believed and trusted in Leinart, a guy they've known four seasons longer than newcomer Derek Anderson, they would have at least hinted towards it.

It's like a truck driver, whose livelihood depends on his vehicle, being asked to choose between a truck he's driven for four years and one he's only test driven a few times over the last five months, with his decision affecting the next year of his career. If he doesn't even hint towards the truck he's familiar with, one would have to assume something is wrong with it.

Whisenhunt has made no secret about the fact that this quarterback competition and his decision are based on much more than performances in preseason games. Things such as performance in practices, presence in the huddle and ability to inspire teammates will all be taken into consideration as well.

Fitzgerald and Wilson's silence speaks volumes and it might just be saying what Whisenhunt hasn't yet. That Matt Leinart's days are numbered in Arizona.