http://www.sportsline.com/nfl/story/8742803
Camp tour: Watch Warner's wing fling Cardinals to playoffs
TEMPE, Ariz. -- The eyes had to be rubbed clear just to make sure what they were seeing was real. The quarterback on the field was making quick decisions, putting the ball accurately on the receivers' hands and playing with a confidence seen from the great ones.
Could this really be Kurt Warner, the quarterback most of the league had dead and buried? A rags-to-riches-to-rags story that had the cynics loving the idea he had tumbled from the top, back to his humble beginnings?
Warner may have two league MVP trophies, and led the St. Louis Rams to a Super Bowl victory in one of the greatest three-year runs in quarterback history, but all anyone wants to say about him these days is that he's washed up, that his best days are long behind him.
Nice story. Bad ending.
Guess what? The ending is still to come.
Warner made his debut for the Arizona Cardinals last Saturday night against the Dallas Cowboys at Sun Devil Stadium and he looked every bit as sharp as he did back in his MVP-winning years.
The uniform has changed again, the beard has more gray in it, but Warner still appears to have a firm grasp of playing the quarterback position.
Finished? That's a real laugher.
After a half-season of starting for the New York Giants, Warner gave way for the future in one Eli Manning. After nine starts, Warner was completing 62.8 percent of his passes for 2,054 yards, six touchdowns and four interceptions. He was sacked 39 times, which once again had the doubters saying he held onto the ball too long, which they said also made him a little gun-shy.
"I think there are a lot of people out there who believe I can still play," Warner said in the locker room after the Cowboys game. "There are people out there who want to say you're done because I haven't won in the past couple of years. That doesn't motivate me. What motivates me is to win a championship. I don't need the negative talk to drive me. I feel like I still have what it takes. And I think the people in this organization and the players in this locker room believe it. That's good enough for me. That's all that matters."
You better believe his teammates still think he can get it done.
"I tried not to listen to what other people have to say," receiver Anquan Boldin said. "I had to see it for myself. In New York, the offensive line wasn't too good and he didn't have the weapons he had in St. Louis. He was set up to fail in New York. Seeing him and seeing what he can do, I know he can still play. Winning the MVP and winning a Super Bowl brings you respect. But watching him work and practice, I have the utmost respect for him.
"Whoever said he was done is way wrong."
The signing of Warner gives the Cardinals a legitimate chance to win the NFC West, which is why there is so much optimism in the team's locker room. The losing mentality that has permeated this franchise for so long is hard to get rid of, but under coach Denny Green and behind a group of young players who probably don't know any better, it seems to be fading away.
Now, until the Cardinals actually win a division or another playoff game -- they have won one since moving to Arizona in 1988 -- the dark cloud will hang above this team.
Here's a prediction: It won't be there in December.
"Everything is possible in this league," defensive tackle Darnell Dockett said. "Don't be too surprised by anything we do this year. We know how good this team can be."
With Warner, the offense will be fine. He has three good receivers to throw to in Boldin, Larry Fitzgerald and Bryant Johnson. Offensive coordinator Keith Rowen, who came over from Kansas City, will use a lot of three-receiver sets to take advantage of these wideouts.
It's not exactly the same offense Warner ran with the Rams, but it's close, which is why he likes it so far.
"The mental part of the game is on me," Warner said. "The physical part is on the receivers. And they love that."
Against the Cowboys, Warner made quick throws, deep throws and accurate throws. He hit Fitzgerald for a 31-yard touchdown and he completed 14 of 19 passes for 151 yards.
"The sky's the limit for this offense," said Boldin, who is sitting out now with a broken nose. "We can be as good as we want to be."
While Warner impressed against the Cowboys, the defense was really impressive. The first unit is young, fast and aggressive. The front, with Dockett and Russell Davis inside and Chike Okeafor and Bert Berry at ends, is one of the better units in the league.
Linebackers Karlos Dansby and Gerald Hayes have great speed and safety Adrian Wilson should have gone to the Pro Bowl last year. The addition of corner Antrel Rolle, the team's first-round pick, will help a unit that finished ranked 12th last season.
"We have the tools to be the No.1-ranked defense in the league," Dockett said.
Green built a winner in Minnesota with a handful of quarterbacks. Warner will be his third starter in two seasons in Arizona, but he's a clear upgrade from the two who started in 2004.
It appears to be a perfect match, which is why Warner is so excited to be in Arizona with another chance to prove that he's far from finished. Green loves to spread it out and throw it, running his backs in space. Warner is ideal for that style.
Comparing this Cardinals offense to those great Rams offenses of Warner's MVP years is a bit premature, even if the style will be similar. But the makings of a good offense are certainly there.
"I'm always a little leery to compare too much to that situation in St. Louis," Warner said. "That was a special time and place and I don't know if it can be duplicated again. But I do see the makings of something that can be special here. But I'm going to reserve judgment as to whether we can be as good as that team in St. Louis until we actually do it."
Warner caught magic once. Can he do it again? Plenty of doubters don't think he can, but the rags-to-riches-to-rags story is far from over.
There's happy ending still to come.
A-Bomb
Camp tour: Watch Warner's wing fling Cardinals to playoffs
TEMPE, Ariz. -- The eyes had to be rubbed clear just to make sure what they were seeing was real. The quarterback on the field was making quick decisions, putting the ball accurately on the receivers' hands and playing with a confidence seen from the great ones.
Could this really be Kurt Warner, the quarterback most of the league had dead and buried? A rags-to-riches-to-rags story that had the cynics loving the idea he had tumbled from the top, back to his humble beginnings?
Warner may have two league MVP trophies, and led the St. Louis Rams to a Super Bowl victory in one of the greatest three-year runs in quarterback history, but all anyone wants to say about him these days is that he's washed up, that his best days are long behind him.
Nice story. Bad ending.
Guess what? The ending is still to come.
Warner made his debut for the Arizona Cardinals last Saturday night against the Dallas Cowboys at Sun Devil Stadium and he looked every bit as sharp as he did back in his MVP-winning years.
The uniform has changed again, the beard has more gray in it, but Warner still appears to have a firm grasp of playing the quarterback position.
Finished? That's a real laugher.
After a half-season of starting for the New York Giants, Warner gave way for the future in one Eli Manning. After nine starts, Warner was completing 62.8 percent of his passes for 2,054 yards, six touchdowns and four interceptions. He was sacked 39 times, which once again had the doubters saying he held onto the ball too long, which they said also made him a little gun-shy.
"I think there are a lot of people out there who believe I can still play," Warner said in the locker room after the Cowboys game. "There are people out there who want to say you're done because I haven't won in the past couple of years. That doesn't motivate me. What motivates me is to win a championship. I don't need the negative talk to drive me. I feel like I still have what it takes. And I think the people in this organization and the players in this locker room believe it. That's good enough for me. That's all that matters."
You better believe his teammates still think he can get it done.
"I tried not to listen to what other people have to say," receiver Anquan Boldin said. "I had to see it for myself. In New York, the offensive line wasn't too good and he didn't have the weapons he had in St. Louis. He was set up to fail in New York. Seeing him and seeing what he can do, I know he can still play. Winning the MVP and winning a Super Bowl brings you respect. But watching him work and practice, I have the utmost respect for him.
"Whoever said he was done is way wrong."
The signing of Warner gives the Cardinals a legitimate chance to win the NFC West, which is why there is so much optimism in the team's locker room. The losing mentality that has permeated this franchise for so long is hard to get rid of, but under coach Denny Green and behind a group of young players who probably don't know any better, it seems to be fading away.
Now, until the Cardinals actually win a division or another playoff game -- they have won one since moving to Arizona in 1988 -- the dark cloud will hang above this team.
Here's a prediction: It won't be there in December.
"Everything is possible in this league," defensive tackle Darnell Dockett said. "Don't be too surprised by anything we do this year. We know how good this team can be."
With Warner, the offense will be fine. He has three good receivers to throw to in Boldin, Larry Fitzgerald and Bryant Johnson. Offensive coordinator Keith Rowen, who came over from Kansas City, will use a lot of three-receiver sets to take advantage of these wideouts.
It's not exactly the same offense Warner ran with the Rams, but it's close, which is why he likes it so far.
"The mental part of the game is on me," Warner said. "The physical part is on the receivers. And they love that."
Against the Cowboys, Warner made quick throws, deep throws and accurate throws. He hit Fitzgerald for a 31-yard touchdown and he completed 14 of 19 passes for 151 yards.
"The sky's the limit for this offense," said Boldin, who is sitting out now with a broken nose. "We can be as good as we want to be."
While Warner impressed against the Cowboys, the defense was really impressive. The first unit is young, fast and aggressive. The front, with Dockett and Russell Davis inside and Chike Okeafor and Bert Berry at ends, is one of the better units in the league.
Linebackers Karlos Dansby and Gerald Hayes have great speed and safety Adrian Wilson should have gone to the Pro Bowl last year. The addition of corner Antrel Rolle, the team's first-round pick, will help a unit that finished ranked 12th last season.
"We have the tools to be the No.1-ranked defense in the league," Dockett said.
Green built a winner in Minnesota with a handful of quarterbacks. Warner will be his third starter in two seasons in Arizona, but he's a clear upgrade from the two who started in 2004.
It appears to be a perfect match, which is why Warner is so excited to be in Arizona with another chance to prove that he's far from finished. Green loves to spread it out and throw it, running his backs in space. Warner is ideal for that style.
Comparing this Cardinals offense to those great Rams offenses of Warner's MVP years is a bit premature, even if the style will be similar. But the makings of a good offense are certainly there.
"I'm always a little leery to compare too much to that situation in St. Louis," Warner said. "That was a special time and place and I don't know if it can be duplicated again. But I do see the makings of something that can be special here. But I'm going to reserve judgment as to whether we can be as good as that team in St. Louis until we actually do it."
Warner caught magic once. Can he do it again? Plenty of doubters don't think he can, but the rags-to-riches-to-rags story is far from over.
There's happy ending still to come.
A-Bomb
