Arizona Cardinals: Comparing Carson Palmer to Kurt Warner

May 14, 2013; Tempe, AZ, USA; Arizona Cardinals quarterback Carson Palmer (3) drops back to pass during organized team activities at the Cardinals Training Facility. Mandatory Credit: Matt Kartozian-USA TODAY Sports

As I was thinking about my next article I could not help but continue to compare Carson Palmer to Kurt Warner.  Most Cardinals fans obviously hope and dream Palmer could somehow replicate what Warner did during the Super Bowl run in 2008.

Fans hope that he will be the next franchise quarterback, even if it is just for a short period in time, just like Warner was.  I think the Cardinals will take what they can get.  As a Cardinals fan, there have not been very many glorious years, so it is extremely easy to gravitate to that glorious period of time.

Palmer and Warner are similar in a lot of ways, as both gained experience and made it to the playoffs before playing with the Cardinals. But let’s ignore the stats for this article. Let’s ignore the fact that Palmer and Warner both posted passer ratings in the high 80s the season before they joined the Cardinals. Let’s ignore the similarities in their stats.

Here, we have a different kind of similarity.

As I sat deep in thought, the number three continued to come up. No, I’m not practicing my three-point shot in basketball or thinking about the baseball season (three strikes and you’re out) with a bit of a chuckle.

Seriously, what I continued to think about was the number three.  The number three continued to come up seemingly every time I thought about the Palmer/Warner comparison, but I could not put a finger on why or what it was.   And then suddenly it occurred to me as I look at pictures of both Palmer and Warner.

First, both Palmer and Warner joined the Cardinals at the ripe old age of 33. In addition, the two both joined their third NFL franchise when they signed with the Cardinals. Third, the two both have a three on their respective jerseys (Palmer is # 3 and Warner was # 13).  To make matters even more curious, there are three different reasons why Palmer and Warner are similar to each other.  Once again, they are both 33, two, this is their third NFL franchise and third they both have a three on their jersey.  What does all this mean?  I am really not sure if it means anything but what an incredible and unusual fact, if you ask me.

However, after this fact-finding fun that I came up with, I really do not know what all this entirely means.  In fact it probably does not mean anything in the grand scheme of things.  But it does give us Cardinal fans something fun to think about as well as something else to hope for, while we anxiously wait for the season to start.

Fans are superstitious, and it’s always fun to come up with similarities like this. While it may not matter, it’s a fun way of showing how Palmer can lead the Cardinals to the success Warner did. With the talent he has around him, it’s definitely possible.

Perhaps the Palmer era will actually be glorious as it was during the Warner era.   After all, who knows, maybe the Cardinals can win three playoff games as they did in 2008.  Maybe the lucky number is the number three.  Maybe the number three under center or at the helm will bring the team to another Super Bowl.