Quarterback Matt Leinart walked into the Houston Texans' locker room Wednesday with stubble on his face and a new playbook in his hand. Released last week by the Arizona Cardinals, Leinart practiced with the Texans for the first time since agreeing to a one-year deal with the team Monday. The 2004 Heisman Trophy winner will be the third-string quarterback when the Texans open the season against Indianapolis on Sunday. It's a humbling fall from the high expectations he brought to the NFL after three spectacular seasons at Southern Cal, but Leinart calls his one guaranteed season in Houston a "new chapter" and one he hopes will revive his NFL career. "Obviously, the first four years, they didn't go the way you would hope and the way I hoped," he said. "I learned a lot as a quarterback, and as a person. I had a chance to learn from Kurt Warner, who is one of the greatest quarterbacks to play. Now, I get a chance to come here and learn from Matt [Schaub], who's become a pretty good quarterback in this league. "It's unfortunate that it worked out like that over there [in Arizona]," he said. "But like I said, this is a new chapter, this is a fresh start, a new offense. I'm just excited." Leinart was drafted 10th overall by the Cardinals and appeared in 12 games as a rookie under coach Dennis Green, throwing 11 touchdowns and 12 interceptions. Source: Associated Press
