Leinart's leadership a rare positive in epic collapse

	Matt Leinart hasn't looked like a rookie in his first two professional starts. Lisa Blumenfeld/Getty Images

GLENDALE, Ariz. -- A few minutes after the Cardinals' epic Monday Night Football meltdown -- and coach Denny Green's similarly shocking media room meltdown -- Edgerrin James stood in front of his locker, cameras rolling, tape recorders clicking, shaking his head despondently.

"It's just crazy," said James, who after being held to 55 yards on 36 carries, tried to force a smile. "I don't know what to say about it. And it's the third time we've done that."

A local sports columnist, whispering to those sitting near him in the media room, said he'd covered every Cardinals home game since the team moved to the Valley in 1988, and this, all things considered, was their worst loss ever.

The Arizona -- formerly "Phoenix" -- Cardinals, who train in Flagstaff and have offices in Tempe, were hosting the Chicago Bears at the newly dubbed University of Phoenix Stadium, in Glendale, and led 20-0 at halftime. Yes: 20-0. The undefeated Chicago Bears were trailing, because of one person: Matt Leinart. He was 13 of 18 for 125 yards and two touchdowns (and finished the game 24 of 42 for 232 yards, with zero picks) and picked apart the Bears defense in the first quarter, going 8 for 9 for 79 yards and two scores. Sure, the Cardinals' defense was playing like the Bears' defense recently was, and Rex Grossman was playing like how Kurt Warner recently was, but still: Chicago was nearly a 12-point favorite.

After the Cards added to their lead, their offense turned conservative and predictable and vanilla. So, the Bears' defense responded in kind.

"The adjustment at halftime was easy," said Bears cornerback Nate Vasher, who finished with nine total tackles and had a first-quarter interception overturned via instant replay. "We went to man-to-man coverage and played single[-safety] high, and got out of a lot of different blitzes and Cover 2 things. We just made it as vanilla as possible and just went out and said, 'Our guys are going to beat their guys.' That's how we basically pulled it out."

James ran hard. But he ran right at the Bears, who, unlike in the first half, when Leinart was flinging the ball all over the field -- to six different receivers -- didn't budge.

"There was nowhere to go," James said, "just nowhere to go."