Matt Leinart

During the compressed free-agency period last summer, it looked as if Matt Leinart would be reunited in Seattle with Pete Carroll, his coach from USC. Houston made an eleventh-hour pitch to the quarterback, though, and convinced Leinart to stay with the Texans. The Seahawks felt burned (although their signing of Tarvaris Jackson sent a discouraging message to Leinart), and the situation didn't work out as planned for the Heisman Trophy-winning quarterback, either. Leinart appeared in two games in 2011 after Matt Schaub suffered a season-ending shoulder injury.

Matt Leinart has only started two games since 2007, but the  Heisman Trophy winner from USC says it's time for him to get his chance with the Oakland Raiders. "I think I deserve to play, I deserve to start, not sure what's going to happen, but that's all you can do -- just keep preparing, keep working hard, be here, be accountable and whatever happens, whatever decision is made, that's what's made," Leinart told reporters Thursday, during a break from preparations for Sunday's finale against San Diego.

Matt Leinart caught an unlucky break during a 20-13 win against the Jacksonville Jaguars on Sunday. The Texans quarterback had been playing a strong game when he was slammed by a hard tackle. Although X-rays at the time were inconclusive, Leinart appeared to have a broken collarbone and may have to sit out the rest of the season. Injuries to the collarbone, or clavicle, are not uncommon on the gridiron. The number of neck injuries from playing football is relatively higher than those in other high-contact sports, according to a 2005 study in the British Journal of Sports Medicine.

NAPA, Calif. — There was a time when Matt Leinart thought he'd wind up with the Oakland Raiders, but he never dreamed he would take the kind of roundabout path he has taken to get here. The former USC star and Heisman Trophy winner is backing up Carson Palmer with the Raiders — a flashback to their days with the Trojans — and Leinart, once widely projected to make a splash in the pros and possibly be a draft pick of the Raiders, is now grateful to be on a roster. "I don't listen to the people who say I'm a bust," said Leinart, 29, the 10th overall pick by Arizona in 2006 who was released by Houston after two seasons.

Matt Leinart was signed Tuesday by the Oakland Raiders to serve as a backup to quarterback Carson Palmer -- a role that Leinart held a decade or so ago at USC. This could be fun. Trojans fans obviously have a lot of fond memories of the two quarterbacks, with Palmer winning the Heisman Trophy in 2002 and Leinart doing the same two years later and leading the team to a pair of national titles. But Leinart has struggled as a pro quarterback. After being drafted 10th overall by the Arizona Cardinals, Leinart struggled as a starter and eventually lost his job to veteran Kurt Warner.

Matt Leinart hadn't thrown a touchdown pass in three years, and hadn't injured his collarbone in four. Sunday, he did both. A day that began with such promise for the former USC star ended with him on the sideline in a sling, his window of opportunity slammed shut because of a hard tackle by Jacksonville's Jeremy Mincey near the end of the first half. Leinart may have broken his collarbone, but Coach Gary Kubiak said X-rays were inconclusive. "There's a pretty strong possibility I probably won't be coming back this season," Leinart said.

Matt Leinart has only started two games since 2007, but the  Heisman Trophy winner from USC says it's time for him to get his chance with the Oakland Raiders. "I think I deserve to play, I deserve to start, not sure what's going to happen, but that's all you can do -- just keep preparing, keep working hard, be here, be accountable and whatever happens, whatever decision is made, that's what's made," Leinart told reporters Thursday, during a break from preparations for Sunday's finale against San Diego.

In a prime example of how free-agency moves this week are not etched in stone, quarterback Matt Leinart has decided not to rejoin Pete Carroll in Seattle — a deal that couldn't be signed until Friday — and instead will stay with the Houston Texans. According to individuals with knowledge of the negotiations, Leinart had agreed to terms with the Seahawks on Tuesday and intended to be reunited with Carroll, his coach at USC, believing his only quarterback competition would have been Charlie Whitehurst.

That so many people are shocked and surprised by Matt Leinart's decision to stay at USC for another year says more about their characters than it does about Leinart's. Brian Hittelman Playa del Rey You want to know how great USC quarterback Matt Leinart is? I'll tell you how great. He's so great that he hasn't a clue how great he is. Robert Burns Huntington Beach I hope Matt Leinart really enjoys college. As an Ivy League graduate with a professional degree I applaud education, but if I'd had the opportunity to earn millions after my junior year (something I have yet to do in 40 years since graduation)

Matt Schaub and Matt Leinart. One needs a boot, the other needs a reboot. With Schaub done for the season for the Houston Texans because of a broken foot, Leinart has another chance to prove that he has what it takes to make it as an NFL starter, and that his success at USC wasn't just because of the all-star cast surrounding him. "The last three or four years, I've just really kind of put my head down and just worked extremely hard...

Matt Leinart was signed Tuesday by the Oakland Raiders to serve as a backup to quarterback Carson Palmer -- a role that Leinart held a decade or so ago at USC. This could be fun. Trojans fans obviously have a lot of fond memories of the two quarterbacks, with Palmer winning the Heisman Trophy in 2002 and Leinart doing the same two years later and leading the team to a pair of national titles. But Leinart has struggled as a pro quarterback. After being drafted 10th overall by the Arizona Cardinals, Leinart struggled as a starter and eventually lost his job to veteran Kurt Warner.

Andy Pettitte and Roger Clemens sat some 20 feet apart, Pettitte on the witness stand and Clemens at the defense table trying to avoid going to jail. The topic: a remark about human growth hormone Pettitte recalled hearing from his longtime teammate, mentor and workout partner a dozen years ago. "Roger had mentioned to me that he had taken HGH," Pettitte testified. "And that it could help with recovery, and that's really all I remember about the conversation. " The rest of the details are fuzzy.

The vanity license plate is hard to miss as the black BMW sport-utility vehicle pulls into a parking spot outside a middle school in San Marino. QB CLUB. From behind the wheel steps a man dressed in shorts, a T-shirt and ball cap, all black. From the passenger side emerges a teenage boy, tall and slender, wearing a white T-shirt, black shorts, cleats — and clutching a football. The two walk determinedly past an expansive grass field and head toward the playground. The young quarterback drops the ball, and then grips the post of a chin-up bar and stretches his right arm. As the man barks instruction about the fundamentals of throwing a pass, it is clear they are there for more than a simple game of catch.

During the compressed free-agency period last summer, it looked as if Matt Leinart would be reunited in Seattle with Pete Carroll, his coach from USC. Houston made an eleventh-hour pitch to the quarterback, though, and convinced Leinart to stay with the Texans. The Seahawks felt burned (although their signing of Tarvaris Jackson sent a discouraging message to Leinart), and the situation didn't work out as planned for the Heisman Trophy-winning quarterback, either. Leinart appeared in two games in 2011 after Matt Schaub suffered a season-ending shoulder injury.

Standing before a crowd of reporters, not to mention a national television audience, Matt Barkley explained that his heart told him to stick around for one more season of college football. But even as the USC quarterback made his big announcement Thursday, he acknowledged putting his future on hold. "I am prepared to play quarterback in the NFL," he said. "It is my dream to play quarterback in the NFL. " Which raises an important question: How might this immediate decision affect his long-term plans?

Matt Leinart caught an unlucky break during a 20-13 win against the Jacksonville Jaguars on Sunday. The Texans quarterback had been playing a strong game when he was slammed by a hard tackle. Although X-rays at the time were inconclusive, Leinart appeared to have a broken collarbone and may have to sit out the rest of the season. Injuries to the collarbone, or clavicle, are not uncommon on the gridiron. The number of neck injuries from playing football is relatively higher than those in other high-contact sports, according to a 2005 study in the British Journal of Sports Medicine.

It was a replay, just not an instant one. Almost four years after Vince Young led the Texas Longhorns to a national-championship victory over the Matt Leinart-led USC Trojans, those two college stars -- the first two quarterbacks selected in the 2006 draft -- finally faced each other again. Last time, Young scored the winning touchdown on fourth down at the end of the game. This time? You guessed it. Young threw a fourth-down touchdown pass on the game's final play to lift the Tennessee Titans to a 20-17 victory over the Arizona Cardinals, quarterbacked by Leinart.

With the start of a new NFL season fast approaching, Matt Leinart headed back home to Southern California this weekend, a quarterback without a team. The former USC star and Heisman Trophy winner was released by the Arizona Cardinals on Saturday, the latest twist in a roller-coaster career marked by reports of Hollywood parties and unmet expectations. "I think that in the end we both agreed this was probably the best thing for him, to have a fresh start," Arizona Coach Ken Whisenhunt said.

Matt Leinart hadn't thrown a touchdown pass in three years, and hadn't injured his collarbone in four. Sunday, he did both. A day that began with such promise for the former USC star ended with him on the sideline in a sling, his window of opportunity slammed shut because of a hard tackle by Jacksonville's Jeremy Mincey near the end of the first half. Leinart may have broken his collarbone, but Coach Gary Kubiak said X-rays were inconclusive. "There's a pretty strong possibility I probably won't be coming back this season," Leinart said.

SAN DIEGO -- Matt Prater's 37-yard field goal with 1:38 left in overtime completed Tim Tebow's fourth second-half comeback of the season as the visiting Denver Broncos defeated the reeling San Diego Chargers, 16-13, on Sunday for their fourth straight victory. San Diego's Nick Novak missed a 53-yard field goal with 2:31 remaining in overtime. He made a career-long 53-yarder in the first quarter. Tebow improved to 5-1 as a starter in 2011 for Denver (6-5), which snapped a four-game losing streak to San Diego and won its four straight on the road after losing 11 of its previous 12. Prater's 38th consecutive field goal from inside 40 yards kept the Broncos one game behind Oakland in the AFC West.