Around the Hornet: Kurt Warner

Many times you hear people say things that aren't always what they seem to be, or that they're not what we make them out to be. Kurt Warner is exactly what he seems to be and everything he presents as himself.

After spending 12 years in the National Football League, Cardinals quarterback Kurt Warner decided to put an end to his story book career Friday afternoon. Warner established himself as one of the game's all-time elite quarterbacks and put his name in the record books more than once. 

He is the same classy athlete that carries the bible with him to every press conference after a win, or a loss. There are no secrets to No.13. Unlike many pro athletes, Warner's chances of making the Hall of Fame will not be second-guessed by voters for things that he did off the field.

Guys like Pete Rose, Mark McGwire, Andy Pettite, Sammy Sosa, Alex Rodriguez, Barry Bonds are amongst some of the professional athletes to hurt their chances of a Hall of Fame bid because of things they didn't do on the field of play. Another athlete that recently defamed his name was the "iconic" golfer, Tiger Woods.

For McGwire, Sosa and Bonds, maybe people had a clue they were on steroids, just maybe. When word came out that Rodriguez was one of the players on the Mitchell Report, I, like many people in the sports world was shocked. Who would have thought that Pete Rose would have bet on the sport that he coached in? How many jaws dropped when word came out about Woods' issues? 

My point is, we will never hear anything negative about Warner, he is the real deal and one of the most honest men that will ever play at the professional level.

I don't know of too many people that really play the game for the their "love" of sport. Warner retired while playing at a high level and by doing so, he left 11.5 million of guaranteed money on the table. Who leaves that kind of money on the table?

Many greats want to be remembered for all the great things they did on the field, or for all of their game-winning heroics. 

"I hope that when people look back on my career, maybe it's just for the next couple of weeks as they reflect on it, or maybe its years to come. I hope that what they remember more than anything else, not the way I threw the football, not particular games that I won, but that here is a guy that believed, worked hard, and although things didn't always go in his favor, he continued to press through and with his faith in God he was able to accomplish great things," Warner said during his press conference.

Warner went from being rejected from the NFL, to stocking groceries, to taking the St. Louis Rams to a Super Bowl victory in his first year as a starter. If that wasn't enough, Warner was also named the league and Super Bowl Most Valuable Player. That year "The Greatest Show on Turf" was born.

In my eyes, Warner will be without a doubt a first ballot hall of famer. Not only did he resurrect the Rams by taking them to multiple Super Bowl appearances, while winning one, he also made the Arizona Cardinals relevant again.  Warner's losses in the Super Bowl came to teams that won a combined five titles in the last decade.

Warner was the fastest to throw for 10,000 yards.  He also owns the top three performances in Super Bowl history. His 1,156 yards through the air in the 2008 playoffs broke the previous record of 1,063 which he set as a member of the St. Louis Rams in 1999. 

Of the 14 quarterbacks to get inducted into the pro football Hall of Fame in the last 25 years, none has a higher completion percentage than Warner, nor yards per pass attempt or yards per game. Warner should end up in Canton, Ohio in the near future.