News that Derek Anderson would replace Matt Leinart as the Arizona Cardinals' starting quarterback for the third exhibition game stands as a significant blow to Leinart.



It also shows coach Ken Whisenhunt doesn't offer much special treatment for quarterbacks. He's not afraid to make changes at the position.

Whisenhunt benched Leinart after the fourth exhibition game of the 2008 season, clearing the way for Kurt Warner's two-year run of success. It's easy to forget, though, that Warner also started the second and fourth exhibition games that season. Leinart started the first and third games.

This Aug. 16, 2008 report from Kent Somers of the Arizona Republic captured the feeling at the time:

Ken Whisenhunt's decision to start Kurt Warner against Kansas City Saturday night might be an indication that Warner is closer to gaining the starting job than many have thought.

Matt Leinart remains the starter, and there was a notion that his competition with Warner was Whisenhunt's way of motivating the young QB. That might still be the case, but it seems odd that the coach would go to such great lengths to keep Leinart motivated. After all, Leinart hasn't played much since suffering an injury in the fifth game last year and could use all the snaps he could get.

Leinart remained the starter at that time. He hasn't necessarily lost the starting job this time, but there's no sense in sugar-coating Whisenhunt's decision to start Anderson for the third exhibition game -- the one coaches generally value most as a dress-rehearsal for the regular season (although one Whisenhunt says he views differently).

Whisenhunt has said all along that he would try to get extra reps for Anderson during the preseason, and that he was less concerned about getting more work for Leinart. Giving Leinart very limited work in the first two games, then benching him to start the third game stands as more than simply trying to get extra reps for Anderson. It's a setback for Leinart no matter the intention. The lesson here is that we shouldn't assume too much about what Whisenhunt is thinking about his quarterbacks. Just because one quarterback is the starter doesn't mean things cannot change at any time.