When it comes to great underdog stories, few are as wonderful or as unbelievable as Kurt Warner’s. Warner went undrafted in the 1994 NFL Draft and failed to make the Green Bay Packers 53 man roster as a walk-on player. While stocking shelves at a grocery store, Warner was resigned to playing in the Arena Football League. To this day, he is considered one of the greatest players in Arena Football League history.
Kurt Warner and the Pro Football Hall of Fame
This play led to him being signed by the St. Louis Rams to be a backup quarterback. The rest, as they say, is history. In 1999, quarterbacks Tony Banks and Steve Bono were let go, and the big free agent acquisition, Trent Green, was injured before the season started. Warner went on to throw for 4,353 yards and 41 touchdowns, win the MVP, and lead the Rams to a Super Bowl victory over the Tennessee Titans. Two years later, he would win his second MVP, throwing for nearly 5,000 yards and adding 36 touchdowns as he led the Rams back to the Super Bowl. This time, he would lose to another great underdog as the Patriots dynasty began.
Two years later, due to injuries and poor play, the St. Louis Rams released Warner in favor of the younger, and seemingly superior Marc Bulger. However, it didn’t take long for Warner to find new work, as he signed a two-year deal to be the starter of the New York Giants. Unfortunately, his play didn’t improve, as he threw only six touchdowns to four interceptions in his 9 starts. He was eventually benched for rookie Eli Manning.
Warner voided the second year of his contract and decided instead to go play for the Arizona Cardinals. Warner only threw for 2,713 yards and 11 touchdowns for the Cardinals in 2005 before a partial MCL tear ended his season. The next year, he split time with rookie Matt Leinart but didn’t perform well.
It wasn’t until 2007 that Kurt Warner had his resurgence. Replacing a struggling Leinart in week 3 against the Ravens, and almost brought the Cardinals back from a 17 point deficit. Warner and Leinart would compete for playing time for a month or so before Leinart’s season was ended by a fractured collarbone. Warner threw for 3,417 yards, and 27 touchdowns before he was given the starting job going into 2008.
2008 was a magical year for Kurt Warner and the Cardinals. Warner would throw for 4,583 yards, 30 touchdowns, and only 14 interceptions as he led the Cardinals to NFC West and NFC championships wins. Warner and the Cardinals met the Pittsburgh Steelers in Super Bowl XLIII, which many consider one of the best ever. Sadly, the Steelers stole the win.
Warner’s 2009 was fine, and he managed to lead the Cardinals back to the playoffs. But after a cheap shot against the New Orleans Saints, he and the Cardinals were both knocked out. Warner would never play football again.
In 2015, Kurt Warner became eligible for the Pro Football Hall of Fame, but the voters did not select him. In 2016, Warner was passed over again. There’s no question that Kurt Warner is a Hall of Fame human being, but as the Hall continues to pass over him, experts have begun to vocally challenge if his play on the field was good enough.
The reality is that Kurt Warner wasn’t very consistent. Ultimately, Warner only threw for more than 4,000 yards three times. He was mediocre for six of his 11 seasons and only played in all 16 games three times in 12 years. Warner struggled in St. Louis when he was surrounded by Hall of Fame caliber players like Isaac Bruce and Marshall Faulk. Looking back, it seems like the only times that Kurt Warner found success was when he was surrounded by great talent. He won the league MVP twice as a member of the “Greatest Show on Turf”, and then had a brief resurgence with a supporting cast that featured Larry Fitzgerald, Anquan Boldin, and Edgerrin James.
There’s no question that Warner was a very good quarterback, but the Hall of Fame doesn’t make busts for very good players. They make busts for the icons. They make busts for the greatest players who ever lived.
Kenny Stabler was the face of NFL.com’s “Best Team of All Time”, and sadly he didn’t live long enough to see himself enshrined. John Hadl helped revolutionize the passing game, becoming one of the league’s first real passers, and he’s not in the Hall of Fame. Jim Plunkett won multiple Super Bowls, and yet neither he, nor his coach, Tom Flores, are in Canton.
The best example of a Hall of Fame snub is Broncos tailback Terrell Davis. Davis had four amazing seasons for the Denver Broncos, including two Super Bowl championships with an aging John Elway, and a 2,000 yard season. If four great years, a 2,000 yard season, and two Super Bowl victories weren’t enough to get Davis into the Hall of Fame, then three good seasons for Warner shouldn’t be enough either.
Warner’s story is a great one, and it’s one that would make a great movie someday. He helped revive two franchises, and gave the St. Louis Rams their only Super Bowl victory. But there have been 50 Super Bowls, and even going back over 80 years, only 32 quarterbacks find themselves in the Pro Football Hall of Fame to this point.
