NFL Insider: Warner's Cardinals resurrection

NFL Insider: Warner's Cardinals resurrection
by Bob McManaman - Aug. 17, 2008 05:41 PM
The Arizona Republic

Spending a few days in Flagstaff at Cardinals camp allowed for some nice observations and several football-related conversations with others who cover the team and the NFL.

And one subject that seemed to keep coming up was how quarterback Kurt Warner has been able to revitalize his career in Arizona after most of us assumed he was on his last legs while with the New York Giants during the 2004 season.

Warner seemed injury-prone and had thrown just 10 combined touchdowns from 2002 to 2004 in 16 starts with the Rams and Giants. But in 30 appearances (26 starts) with the Cardinals the past three seasons, from age 34 to 36, Warner has passed for 44 touchdowns, including 27 in 11 starts last season.

It's made many NFL insiders wonder if he shouldn't be the starter over Matt Leinart.

So what's with the resurrection, anyway? Warner, now 37, said it isn't really him; it's the situation he is in.

"I think what revitalized my career is the opportunity to be on a team that's competitive," he said, "to be in a situation where I'm able to do what I'm capable of doing, and I think that's what was missing in New York.

"I had a pretty good season there, all things considered. We won. But it just wasn't my style of football, and that's what people saw. It was, 'Oh, here's this MVP and all these gaudy (passing) numbers he brings,' but we were running the ball and it was all ball control."

That changed when he came to the Cardinals as a free agent and was allowed to spread the offense, first under head coach Dennis Green and then for Ken Whisenhunt.

"The first couple years here, yeah, we could throw the ball around, but we weren't a complete team," Warner said. "Last year, they really opened the playbook and allowed me to attack down the field, and it was the first time everything was put together."

Feels like USC

Most starting running backs would be threatened to see a rookie tailback come into training camp and steal much of their thunder. But so far, that hasn't been the case in Tennessee for incumbent LenDale White.

He looks at speedy teammate Chris Johnson, a first-round pick out of East Carolina, and likens it to sharing time at Southern California with Reggie Bush.

"I am so impressed. I'm ecstatic," White told the Nashville Tennessean. "I am a fan of football as well as my teammates. How can you not like that? . . . I feel like they did the right thing by drafting him, and the 1-2 punch is definitely there. I'm just excited to get this thing going. It's going to be fun."

Johnson thinks so, too. And he isn't afraid to boast about his own potential.

"My main goal is to win Rookie of the Year," he told the Tennessean. "I want to come in and do the same thing (Minnesota's) Adrian Peterson came in and did last year. I think that is possible."

Sleepless in Seattle

They've won four consecutive NFC West titles, and many insiders still like the Seattle Seahawks to win a fifth this season in what is to be Mike Holmgren's final season as head coach.

But there's trouble brewing in Coffee Town and it's worth keeping an eye on.

Starting quarterback Matt Hasselbeck has been bothered by a back problem that that was bad enough to keep him shut down for a week. His starting center, Chris Spencer, hasn't been able to practice since injuring his back on the first day of training camp.

And the Seahawks, already thin at wide receiver, lost Bobby Engram for the next five to seven weeks after he cracked a bone in his right shoulder on the first play of the team's first preseason game.

"Injuries are a part of this thing and you deal with it," Holmgren told reporters. "The young ones have to step up and play."

Say what?

Texans defensive end N.D. Kalu might be a 12-year veteran, but after undergoing arthroscopic knee surgery in the off-season, he said he feels like a rookie again. He had an interesting way of expressing it, however, to reporters last week.

"I'm healthy now and my knee feels good," he said. "It feels like I'm 25 again. Barry Bonds gave me some cream to rub on. I don't know what it was, but ever since then, it's been feeling really good. He said it was Ben-Gay or something."





http://www.azcentral.com/sports/cardinals/articles/2008/08/17/20080817spt-nflinsider.html

TGHAWKSFAN#1 wrote:

NFL Insider: Warner's Cardinals resurrection
by Bob McManaman - Aug. 17, 2008 05:41 PM
The Arizona Republic

Spending a few days in Flagstaff at Cardinals camp allowed for some nice observations and several football-related conversations with others who cover the team and the NFL.

And one subject that seemed to keep coming up was how quarterback Kurt Warner has been able to revitalize his career in Arizona after most of us assumed he was on his last legs while with the New York Giants during the 2004 season.

Warner seemed injury-prone and had thrown just 10 combined touchdowns from 2002 to 2004 in 16 starts with the Rams and Giants. But in 30 appearances (26 starts) with the Cardinals the past three seasons, from age 34 to 36, Warner has passed for 44 touchdowns, including 27 in 11 starts last season.

It's made many NFL insiders wonder if he shouldn't be the starter over Matt Leinart.

So what's with the resurrection, anyway? Warner, now 37, said it isn't really him; it's the situation he is in.

"I think what revitalized my career is the opportunity to be on a team that's competitive," he said, "to be in a situation where I'm able to do what I'm capable of doing, and I think that's what was missing in New York.

"I had a pretty good season there, all things considered. We won. But it just wasn't my style of football, and that's what people saw. It was, 'Oh, here's this MVP and all these gaudy (passing) numbers he brings,' but we were running the ball and it was all ball control."

That changed when he came to the Cardinals as a free agent and was allowed to spread the offense, first under head coach Dennis Green and then for Ken Whisenhunt.

"The first couple years here, yeah, we could throw the ball around, but we weren't a complete team," Warner said. "Last year, they really opened the playbook and allowed me to attack down the field, and it was the first time everything was put together."

Feels like USC

Most starting running backs would be threatened to see a rookie tailback come into training camp and steal much of their thunder. But so far, that hasn't been the case in Tennessee for incumbent LenDale White.

He looks at speedy teammate Chris Johnson, a first-round pick out of East Carolina, and likens it to sharing time at Southern California with Reggie Bush.

"I am so impressed. I'm ecstatic," White told the Nashville Tennessean. "I am a fan of football as well as my teammates. How can you not like that? . . . I feel like they did the right thing by drafting him, and the 1-2 punch is definitely there. I'm just excited to get this thing going. It's going to be fun."

Johnson thinks so, too. And he isn't afraid to boast about his own potential.

"My main goal is to win Rookie of the Year," he told the Tennessean. "I want to come in and do the same thing (Minnesota's) Adrian Peterson came in and did last year. I think that is possible."

Sleepless in Seattle

They've won four consecutive NFC West titles, and many insiders still like the Seattle Seahawks to win a fifth this season in what is to be Mike Holmgren's final season as head coach.

But there's trouble brewing in Coffee Town and it's worth keeping an eye on.

Starting quarterback Matt Hasselbeck has been bothered by a back problem that that was bad enough to keep him shut down for a week. His starting center, Chris Spencer, hasn't been able to practice since injuring his back on the first day of training camp.

And the Seahawks, already thin at wide receiver, lost Bobby Engram for the next five to seven weeks after he cracked a bone in his right shoulder on the first play of the team's first preseason game.

"Injuries are a part of this thing and you deal with it," Holmgren told reporters. "The young ones have to step up and play."

Say what?

Texans defensive end N.D. Kalu might be a 12-year veteran, but after undergoing arthroscopic knee surgery in the off-season, he said he feels like a rookie again. He had an interesting way of expressing it, however, to reporters last week.

"I'm healthy now and my knee feels good," he said. "It feels like I'm 25 again. Barry Bonds gave me some cream to rub on. I don't know what it was, but ever since then, it's been feeling really good. He said it was Ben-Gay or something."





http://www.azcentral.com/sports/cardinals/articles/2008/08/17/20080817spt-nflinsider.html

In my opinion Kurt Warner has already had his chance in this league and should not be given another chance to reedem himself.