Houston Texans: Has the Coaching Staff Lost Faith in Matt Leinart?

After pouring out compliments like beer at a frat party it appears that the Houston Texans coaching staff is not entirely sold on the idea of QB Matt Leinart leading the team into the playoffs. As I reported a few days ago, the Texans had already planned on working out former Rice Owl Chase Clement. Now, though, the list has grown longer and includes names more well-known around the league.

A report from Chron.com indicates that the Texans will be trying out Jeff Garcia, Trent Edwards, Brodie Croyle, and Kellen Clemens in addition to Chase Clement. This new information would suggest that perhaps Coach Gary Kubiak is not set on finishing the season with Leinart at the helm. 

Garcia is currently 41 years old. He is a free-agent who was seen on the Philadelphia Eagles roster back in 2009. Over the course of his 10 year professional career Garcia finished with 161 TDs, 83 INTs, 25,537 yards, and a cumulative 87.5 QB rating. After leaving the NFL he played for the United Football League for a year where he was twice named offensive player of the week.

Edwards is a 28 year old quarterback who was cut by the Oakland Raiders earlier this year. Edwards was drafted by the Buffalo Bills in 2007 where he started until 2010 when he was usurped by Ryan Fitzpatrick. Edwards managed 5,879 yards in his first four years in the league and added 25 TDs as well. However, his cumulative QB rating was a meager 75.8 and he was sacked an average of 1.8 times per game.

Croyle, like Edwards, is also 28 years old. He was drafted in the third round of the 2006 NFL draft by the Kansas City Chiefs. Croyle has suffered a disappointing NFL career. After leaving the Chiefs in free agency this year he tried out with both the Indianapolis Colts and Miami Dolphins – neither team signed him. Over the course of his four years in the league he has had a mediocre 1.8 to 1 TD to INT ratio.

Clemens, too, is 28 years old. He was drafted in the second round of the 2006 NFL draft by the New York Jets. A healthy Chad Pennington kept Clemens in the backup position for his first two years in the league. In 2008 the Jets acquired Brett Favre and then, in 2009, they acquired Mark Sanchez. Clemens’ role was always as a backup quarterback for the Jets. This year he signed with the Washington Redskins but was released in order to clear room on the roster.

QB Matt Leinart is scheduled to start against the Jacksonville Jaguars next Sunday and T.J. Yates is the backup quarterback.

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