The Arizona Cardinals don’t have a history filled with championships and winning. However, they have had some all time great players to play for the franchise. When looking at the quarterback position, two names stand out.
In 2005, the Cardinals signed 34 year old Kurt Warner to a one-year contract. He earned an extension, and eventually rewarded the team by taking them to the Super Bowl in the 2008 season. All in all, he spent five seasons in Arizona.
Like Warner, Carson Palmer came to Arizona after having some measure of success elsewhere. Also like Warner, he was 34 years old when he joined the Cardinals. So a comparison is natural. Who was better in Arizona?
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In five seasons, Warner totaled over 15,000 yards, 100 touchdowns, and 52 interceptions. During Palmer’s four years, he has just under 15,000 yards, 96 touchdowns, and 50 interceptions.
A closer look at the numbers shows more of the same. In terms of averages, Warner has a slight edge in completion percentage, 65.1% to 62.6%. He also had a very small advantage in interceptions averaged.
Palmer leads in the other categories, but by equally small amounts. He has averaged 24 touchdowns per season, whereas Warner averaged 20. He has also averaged a little over 500 yards more per year.
Everything else is a virtual dead heat. There’s just two-tenths of a yard separating their yards per attempt numbers. Passer rating is 92.0 to 91.9. Their touchdown and interceptions percentages are also just nearly identical. They even had one rushing touchdown apiece.
So how do you measure who was better? Carson Palmer has a 35-17-1 record in Arizona. In his five seasons, Warner’s record as a starter was 27-30. However, Warner took the Cardinals to the Super Bowl once, and was moments away from a championship. His passer rating in the playoffs is well over 100. Palmer has struggled, and has a 67.1 rating in his two games.
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The playoff success gives an advantage to Warner, so he’s the “winner” in this comparison. However, Palmer does have at least one more season coming, and there’s no doubt that he’s been a fantastic addition to the team. Warner might be the greater quarterback, but the real winners here are the Cardinals, who have had two legends leading them for a large portion of the last 12 years.