Are Warner’s Days Over in AZ?

Kurt Warner and the Arizona Cardinals are definately not where they wanted to be at the end of the season. 7-8 (with a chance to go 8-8) is a far cry from the playoff aspirations this team had coming into the 2007 campaign. In what was supposed to a year from the sidelines for Warner, a series of extremely chaotic events brought him back to center stage once again. It’s been a pretty bumpy ride for him so far, so here’s a quick timeline for Warner’s stint in AZ:

- 2005:

Cards sign Kurt Warner to 1 year deal after he is released by the New York Giants. Warner splits time with then-Cards QB Josh McCown due to injuries and the team amasses the No. 1 Passing Offense in the NFL.

- 2006 Offseason:

Cards do not resign McCown, Warner is the starter and receives a 3 year contract extension. But the Cards draft QB Matt Leinart with the 10th pick overall. Cards Head Coach Dennis Green emphasizes that Warner is the starter and that Leinart will watch and learn the game from the sidelines his rookie season.

- 2006:

After leading the Cards to a season opening win over the San Francisco 49ers, Warner goes 0-3 in his next three starts and committs 8 turnovers which leads to all 3 losses. Green replaces Warner with Leinart during the week four game against the Atlanta Falcons and Leinart is the guy for the rest of the season, going 4-7 as a starter in ‘06.

- 2007 Offseason:

Warner flourishes in his role as mentor to Leinart, assisting the young QB with many aspects of the game. The Cards do not restructure his contract, making Warner the highest paid back-up QB in the league. Warner tells the AZ media that he loves being a Cardinal and is looking to finish his career in AZ.

- 2007:

New Head Coach Ken Whisenhunt employs a two QB system, causing AZ to go 2-1 through the three games it is used in. But starter Leinart is injured against St. Louis and is out for the season. Warner becomes the full time starter. In 15 games this season with basically only 10 games as the starter (I don’t count at home against Carolina because of his injury in the first quarter), Warner has amassed over 3000 yards passing and 24 TDs with 15 INTs. He has passed for over 300 yards 4 times this year, with at least 2 TDs in his last 7 games.

So that’s Kurt’s life in a nutshell in Arizona. Now we know because of his style of play he is more of a gunslinger and tries to force some of his passes into bad situations, but the bottom line is the guy can still play. Basically doing all of this with only one arm is pretty difficult. He can read the defenses and pick apart anyone in the Two-Minute drill, probably better than ANYONE ELSE in the NFL. He has thrown for over 20 TDs and is likely to reach 27 for the year on Sunday. Now that’s more than all three of the Chicago QBs combined!

And with the franchise heavily invested in Matt Leinart and his future in Arizona, you have to wonder what will become of Kurt next season. The Cards would obviously love to have him back, but he won’t be the starter. There was an obviouse drop off in the run game after Leinart got hurt, as the passing-first offense is definately what Warner thrives in. And with Coach Whisenhunt wanting to focus on the run more and strengthen that side of the offense, the 4-wide, 5-wide sets are likely to disappear next year. They would love to keep Kurt as the back up, but I can’t believe that is what Kurt will want.

He’s a starter again, and he has shown that he still has the cannon and the smarts to be a leader on any team in the NFL. With all of the teams searching for an answer to their QB woes, you have to think that someone is going to come after Warner. Let’s rundown the list:

Chicago Bears – good possibility, with having a strong core group of players and one year removed from the Super Bowl, but I would look for them to target Donovan McNabb if he’s available

Atlanta Falcons - very strong possibility, alot of young talent and they play in a dome. Warner loves domes

Miami Dolphins – I would say no. Bill Parcells will not bring in another aging QB as the answer (see: Trent Green Experiment)

San Francisco 49ers – very strong possibility; I don’t buy Shaun Hill as a QB and never thought much of Alex Smith

Kansas City Chiefs – good possibility; the presence of a great running game would take added pressure off of Warner

New York Jets - not gonna happen; Kellen Clemens will be given time to develop so Kurt would not be the starter

Baltimore Ravens – possible; Brian Billick will give Troy Smith a fair look and Kyle Boller remains an option, but Billick may bring in a veteran like Kurt as a last ditch effort to save his job

Philadephia Eagles – again possible, but not likely; Eagles fans are clamoring for Kevin Kolb and with Andy Reid also on the hot seat, bringing in Warner could be considered to risky a move

So I would list the Falcons, Ravens, 49ers, and Chiefs as the teams on that list who would seriously consider giving Warner a look. They have a lot of other pieces in place, so they may fit Warner into that scheme and look to make a playoff run. Honestly, I think Warner will end up with the Falcons, and hold the position while the team develops its first round pick, Boston College QB Matt Ryan.

But hey, what do I know, I just write this stuff.

Mike Duggan
AZCardsfan4life