Is Kurt Warner Done? Hardly! By J.P. Fox-Contributing Writer-Football Reporters Online
When Kurt Warner led the Arizona Cardinals to the playoffs with a 9-7 record last season, NBC’s Cris Collinsworth declared them the worst playoff team in the history of the NFL. The team had the 19th best defense in the NFL and they also held the title as the worst rush offense in the league, so who could really blame him? But, as we all know the story of Kurt Warner already, having him on your side certainly doesn’t hurt your chances in big games. Warner showed that all throughout the 2009 playoffs, leading Arizona to their first Super Bowl berth in franchise history. In doing so, he put the Arizona Cardinals on the map in the football world, and gave Cardinals fans the hope that they have deserved all throughout the teams history.
The Cardinals had three 1,000 yard receivers last season in Larry Fitzgerald, Anquan Boldin, and Steve Breaston. And to aid the worst rush offense in the NFL, the team added Ohio State running back Chris “Beanie” Wells in the draft to a Tim Hightower-featured backfield and rid themselves of the aging Edgerrin James. But the whole offense will be dictated by the play of Kurt Warner. Warner put up huge numbers at the age of 37 and the team excelled in the playoffs as Warner capped the improbable playoff run by throwing four touchdowns against the Philadelphia Eagles en route to the Super Bowl. Even though he couldn’t lead the Cardinals to a Super Bowl victory, Warner is the franchise right now. No matter how old he is, the team will go as he goes.
As a free agent after the Super Bowl, Warner proved his loyalty to the franchise that gave him another shot by accepting less money from Arizona than from the San Francisco 49ers. Shortly after signing the two year contract extension, Warner had surgery to repair a torn labrum in his hip, something that bothered him at the end of last season. But with his hip now repaired, Warner is poised to lead the Cardinals back to the playoffs and even back to another Super Bowl. Already having 3 Super Bowl appearances on his resume helps Warner in his Hall of Fame bid, and adding a fourth is certainly not out of reach. He proved he can lead an “average” team to his third.
Kicking off the season at home against the 49ers, Warner couldn’t lead Arizona to a win. He could only manage a 67.2 passer rating against a weak 49er defense. Warner also walked off the field holding the thumb on his throwing hand. Warner has been slowed by numerous injuries in his career but has always rebounded positively from them. And if his week two performance in Jacksonville is any indication of the near future, Warner doesn’t look like he is ready to slow down any time soon. With a 92.3% completion percentage, he broke the NFL’s single game record for that category, going 24 of 26. He focused on short to intermediate routes and was extremely accurate in doing so. It looked like the Kurt Warner that all football fans have been used to.
The Cardinals have the 27th most difficult schedule out of all NFL teams, which makes it very possible to win plenty of games, having only 5 of 16 games against playoff teams. Ridding themselves of Edgerrin James and adding the younger Beanie Wells should help the Arizona running game, which will take a lot of pressure off of Warner. Having the threesome of wide receivers that Arizona has only sets up Warner for success. If the defense can hold up and play decently, the running game can improve on last year’s statistics and the passing game can stay as lethal as last season, I believe that the Cardinals can win their division for a second straight season and make another run at a NFC title. But again, it all depends on Kurt Warner’s health and how productive he can be with all of the weapons he has. If he stays healthy and can stay on the field for a full 16 game season, something he’s done only 3 times in his career, the Cardinals will have a chance to make it back to back seasons in the playoffs for the first time since the 1974-1975 teams.
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