The Arizona Cardinals starting signal-callers of the 2000’s

The Arizona Cardinals turned to a plethora of quarterbacks to assume the starting duties during the first decade of the 2000’s

The current century’s first ten years were an interesting period of time for the Arizona Cardinals. An intriguing mix of veterans and youngsters occupied the squad’s quarterback spot during the first decade of the 2000’s.

Arizona’s first starting passer of the decade was none other than Jake “The Snake” Plummer. The former star of the Arizona State Sun Devils led the Cards offense until he left as a free agent at the end of 2002. Plummer’s last three campaigns with the club were nothing to write home about, so the front office elected to make a change at the all-important position in 2003.

Unfortunately, the quarterback that the Cardinals brought in to replace Plummer was not a good one. Jeff Blake, a journeyman who had spent the bulk of his NFL career with the Cincinnati Bengals, made 13 unimpressive starts for Big Red in ’03. Josh McCown, a third-round draft pick of Arizona the year before, started the other three games that season.

McCown led the offensive unit for the bulk of 2004 (13 starts), but two other signal-callers got in on the action as well. Shaun King, a free agent pickup from the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, started two matchups for the Cards that year. John Navarre, a rookie out of the University of Michigan, was thrown to the wolves during a contest against the Detroit Lions.

Kurt Warner, a free agent who was with the New York Giants in ’04, was the Cardinals main man for 10 weeks in 2005. The MVP of Super Bowl XXXIV completed 64.5% of his throws, registering 11 touchdowns and 2,713 passing yards during his first campaign in the desert. McCown got the starting nod six times in ’05, throwing for nine scores and 1,836 yards through the air.

Matt Leinart, Arizona’s top draft choice in 2006, was handed the reigns for a significant portion of his first season in the league. In 11 starts, the former leader of the USC Trojans tallied 11 touchdown tosses and 2,547 passing yards. Warner started five times in ’06, amassing six scores and 1.377 yards for the Cards.

Leinart began the 2007 campaign in the driver’s seat for the Redbirds, but a broken collarbone took him out of the lineup. Warner took over from there, and proceeded to put up Pro Bowl-type numbers during the 14 contests (11 starts) he appeared in that year. The revitalized veteran completed 62.3% of his throws, recording 27 touchdowns and 3,417 passing yards for the Cardinals that season.

The following fall, Warner led Arizona to it’s first and only Super Bowl appearance. In 2009, the 38-year old led the team to the Divisional Round of the NFC Playoffs. Thanks to his fantastic play towards the end of the decade, may fans believe that Warner is the greatest quarterback in Cards history.