Kurt Warner enters the Hall as the GOAT of perseverance

Coming into 1999, the St. Louis Rams were hardly expected to be of much consequence, let alone one the most memorable teams in NFL history. While many saw a chance for an improvement over a 4-12 finish in 1998, largely due to the signing of quarterback Trent Green and a trade for star running back Marshall Faulk, those hopes appeared dashed when Green was lost for the year due to a low hit from Rodney Harrison in a preseason game.

Warner, then the Rams backup, had only appeared in one NFL regular season game and attempted 11 passes. Interviewed after the game where Green went down, Warner said, "It's tough to really be excited to be the starter in this situation. I'm just going to try to fill his shoes the best I can."

Maybe the circumstances put a damper on his promotion. Warner couldn’t be blamed for appreciating how far he had come. In 1994, Warner was making $5.50 an hour stocking shelves and bagging groceries at the Hy-Vee in Cedar Falls, Iowa when he wasn’t lifting weights and practicing passing on the campus of his alma mater, the University of Northern Iowa.

Opportunity finally arrived the following year when an Arena League puts an expansion team in Des Moines. Playing for an Arena League team might seem like settling for a man with NFL aspirations, few things could have better prepared him to be the ringmaster for The Greatest Show on Turf. Warner described the blistering offensive pace as a tonesetter for his career.

“You were going to win the game by your quarterback making throw after throw, scoring touchdown after touchdown,” he told CardsWire earlier this month. “Every time you stepped on the field it was like a two-minute drill, so that mentality that was developed in arena football on how to play the position, and how to stay aggressive and the expectation you set for yourself every time you touch the football was different. In the NFL you come in and punt four times and that’s a good day. For me, if I punted one time, I was disappointed.”

The 41 touchdowns Warner threw in 1999 at the time were the third most ever in a single season, trailing only the 48 touchdowns Dan Marino threw for in 1984 and the 44 Marino threw in 1986. He won NFL MVP, and Super Bowl MVP. Given how America was divided over Tim Tebow about a decade later, it’s remarkable how easily fans fell for Warner’s religiosity. Of course, perhaps that was easier to take when it’s packaged with a rags-to-riches story instead of the expected glory of a two-time national champion in college with sloppy mechanics.

In some ways, the ‘99 Rams ushered in an increased emphasis on the passing game that has held sway in the 18 years since. Part of that is strategy, and part of it is rule changes intended to enforce safety. Either way, the Rams were at the forefront, but it was only possible through Warner’s supreme accuracy.

For three seasons, Warner and the Rams’ offense ran roughshod over NFL defenses, that is until they ran aground on Bill Belichick’s defense in Super Bowl XXXVI. Rams receiver Ricky Proehl infamously opined before the game that the day would mark the start of a dynasty. Unfortunately for him, he implied the wrong one.

Warner seemed changed from that game, suddenly more skittish and unsure of himself. It didn’t help that the Rams were oddly quick to bench their star quarterback. By 2003, a large contingent of local fans were calling for Marc Bulger to assume the reins. They eventually got their wish, and Warner packed off for New York to be the stopgap quarterback until Eli Manning was ready to take over.

After a serviceable year with the Giants, Warner joined the Arizona Cardinals on a one-year deal. The Cards were as the Cards always were: riddled in ineptitude, coming off three straight 10-loss seasons. The arrival of Warner did little to stem the tide of losing. The team went 3-12 in his first 15 starts. It looked as though he was set to be the caretaker quarterback for another young arrival in 2006, and might have been if Arizona had taken a quarterback who was better than Matt Leinart.

Leinart was basically a washout, so Warner continued to get chances. If the career struggles in the mid ‘90s taught him anything, it was perseverance and patience. Lo and behold, Warner’s performance steadily improved. 2007 wasn’t a stellar year for the Cardinals overall but it marked the return of Warner as a franchise quarterback.

Buoyed by the confidence developed  by a secure starting job, and an outstanding receiving corps that included Larry Fitzgerald and Anquan Boldin, Warner took another team to the grandest stage. Arizona was third in the NFL in scoring in 2008 and put up more than 30 points in each of their three wins in the NFC playoffs. Though they lost in Super Bowl XLIII to the Steelers, the Cardinals put the fear of God into Pittsburgh by erasing a 20-7 fourth quarter deficit and grabbing the lead on a long touchdown catch-and-run from Warner to Fitzgerald.

Due to a late start to his career and a dip in production in the middle, Warner’s stats resume has been debated as too weak for induction. After all, his career numbers resemble those of Kerry Collins, a solid enough passer who nevertheless won’t sniff the Hall. Perhaps it’s an overvaluation on championships or even championship appearances. Still, even if they were for brief periods, when Warner was on the top of his game, there were few better.