Bordow: Warner is Cards’ best QB, but Leinart should still start

FLAGSTAFF -- Kurt Warner is the best quarterback on the Cardinals’ roster.

No one will argue that, including Matt Leinart.

SLIDESHOW: Matt Leinart, Kurt Warner and the Cardinals report to training camp

Nor is there any dispute that Warner, 37, still has what it takes to be a successful starting quarterback in the NFL. He reaffirmed that last year by throwing for 27 touchdown passes and leading Arizona to an 8-8 record.

But when the regular season rolls around on Sept. 7, the Cardinals better hope Warner isn’t the starter.

For if he is, that can mean only one of two things: Leinart got hurt in the preseason or he performed so poorly that his future in the league has to come into question.

See, this so-called quarterback controversy isn’t a controversy at all.

Coach Ken Whisenhunt named Leinart the starter last spring, and he wants Leinart to win the job.

If you have any doubts about that, here’s Whisenhunt’s reply Thursday when he was asked whether it would be difficult to bench Warner after his performance in 2007:

“One thing that seems to be forgotten was Matt was doing a pretty good job for us too,” Whisenhunt said. “You have to be very careful in overlooking that.”

Whisenhunt continued to say that while Leinart is the starter, the competition is open. But the truth is, Leinart would have to play horribly in the preseason to lose the job.

Frankly, that’s the way it should be.

I’m not disputing that Warner gives the Cardinals a better chance to make the playoffs. He’s a master at his craft, and Leinart is still learning on the job.

But Arizona isn’t going to the Super Bowl. At best, the Cardinals are a fringe playoff team.

So what sense does it make to play Warner while Leinart rots on the bench? The Cardinals have to find out if Leinart can be an elite quarterback, and the only way they’ll know that is if he plays.

“We all understand the dynamics here,” Warner said. … “For the sake of the organization you want Matt to be the guy for the future. You want that to play out.”

Warner has been through this before. He was benched in New York because the Giants wanted to turn the team over to Eli Manning. He didn’t like the decision but he understood it.

“I hope we get a chance to compete to see who’s the starter,” Warner said.

Warner will get his opportunities in the preseason. He’ll play with the first team and likely start one of the four preseason games.

But it’s clear that Leinart is the front-runner. Whisenhunt repeatedly praises the work he did in the offseason and the added confidence he has in the huddle. It’s as if he’s laying the groundwork for when he does name Leinart the starter.

“My mindset is I know coach has the faith in me to be the guy,” Leinart said. “I just have to go out there and keep working and keep playing well.”

Leinart’s ascension won’t sit well with a large cadre of Cardinals’ fans. They’re tired of waiting for next year. They want a taste of the playoffs now, and Warner is the meal ticket.

But the Cardinals can’t afford to be so short-sighted. They’ve waited patiently for Leinart.

It’s time for the payoff.

Or the regret.