Arizona Cardinals: Former QB Kurt Warner Hall finalist
By Scott Allen
Former Arizona Cardinals quarterback Kurt Warner is a finalist for the 2017 Pro Football Hall of Fame
Former Arizona Cardinals quarterback Kurt Warner is back in familiar territory. He has been named a finalist for the 2017 Pro Football Hall of Fame for the third time.
You know what they say, the third time is the charm. Or is it? Warner, who also played with the St. Louis Rams and the New York Giants, retired after the 2009 playoffs.
Warner took the Rams to two Super Bowls, winning once. He also led the Cardinals to their only Super Bowl appearance in 2008. It was there he cemented his chances for the Pro Football Hall of Fame.
After down seasons in 2002 and 2003 with the Rams and Giants in 2004, he seemed to have reached the peak of his short-lived career. However, when he joined the Cardinals in 2005, his fortunes changed.
He threw for 2,713 yards in his first season in Arizona, starting 10 games. He started just five games though in 2006 after the Cardinals drafted Matt Leinart.
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Thanks to an injury to Leinart and his overall ineffectiveness, Warner took over the starting role a few games into the 2007 season. He then led the Cardinals to the playoffs in 2008 and 2009 before calling it quits.
He even toyed with the idea of returning to the NFL at the end of the 2014 season when the Cardinals lost Carson Palmer and Drew Stanton for the playoffs. In the end though he had been gone too long.
He threw for over 4,000-yards three times, once in Arizona in 2008. He threw 208 touchdowns and had 108 interceptions.
He still lives in the Phoenix-area with his wife and family. He is also an analyst on the NFL Network. Soon, he could be a Hall of Famer.
Other finalists include LaDainian Tomlinson, Jason Taylor, Brian Dawkins, Morten Andersen, Tony Boselli, Isaac Bruce, Don Coryell, Terrell Davis, Alan Faneca, Joe Jacoby, Ty Law, John Lynch, Kevin Mawae, Terrell Owens.
Most expect Tomlinson to be a lock. After that, it’s anyone’s best guess. Warner’s chances have never been better than now. Hopefully his name will be called during the NFL Honors program on Fox the night before the Super Bowl in Houston.