Considering he was the No. 7 pick of the 2003 draft, Byron Leftwich’s playing career was somewhat of a disappointment. He threw 51 touchdown passes and 36 interceptions for the Jaguars with a passer rating of 80.5. Jacksonville released him just before the 2007 season, and he spent the last five years of his career as a backup.
Leftwich’s coaching career could turn out differently.
Bruce Arians hired Leftwich as the Cardinals’ quarterbacks coach earlier this offseason, and says that he could quickly rise up the ranks.
“He’ll be a head coach early and fast,” Arians told the team’s website.
Leftwich played under Arians in 2008 and 2010 as a backup to Ben Roethlisberger when Arians was the Steelers’ offensive coordinator. Leftwich served as a coaching intern for the Cardinals last year, and earned the full-time gig this year. He’ll be re-united with Carson Palmer. The two went through the pre-draft process together in 2003, when the Bengals chose Palmer with the top pick.
“I don’t care if he’s five years younger or 15 years older, he knows what he is talking about,” Palmer said of Leftwich. “And he played in the same exact system and he played for B.A., so there are a lot of positives with him.”
Even though he earned it as a backup in 2008, Leftwich can flash a Super Bowl ring to give Palmer something to reach for.
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