Watching Kurt Warner play quarterback in the NFL for the Arizona Cardinals and St. Louis Rams during the past ten years was often a scintillating and rewarding experience, especially during his days as the ring-leader of the “Greatest Show on Turf”. His ability to stand in the pocket until the final second before being destroyed by a defender yet somehow deliver a precise touchdown strike to Isaac Bruce will be etched forever in my memory. When Warner led the Cardinals on a surprising Super Bowl run in 2008 I was left in awe of how poised Warner still was in the clutch and how great of a leader on the field he remained after years of sitting on the bench to tutor another starter-in-waiting.
WATCH HIGHLIGHTS OF WARNER’S LEGENDARY 1999 SEASON HERE
Yet more often than not in the mid-2000s Warner left me wondering what went wrong. After he sustained a severe concussion in that horrific performance in the 2003 season opener against the Giants, recording six fumbles and an interception, he never looked the same and I was sure he would be relegated to clipboard status forever.
Then he arrived in Arizona in 2005, regained his form by throwing 27 touchdowns in 2007 with Matt Leinart sidelined, beat out Leinart for good before the 2008 season, and guided the Cardinals THIS close to a Super Bowl title.
Let’s repeat this one more time: “…guided them THIS close to a Super Bowl title.” The Cardinals!
I wasn’t a Cardinals fan before Warner arrived in Arizona but I caved in quickly. I’m a die-hard Patriots fan at heart, of course, but in my youth Warner and retired legend Barry Sanders were my favorite players, with Warner ascending to stardom the season after Sanders retired.
Those who doubted whether Warner was indeed a master of his craft need to simply watch the 2010 version of the Cardinals to realize how incredibly special Kurt was at his best.
2008 was a fantastic year to follow Arizona, of course, as Warner passed for 4,583 yards and 30 touchdowns, leading the Cards to a 9-7 record and their first playoff berth since Jake Plummer lined up under center.
WATCH HIGHLIGHTS OF CARDS - STEELERS IN SB XLIII HERE
With Warner the Cards ranked 3rd in the NFL in points in 2008 and 11th in 2009. This year? They rank an abysmal 31st in the entire league, scoring a paltry 16.7 points per game. They are last in the putrid NFC West at 4-9 and are somehow much worse than their overall record indicates.
Even after two consecutive wins, including Sunday’s 43-13 blowout over the Broncos, signs of a quarterback of the future are nowhere in sight. John Skelton started versus Denver and finished 15-37 passing for 146 yards and a 52.3 completion percentage.
At least he wasn’t intercepted, right?
Sure, the loss of Anquan Boldin hurts, but Steve Breaston is better than people realize and Larry Fitzgerald might be the best wide receiver in the business.
However, Warner was the guy that made it all fit together and with Derek Anderson, Max Hall, and John Skelton at the helm their offense has looked unimaginative, disjointed, and lifeless.
Warner’s accuracy was legendary - his 65.5 career completion percentage ranks #2 all-time, his passer rating #7 all-time (93.7), and his ability to play well in big games is well documented, highlighted by owning the top three passing yardage marks in Super Bowl history (414,377,365).
In my opinion he also should have added a third MVP award to his resume in 2008 after winning in 1999 and 2001.
Speaking of that, any possibility of awarding this guy that honor retroactively, NFL?
I will look back at his final full game against the Packers, before the nasty hit he received against the Saints in the divisional round, and feel privileged to have watched it live. Warner completed 29-33 passes for 379 yards and five touchdowns in the Cards postseason win over Green Bay and clearly had more to give.
Please consider coming back, Kurt!!!
WATCH HIGHLIGHTS OF WARNER’S AMAZING GAME VS. GREEN BAY IN 2009 PLAYOFFS HERE I know that’s not happening but I’m thankful I was able to watch Kurt play as long as he did and I’m glad he was able to walk away on his own time as a Pro-Bowl caliber player and not the washed-up backup to Eli Manning that everyone thought he should be.
Thanks for all the memories.
And for those out there who still question whether Kurt Warner deserves induction into the Pro Football Hall of Fame?
This year’s Arizona Cardinals should provide plenty of evidence in support of his enshrinement.