In the age of Brett Favre, Kurt Warner is a breath of fresh air. A humble man who was thankful for the blessings that the game provided him and thankful for everyone who helped make it happen and knew when it was time to call it quits. Often referred to as one of the great men in all of sports, even being recognized as the Walter Payton Man of the Year in 2008, Warner's impact off the field will likely be greater than the impact he had on the field, which was great in its own right. His story is one of movies, Division II quarterback goes undrafted, to the European League, to the Arena Football League, to the grocery bagger at Hy-Vee to MVP and Super Bowl Champion. Undoubtedly he will have a place in the Hy-Vee Hall of Fame, but does he have a spot in Canton?
He qualifies on what most quarterbacks are measured: three Super Bowls with one victory, two regular season MVPs, a Super Bowl MVP, and one of the most impressive postseason resumes the NFL has seen. His numbers are in fact better in the playoffs then they are in the regular season, but a Hall of Fame resumé should also include excellent regular season play. When Warner was on he was one of the best, as is evidenced by his two MVPs, 5 Pro Bowls and two All-Pro teams, but in between his three season run with the Rams and three season run with the Cardinals he was anything but the best. In those five seasons Warner threw 27 touchdowns and 30 interceptions and had a 13-29 record as a starter. His is undoubtedly a tale of two careers.
Ultimately, I think Kurt Warner ends up in the Hall of Fame for a few reasons. The first reason is his playoff record, the measure of quarterbacks in the NFL. The second reason is the ridiculous rules of the NFL where they have a minimum and maximum number of inductees for every year (4 and 7), so if he's not in on the first ballot, time will be in his favor. The third reason is his story, which is one of the NFL's all-time best. The final reason is that I believe Kurt Warner the man colors how people view Kurt Warner the player. I'm not saying thats a bad thing, but I think it undoubtedly helps his candidacy. As for my opinion, Kurt Warner has a Terrell Davis type feel to him for me. One of, if not the best player at his position for a relatively brief period of time, though Terrell Davis never had a chance to have the bad stretch Warner did due to injury. Davis isn't in the Hall of Fame and as a result I don't think Warner's resume warrants it either. Having that said, I hope he does get in because of Kurt Warner the man.
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