Jonathan Davis’ Blog

By winning four NBA titles together, five division titles and several other individual accolades in their NBA careers, Los Angles Lakers head coach Phil Jackson and guard Kobe Bryant have both etched their names as the very best in the National Basketball Association (NBA). Their continued success has made them household names to their teams and to the league. On Feb. 1^st and 3rd, they each both reached the top of some very prestigious records in Lakers’ history.

 

At the 4:13 mark of the third quarter on Feb. 1^st in at the Memphis Grizzles, Bryant moved passed Jerry West to become the all-time leading scorer in Lakers history by scoring a fast break lay up. He scored 44 points in a losing effort to the improving Grizzles 95-93. That total of points now stands at 25,246. 

 

Feb. 3^rd, Jackson reached the top of the Lakers record books as he passed Pat Riley as the all-time leader in victories by a head coach with his team’s 99-97 win versus the Charlotte Bobcats at Staples Center. He reached the total of 534 victories on that night and overall has 1,082 wins in his coaching career with the Bulls and Lakers, where he is now the all-time winner with both franchises.

 

What makes Kobe’s accomplishment of passing a legend like West, who is the symbol of the NBA represented by the logo is that he was the one as Lakers’ General Manager at the time that made the trade for Bryant from Charlotte on draft night 14 years ago.

 

From the beginning, they built a very special relationship that has helped Bryant become one of the best in the game today.

 

“To me he’s a complete player and somebody who just scores that ball doesn’t appeal to me very much,” West said last Wednesday on NBA TV. “But this guy is a total player and I remember when he was 17 years old, I felt like a father to him to be honest with you and to watch him get to this point in his career is really thrilling for me, even though I don’t have contact with him anymore.”

 

“I’m so happy for him, but more importantly, for the people of Los Angles. There having an opportunity to watch a player of a decade. That doesn’t happen very often.”

 

NBA TV analyst and former player Brent Barry said, “Just the fact that Jerry West has this relationship with Kobe Bryant I think is really something special. He truly was instrumental in the first couple of seasons for Kobe in Los Angles. Helping him understand what this game is about. Helping him understand how much talent he has, where to focus his energy. A special night for us to watch Kobe do what he did.”

 

On the night that Jackson became the record holder for wins in Lakers’ history said to FOX Sports West sideline reporter Michael Eaves that he has been “lucky enough to coach some great players. Been a great run for us here in L.A.”

 

To really understand the significance of what Bryant and Jackson both accomplished a week ago, we have to go back to the beginning.

 

In the early stages of Bryant’s career, he was trying to live up to the hype of being a draft selection out of high school and making it big in the pros.

 

From the minute he made it to the “City of Angels,” even though he was not getting the time right from the beginning to play under then head coach Del Harris, he worked like clockwork to get to the point he is at now.

 

As the first few years went on, he began to live up to those high expectations individually, but as far as getting the Lakers to be at that level he wanted to get to was not materializing. In the late stages of the 1990s, the Lakers despite playing well in the regular season, were unable to have that same success in the postseason as they lost in the Western Conference Semifinals three times (1996, 1997, 1999) and in the Western Conference Finals in 1998. After their loss to the eventual NBA champion San Antonio Spurs in 1999, the lockout shortened season, the Lakers in the off season, hired Jackson to be their head coach.

 

In year one under his guidance the Los Angles Lakers won 67 games. They defeated the Sacramento Kings, Phoenix Suns and the Portland Trail Blazers in their march to the NBA Finals where they defeated the Eastern Conference champion Indiana Pacers in six games to win the franchises first NBA title since 1988.

 

They would follow that up with two more titles in 2001 where they defeated the Philadelphia 76ers and in five and swept the New Jersey Nets in four games to capture their third consecutive NBA crown.

 

In the years that followed though, things got very rough for the Lakers as they lost to the eventual NBA Champion Spurs in the Conference Semis that ended their championship reign in 2003. In 2004, the Lakers made it back to Finals, but lost in five games to the Detroit Pistons.

 

Three days after that setback, the Lakers relieved Jackson as head coach, which many thought was done by the wish of Bryant. That same off season the Lakers traded the other centerpiece to their three straight titles Shaquille O’Neal to the Miami Heat for Lamar Odom, Brian Grant and Caron Butler.

 

That fall, Jackson came out with his fifth book titled “The Last Season,” which was an intimate look at the 2003-04 L.A. Lakers. The book was very critical of Bryant, who Jackson called him in the book “uncoachable.”

 

Without Jackson and O’Neal, Bryant was out there by himself to lead the defending Western Conference champions of the past season and the team won just 34 games and failed to make the playoffs. The last time that happened was in 1993-94.

 

One year later, Jackson was re-hired by the Lakers and they made the playoffs as the seventh seed in the West. They faced the second seeded Phoenix Suns in the quarterfinals.

 

In Game 4 of that series Bryant hit a game-winning jumper in overtime that gave Los Angles a 99-98 victory that gave them a 3-1 series lead. The Suns rallied to win the final three games of the series and beat the Lakers in seven games to move on the Semis.

 

The next season the Lakers made the playoffs again as the 7^th Seed and again they faced the Suns in the first-round. This time the Suns handled the Lakers very easily as they defeated them in five games.  

 

In that off season, it was reported that Bryant was unhappy with the Lakers as a team and that he wanted to be moved because he felt he could not take the team that he was a part of.

 

The team did not move their star player and face of the franchise and as a result the team came together that season, particularly when the made a trade in the middle of that season that brought Pau Gasol from the Memphis Grizzles for Kwame Brown, Javaris Crittenton and the draft rights to Pau’s brother Marc Gasol. 

 

In 2007-08, the team went 57-25 finishing with the best record in the West and won the Pacific Division.

 

In the postseason they swept the Denver Nuggets in the quarterfinals in four games. In the Semis, they defeated the Utah Jazz in six games and in the Conference Finals they defeated the defending NBA Champion San Antonio Spurs in five. The team though lost in the Finals to their arch rivals the Boston Celtics in six games.

 

The next year the Lakers went 65-17 again winning the West and the Pacific Division. In the quarterfinals, they defeated the Jazz in five. In the Semis, they defeated the gritty Houston Rockets in seven games. In the Conference finals, they defeated the Nuggets in six. In the Finals, they defeated the Eastern Conference Champion Orlando Magic 4-1 to capture their 15^th NBA crown. Bryant captured his fourth ring and his first without O’Neal by his side and Jackson won his 10^th title as a head coach, passing the legend of the NBA sidelines, the late Arnold Jacob “Red” Auerbach.

 

“It’s a tribute to me to be able to say I played versus Kobe Bryant and played versus Phil Jackson teams,” said NBA TV analyst and former 76ers guard Eric Snow.

 

“Yes we are witnessing history. I think these two guys are going to go down as Phil Jackson arguably the best coach and Kobe Bryant one of the best players to ever play the game.”

 

What has made Bryant and Jackson so special when you really take a real good look at it is their inner drive to succeed. Their endless pursuit of perfection; the laser sharp focus on the task at hand and maybe more than anything else is the fact that they could not be where they are without the other.

 

Jackson was able to accomplish the number of wins because he had great players like Michael Jordan and Scottie Pippen in his days in Chicago. He also had great role players like B.J. Armstrong, Bill Cartwright, John Paxson, who hit many a big shot in the Bulls first three-peat from 1991-93 when they beat the Lakers, Portland  Trail Blazers and Suns, Cliff Levingston, Scott Williams, Horace Grant just to name a few. In the second three-peat in 1996, 1997 and 1998 titles over the Sonics and the Jazz twice he still had Jordan and Pippen, but he had to compliment them, Toni Kukoc, Ron Harper, Luc Longley, John Salley, Brian Williams, Scott Burrell, Steve Kerr, Dennis Rodman, Jud Buechler, Randy Brown and Bill Wennington.

 

In Los Angles to go alongside O’Neal and Bryant in their three-peat in 2000, 2001 and 2002 over the Indian Pacers, Philadelphia 76ers and the New Jersey Nets, Jackson had role players like Harper, Salley, Grant, Derek Fisher, Devean George, Robert Horry, Rick Fox, A.C. Green, Tyronn Lue, Glen Rice, current assistant coach Brian Shaw, Mark Madsen, Lindsey Hunter, Samaki Walker and Mitch Richmond.

 

Along with the great players, Jackson had the two most important things every great coach needs in order to succeed at capturing the title. A great coaching staff in the likes of Tex Winter, who help to create the now well known Triangle Offense that has been a staple of the Bulls and Lakers, Jim Cleamons, Johnny Bach and Frank Hamblen to name a few.

 

“I think that’s the one thing all great coaches know how to do,” said former Laker great and current Fox Sports West NBA analyst Norm Nixon.

 

“Manage the personalities on the team. Allowing the great players to be great and allow players to play.”

 

For Bryant like all the great players Jackson has coached, he was able to become great by his evolution of becoming a leader who could got out on the court and perform as a leader and eventually though work on his own became someone his teammates around him can trust. He like Jordan showed that trust particularly in big moments.

 

For both Jackson and Bryant, they reached the top of the Lakers record books through hard work, relentless determination and most important of all, overcoming obstacles and staying in the moment.

 

As a result, they both this season are hungry to win another title as they continue to write their own stories in the Lakers history book.

 

Statistics, names, references and quotes are courtesy of www.espn.go.com; Feb. 2^nd, 2 a.m. and 5 a.m. edition of NBA TV’s NBA Gametime. en.wikipedia.org and www.basketball-reference.com.

In just 24 hours from now we will have Super Bowl XLIV between the New Orleans Saints versus the Indianapolis Colts features two of the top seven scoring teams in the National Football League (NFL) in 2009. We have a match-up between the two top scoring offenses. Two teams with prolific signal callers. Two head coaches who have earned their stripes to be at the pinnacle of greatness. We also have two teams trying to achieve more than just winning a championship for just themselves.

 

At the start of this season the Indianapolis Colts were very different from the previous six seasons. They had a new side line general in former quarterbacks coach Jim Caldwell, who replaced Tony Dungy who retired after the 2008 season, that saw the Colts lose in the American Football Conference (AFC) Wild Card round at San Diego Chargers 23-17 in overtime.

 

Quarterback Peyton Manning’s go to receiver that he had when he came into the league 12 seasons ago Marvin Harrison was released in the off-season. While he still had all-world tight end Dallas Clark and wide receiver Reggie Wayne, they had three new receivers who now had to play a major role in the offense in rookie wide receiver out of BYU Austin Collie, sophomore receiver Pierre Garcon and third year wide receiver Anthony Gonzalez.

 

Things looked very shaky for the team at the beginning of this season when Gonzalez was lost after a Week 1 14-12 victory over the Jacksonville Jaguars with a he sustained in the first quarter. The question now was how the team was going to respond without a guy who has a grasp of a very complicated offense.

 

In Week 2, the Colts answered that question with a profound just fine as they compiled 356 yards of total offense 295 through the air. Clark had 183 of those yards, including an 80-yard touchdown pass from Manning to make the score 7-0.

 

In a game in which the Dolphins held the ball for 45:07 of the 60 minutes and lead 23-20 in the fourth quarter, Manning and the Colts capped a 4-play 80-yard drive with a 48-yard touchdown strike to Garcon. That was his only catch of the contest.

 

From that point forward, the Colts hit their stride and rolled up 12 more consecutive wins to go to 14-0 by Week 16. In their match-up with the New York Jets in the next to last week of the regular season, the Colts decided to rest some of their starters in the second half of that game and their lead went from 15-10 to a 29-15 defeat that not only ended the Colts quest for a perfect season, but it put an end to an NFL record 23 consecutive wins in the regular season. The team then lost its last game of the regular season at the Buffalo Bills 30-7 as the starters once again played very little.

 

The Colts finished the regular season tying a franchise record with 14 victories going 14-2 in the regular season. They won the AFC South division for the six times in seven seasons.

 

Manning, in winning his 4^th Most Valuable Player award of his career, threw for 4,000 yards for the 10^th time in his 12-year career with 4,500, 33 touchdowns and just 16 interceptions with a career best completion percentage of 68.8.

 

Wayne and Clark each had 100 receptions and had 1,264 and 1,106 receiving yards respectably in 2009 and each had 10 touchdown receptions. The new receivers Collie and Garcon had 47 and 60 catches respectably. Collie had 676 receiving yards and seven scores while Garcon had 765 receiving yards and four scores. While four-year running back Joseph Addai had a less than stellar season running the football, he still finished the season with 828 rushing yards and 10 rushing touchdowns, while also scoring three receiving touchdowns.

 

Defensively, the Colts finished 8^th in scoring defense by surrendering just 19.2 points per game. Defensive ends Dwight Freeney (13.5) and Robert Mathis (9.5) had 20 of the teams 34 sacks. That is not bad for a team that lost a number of stalwarts on the defensive side of the ball this season in safety Bob Sanders, linebacker Tyjuan Hagler and cornerback Marlon Jackson.

 

In the playoffs, the Colts defeated the Baltimore Ravens in the Divisional round of the AFC playoffs 20-3. After a 234 rushing performance in 52 attempts in their 33-14 win at the New England Patriots in the Wild Card round the week before, the Colts defense held the Ravens to just 87 yards on ground. Sophomore running back Ray Rice who had 159 rushing yards and two scores a week ago was held to just 67 yards on the ground. The Ravens turned the ball over four times after forcing that man against the Pats the week prior. Ravens signal caller Joe Flacco who was a modest 4 for 10 for 34 yards a week ago went 20 for 35 for 189 and had two interceptions. Manning in comparison was 30 for 44 for 246 yards, two touchdowns and just one interception.   

 

The Colts won this game with two touchdown drives in the second period. The first one came on a 14-play 75-yard march from their own 25-yard line that made the score 10-3. The second score came on an 8-play 64-yard drive from their own 36-yard line that made the score 17-3.

 

In the AFC Championship Game versus the Jets, things did not start well for Colts. After holding the Jets in check for the first quarter, they hit their mark with two scoring drives that ended in end zone finished. The first came on an 80-yard strike from rookie QB Mark Sanchez to wideout Braylon Edwards that made the score 7-3. After the Colts added another field goal from place kicker Matt Stover, the Jets scored again on a 9-yard touchdown to tight end Dustin Keller capping a seven-play 77-yard drive that made the score 14-6.

 

Trailing 17-6 in the late stages of the second quarter and having been sacked twice already, Manning went to work against Rex Ryan and his Jets No. 1 ranked defense and put together a 4-play 80-yard drive from their own 20-yard line that ended in a 16-yard touchdown pass to Collie that cut the lead to 17-13 at intermission.

 

In the second half, the Colts offense engineered two touchdown drives and one that ended in a field goal in that ended the Jets chances and gave them a 30-17 victory to win their second AFC crown in the last four seasons.

 

Manning went 26-39 for 377 yards and three touchdowns with no interceptions and Manning became the first player in NFL history to have seven games of 300 passing yards or more in the postseason, which broke a tie between recently retired Arizona Cardinals quarterback Kurt Warner and Hall of Fame signal caller of the San Francisco 49ers Joe Montana.

 

Collie and Garcon, who were both questions marks at the start of this season, had the games of their lives. Garcon, a native of Haiti, had a career day with 11 receptions for 151 yards and a touchdown. Collie had seven catches for 123 yards and a score.

 

With the Colts victory, Caldwell became the fifth rookie head coach to reach Super Sunday. He will try to join former 49ers head coach George Seifert and former Baltimore Colts head man Don McCafferty as head coaches who have won it all in their first season as a the lead man on the professional gridiron sideline.

 

For the New Orleans Saints, their run to their first appearance on Super Sunday in franchise history started back in 2006.

 

Back in 2005, the Saints and the city of New Orleans dealt with the most destructive natural disaster known in United States history as Hurricane Katrina severely damaged the city. At one point the Superdome which is home to the team of the “Who Dat” nation was a refuge for thousands that survived the disaster.

 

It was no help to the team either as they were displaced to both Baton Rouge, LA and San Antonio, TX for that season. It resulted in a 3-13 year for the Saints who essentially played all 16 of their games on the road. It ended with a 27-13 defeat at the NFC South division champion Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

 

In the off season, the team fired then head coach Jim Haslett and hired former Dallas Cowboys offensive coordinator Sean Payton. They also signed a brand new signal caller in former San Diego Charger Drew Brees. In the draft, they selected all world running back out of the University of Southern California and Heisman Trophy winner Reggie Bush and in the 7^th round they selected Hofstra product in wide receiver Marcus Colston.

 

They began 2006 a new in winning at the Cleveland Browns 19-14 in Week 1 and followed that up with a 34-27 win at the Green Bay Packers in Week 2.

 

Their home opener versus the Atlanta Falcons in Week 3 was one for the ages as the Superdome, which once was a symbol of the devastation and the displacement of many New Orleans and Gulf Coast residents was the site of how the city was on the way back and the football team did not disappoint.

 

The onslaught began when the Saints held the Falcons to a three-and-out on their first possession and Special Teams ace Steve Gleason block the punt of Michael Koenen and was picked up in the end zone by Curtis Deloatch that gave the Falcons a 7-0 lead and they never looked back. The Falcons could only manage a field goal as the Saints were victorious 23-3.

 

The team would go 10-6 that season winning the NFC South division and the No. 2 seed in the NFC, which earned them a first round by. Brees earned his second trip to the Pro Bowl with a stellar season of 4,418 passing yards, 26 TDs and just 11 Ints and a passer rating of 96.2. Bush in his rookie season gained 1,307 total yards in rushing and receiving and scored eight touchdowns. Colston in 12 games played in 2006 had 70 receptions for 1,038 yards and eight touchdowns.

 

In the postseason the Saints hosted the Philadelphia Eagles in the Divisional Playoff round and they defeated them as they did in Week 6 back by the same score of 27-24 to advance to the franchises first NFC Championship Game.

 

Brees was magnificent going 20 for 32 for 243 yards and a touchdown. Running back Deuce McAllister rushed for 143 yards and scored a touchdown. The Saints out gained the Eagles on the ground 208 to 123 and in total yards 435 to 355.    

 

In the NFC title game at the Chicago Bears the Saints did not get off to the grandest of starts as four of their first five scoring drives ended in punts and their third drive ended in a fumble. The No.1 Seeded Bears converted four of their six scoring drives into three field goals and a touchdown to take a 16-0 lead.

 

The Saints got back into the contest when they converted an 8-play 73-yard drive from their own 27-yard line into a 13-yard touchdown by Colston that cut the deficit to 16-7.

 

On the second play of the Saints opening drive of the second half, Bush took an 88-yard pass to the end zone that cut the deficit to 16-14. That is as close as the Saints would get as the Bears scored 35 unanswered points to capture the NFC crown 39-14 earning a trip to Super Bowl XLI.

 

While the Bears were unable to contain Brees as he went 27 for 49 for 354 yards and two scores, they out gained the Saints on the ground 196 to 56 and they forced four Saints turnovers.

 

The next two seasons were setbacks for the New Orleans Saints as they finished 2007 with a 7-9 record finishing 3^rd in the NFC South. They followed that up with an 8-8 record in 2008.

 

A big reason why the Saints had a serious drop off in wins since 2006 is because of a defense that surrendered an average of 24.2 (25^th in the NFL) and 24.6 points per contest (26^th in the league) in 2007 and 208 respectably.  That wasted two very strong seasons by Brees who followed he 2006 season with 4,423 passing yards 28 touchdowns compared to 18 interceptions in 2007. In 2008 he threw for the second most passing yards in NFL history with 5,069 with 34 touchdowns compared to 17 interceptions.

 

This past off season, the Saints looked to fix their problems on the defensive side of the ball the Saints signed Gregg Williams to be their new defensive coordinator. In free agency they signed veteran safety Darren Sharper, defensive end Paul Spicer and safety Pireson Prioleau. In the draft, they selected in the 1^st round with the 14^th overall pick defensive back Malcolm Jenkins out of Ohio State.

 

While the defense was still ranked 20^th in scoring defense giving up 21.3 points per game, they were in the middle of the pack in sacks with 35. Defensive end Will Smith had 13 of those sacks. The Saints ranked 3^rd in the NFL in interceptions with 26, with Sharper ranking first in the NFL with nine picks and three of them he took  back for touchdowns. 

 

The improved defense along with their top ranked offense that averaged 31.9 points per game, the Saints got off to their best start in franchise history winning their first eight contests. Their 26-23 victory at the Falcons brought their record to 13-0 which set a record for an NFC team going that late into the season without a setback since the AFL-NFL merger. That eclipsed the mark held by the 1985 Super Bowl champion Chicago Bears.

 

The team would face a bump in the road to close the season when they proceeded to lose their final three games of the season to the Cowboys in Week 15 at home 24-17; in Week 16 at home to the cellar dweller Buccaneers in overtime 20-17 and at the Carolina Panthers in Week 17 23-10.

 

The team would finish the season 13-3, setting the franchise record for victories. Brees was sensational again with 4,388 passing yards, 34 touchdowns and just 11 interceptions.

 

The question now was how would a team that finished with the No. 1 seed in the NFC bounce back after a rough conclusion to a season that began so well.

 

In the Divisional Playoff Game versus the Arizona Cardinals, the team got back to their old selves. After giving up a 70-yard touchdown run to running back Tim Hightower, the Saints defense held the Cardinals who scored 51 points in their Wild Card game versus the Green Bay Packers a week ago, only managed just seven points the rest of the way in a 45-14 victory.

 

Brees was magnificent in going 23 for 32 for 247 yards and three touchdowns. Bush was very good himself with 84 yards rushing and a touchdown while also running back a punt 83 yards for a touchdown.

 

The Saints defense in holding Arizona to just seven points in the final three quarters forced two turnovers and held the Saints to 1-8 on third down conversions. Cards QB Kurt Warner who was stellar a week ago with five touchdown passes and just four incomplete passes was just 17 for 26 for 205 and an interceptions.

 

The defense came up even larger in the NFC Championship Game versus the Minnesota Vikings. While they surrendered 310 yards of total offense, 165 of which came on the ground and surrendering 28 points, they forced five turnovers.

 

Brees while gaining just 197 yards passing on 17 for 31 did throw three touchdowns.

 

In a back and fourth game that went to overtime, the Saints managed put themselves in a position to win the game when the took the lone possession of the extra stanza 10 plays gaining 39 yards, it set up second-year place kicker Garret Hartley who banged in a 40-yard field goal that gave the Saints a 31-28 win over the Vikings and a the team’s first NFC crown in franchise history.

 

For both of these teams, they have taken different roads to get to Super Sunday. In just 24 hours, one of these teams will have their dream become reality on Sunday.

 

If the Colts win, it will be their second title in the last four seasons. Peyton Manning will have won his second Super Bowl to go along with his four MVP trophies. Coach Caldwell will become the third African American head coach in NFL history to lead his team to a Super Bowl joining his former boss Tony Dungy and Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin.

 

If the Saints are victorious on Super Sunday, it will be the team’s first title, but more than anything, it also be an end to a journey that has taken 43 long and sometimes very difficult years for the organization and the fans who have supported the team through a lot of trying times.

 

Information and statistics are courtesy of www.espn.go.com, en.wikipedia.org, www.nfl.com and www.pro-football-reference.com

From the first moment he got his chance to make a name for himself in the NFL, quarterback Kurt Warner made every moment count. He played well in big moments on the field and was even more of an impressive pro off the field. He was respected by his teammates as well as the organizations and fans he played for each Sunday. Last Friday in Tempe, AZ, the great signal caller closed this great chapter of his life.

 

On Friday, Warner announced his retirement from the NFL after a 12-year career in which he played for the St. Louis Rams (1998-2003), the New York Giants (2004) and the Arizona Cardinals (2005-2009).

 

He amassed incredible statistics in his career that should land him in the Hall Fame. He threw for 32, 344 yards, 208 touchdowns compared to 128 interceptions. His 1,156 passing yards in three Super Bowl appearances is the best in NFL history and those three games individually are the three highest passing yardage games in NFL history. The other four QBs he is ahead of are  three current and multiple Super Bowl winners Hall of Famers Joe Montana, John Elway, Terry Bradshaw and current New England Patriots signal caller Tom Brady Warner’s 93.7 passer rating is the 3^rd best of all-time. He is the 2^nd quarterback in NFL history to throw 100 or more touchdowns for two different teams, the other is Hall of Famer Fran Tarkenton who did it with the Minnesota Vikings and the Giants. He won two Most Valuable Player Awards (1999 & 2001) and was named Super Bowl MVP in Super Bowl XXXIV. He recorded 58 300-yard passing games and five games of 400 yards through the air. In the postseason he had a 9-4 record.

 

“Twelve of the best years of my life, but I want everybody to know that I’m excited about the next 12,” Warner said to reporters last Friday.

 

“I’m excited about spending more time with my family and seeing what God’s going to do next. I’m leaving at the right time at the right time and because I know that, it’s easy for me to walk away and say, ‘hey that is what it is. A great chapter; a great period in my life that I will never forget and its meant so much to me, but I don’t worry one bit about looking back and wishing that I played longer. I think it’s the perfect time and I’m ready.’ ”

 

To fully understand the greatness of Warner, you first have to learn where he began his football journey.

 

After he graduated from Regis High School in Cedar Rapids, IA, the Burlington, IA went onto the University of Northern Iowa where he was third on the quarterback depth chart until his senior year in 1993 where he threw for 2,747 yards and 17 TDs in leading the Panthers to an 8-4 record and a birth in the Division I-AA Playoffs. He was named the Gateway Conference Offensive Player of the Year.

 

Despite his great senior season, he was not selected by any NFL team in the 1994 NFL Draft. He did receive an invitation to try out for the Green Bay Packers in training camp of that year. He competed for a spot on the team against signal caller Brett Farve, Mark Brunell and former Heisman Trophy winner Ty Detmer. Warner was released from the Packers before the start of that season.

 

With no NFL future in site, Warner returned to Cedar Rapids and worked the night shift as a shelf stocker at the Hy-Vee grocery store for $5.50 an hour, while also working as a graduate assistant coach for the Northern Iowa football team.

 

The next year turned to the Arena Football League (AFL) and signed with the Iowa Barnstormers. In his three seasons with the team, Warner was named to the AFL’s First-team All-Arena in 1996 and 1997 and led them to three consecutive Arena Bowl appearances. On top of that he was named 12^th on the AFL’s 20 best Arena Football players of all-time.

 

His impressive performance earned Warner a tryout in 1997 with the Chicago Bears, but an injury to his throwing elbow from a spider bite sustained on his honeymoon with his wife the former Brenda Carney Meoni derailed his chances.

 

In 1998, Warner final broke through into the NFL and was signed by the St. Louis Rams in 1998. He was assigned to the NFL Europe’s Amsterdam Admirals that year and led the league in passing yards and touchdowns.

 

The next year, Warner was promoted to back-up quarterback as the Rams signed Trent Green to be the team’s starter. On Aug. 28, 1999, the Rams whole outlook on the season changed as Green tore his ACL.

 

It was then that Warner was named the starter and then skepticism followed as the Rams were seen by many to be the bottom feeders of the NFL as they had been throughout the 1990s.

 

In a press conference prior to the start of the season, then head coach Dick Vermeil said to reporters, “We will rally around Kurt Warner and we’ll play good football.”

 

That is exactly what happened for the St. Louis Rams as Warner in his first NFL start versus the Baltimore Ravens threw for 309 yards and three scores as they won 27-10.

 

Warner became the first QB in NFL history to throw a touchdown pass in his first three starts.

 

He proved the league that he and the Rams were the real deal in the team’s fourth contest as they hosted the Kings of the NFC West the San Francisco 49ers, who won the division 12 of the past 13 years as well as beating the Rams in 17 of the previous 18 meetings. The Rams showed on that day they were not the same team of the past as Warner threw four first half touchdowns in leading the Rams to a 28-10 halftime lead. He would finish with five scoring throws and the Rams won 42-20. Threw four games, Warner threw 14 TDs and the Rams were undefeated at 4-0.

 

The team would finish the season 13-3, winning the NFC West as well as capturing home-field advantage in the NFC. Warner finished the season with 4,353 passing yards, 41 TDs and a 65.1 completion percentage. The Rams high-powered offense led by Warner and skilled players like all-world running back Marshal Faulk and wide receivers Torry Holt, Isaac Bruce, Ricky Prohel and Az-Zahir Hakim, the Rams offense was nicknamed, “The Greatest Show on Turf.”

 

In his first start in the postseason on Jan. 16, 2000, Warner and the Rams high octane offense kept the pedal to the metal as they defeated the Minnesota Vikings 49-37. Warner threw for 391 yards, five touchdowns and completed 82 percent of his passes.

 

In the NFC Championship game, the offense struggled for most of the game against a very stingy Tampa Bay Buccaneers defense. The Rams offense only managed a field goal by place kicker Jeff Wilkins and a safety through the first three quarters trailing 6-5. With 4:44 remaining in the game, Warner threw a 30-yard TD to Proehl that gave the Rams an 11-6 led and that they would never relinquish as they won the NFC over the Bucs by that score.

 

In Super Bowl XXXIV, Warner and the Rams hung with the AFC Champion Tennessee Titans for most of the game. Warner as he had all season managed to come up with a big play. In the fourth quarter, he threw a strike to Issac Bruce that he took to the end zone 73 yards to give the Rams a 23-16 lead. A goal-line stand by the Rams in the closing moments gave them the victory 23-16. Warner earned MVP honors with 414 passing yards, two touchdowns. He became the six player in NFL history to win the Super Bowl MVP and Regular Season MVP joining Hall of Famers Bart Starr, Bradshaw, Montana, Emmitt Smith and Steve Young.

 

The start to the 2000 season was no different as Warner continued his fine play with 300 plus passing yards in the first six contest, which tied Hall of Famer Steve Young and throwing 19 scores in that stretch. They would increase their record to 6-0.

 

The team unlike a year ago faced some adversity as Warner injured his hand and missed some time. The team despite strong play from back up Trent Green went 4-6 in the final 10 games to finish the season 10-6. What contributed to the Rams up and down play in the final weeks was a poor defensive unit and that Warner interception rate went from 2.6 percent (13 Ints) in 1999 to 5.2 percent in 2000 (18 Ints). The result the Rams lost to the New Orleans Saints in the Wild Card round of the 2000 NFL Playoffs 31-28.

 

As a result, the team traded Green to the Kansas City Chiefs in the off-season and nine of the 11 defensive starters for the Rams were let go and current Chicago Bears head coach Lovie Smith was hired as the Rams defensive coordinator.

 

The result, the Rams were back to their winning ways as the team go off to its 3^rd straight 6-0 start in 2001. Warner amassed 36 touchdowns, completed 68.7 percent of his passes, but he did throw 22 interceptions. His great season earned him his second MVP award and the team clinched home-field advantage in the NFC and had the best record in the NFL with a 14-2 mark.

 

In the playoffs, they defeated the Green Bay Packers 45-17 in the Divisional round and then defeated the Philadelphia Eagles 29-24 in the NFC Championship Game to earn their second NFC crown in three seasons.

 

In Super Bowl XXXVI in New Orleans against the New England Patriots Warner threw for 365 yards, which at the time was the second-highest in Super Bowl history. Unfortunately, the Rams were unable to turn that yardage into points as the Pats defense stymied the Rams offense for the first three quarters.

 

St. Louis was able to get back into it thanks to a 1-yard touchdown by Warner and a 26-yard strike to Proehl that tied the game at 17 all. New England after that score marched down the field and place kicker Adam Vinatieri knocked in the game-winning field goal as time expired and the Pats won 20-17 to win their first of three Super Bowls.

 

The team would never be the same and neither would their great signal caller. Over the next two seasons Warner would go from a Super Bowl champion and the toast of the town to an often injured and unproductive leader of the Rams offense. The culmination of his demise came in the 2003 season opener when Warner fumbled the ball six times in the Rams 23-13 loss at the Giants. He would be replaced by current Rams quarterback Marc Bulger, who would lead the team to 12 wins in their final 15 games. The team finished atop the NFC West with their 12-4 record, but lost in the Divisional round to the NFC Champion Carolina Panthers in double overtime 29-23.

 

In the off season, the Rams released Warner and he was signed a two-year deal with the Giants on June 1, 2004.

 

He began the season very well in leading “Big Blue” to five victories in their first seven outings in 2004. Following a two-game slide to the Bears and the Cardinals, Warner was replaced by his understudy rookie Eli Manning. The team went 5-4 under Warner (6TDs, 4 Ints) but finished 1-6 with Manning under center as the team and went 6-10 in 2004.

 

In the early part of 2005, Warner signed with the Arizona Cardinals and almost immediately was named the starter under then head coach Dennis Green. While he showed flashes of brilliance that made him special in St. Louis, he did have his struggles. Throughout his first two seasons with the Cards, he would battle with young QBs like Josh McCown and Matt Leinart to be the starter.

 

Things came together for Warner in 2007 under new head coach Ken Whisenhunt. He threw 27 touchdowns in 14 games, one shy of the Cardinals all-time record and the team finished 8-8 that season.

 

The next season, Warner was even better throwing a team-record 30 touchdowns and just 14 picks, completed 67.1 percent of his passes and had a 96.9 quarterback rating. The team finished the season just 9-7, but won the NFC West for the first time since 1975 and earned their first playoff birth since 1998, the year they defeated the Dallas Cowboys in Dallas in the Wild Card round 20-7 on Jan 2, 1999.

 

In the post-season, they defeated the Atlanta Falcons at home in the Wild Card round 30-24 on Jan. 3, 2009. Warner went 19 for 32 for 271 and two touchdowns

 

The next week the Cards defeated the NFC South winner Carolina Panthers and won 33-13 in the Divisional round. Warner was 22 for 32 for 220 yards and two scores. The win not only avenged a 27-23 setback in Week 8 at the same venue, it also represented the Cards first victory on the East Coast in 2008. 

 

On Jan. 18, 2009, the Cardinals hosted their first NFC Championship Game at home as they played against the Philadelphia Eagles. Behind a 279-yard passing four touchdown performance by the veteran signal caller, the Arizona Cardinals did the unthinkable and defeated the Eagles 32-25 to earn a trip to their first Super Bowl.

 

In Super Bowl XLIII versus the Pittsburgh Steelers, Cardinals started the game very flat as they trailed 10-0 in the early going. The team got on track late in the second period as Warner threw a 45-yard strike to Anquan Boldin to the Steelers’ 1-yard line. He would then throw a touchdown strike to tight end Ben Patrick to cut the lead to 10-7. In the closing moments of the 1^st half Warner led the Cards down the field on an eight play 87-yard drive, but the drive was killed by a interception by linebacker James Harrison who took the pick back for a 100-yard touchdown, which became the longest play in Super Bowl history and gave the Steelers a 17-7 lead at intermission.

 

After the Steelers tacked on a field goal by kicker Jeff Reed to make the count 20-7 in the third quarter, Warner and the Cardinals went to work in the fourth period with floating score from Warner to Larry Fitzgerald early in the fourth. They would later then get two points on a safety. Then on their own 36-yard line, Warner threw a strike down the middle to Fitzgerald that he took 63 yards to the end zone that gave Arizona a 23-20 lead on the Steelers with 2:37 remaining in the contest.

 

The Steelers though went 78 yards on eight plays that culminated in a 6-yard touchdown to Super Bowl MVP Santonio Holmes in the corner of the end zone that gave Pittsburgh the lead and eventually the victory 27-23.

 

In the contest, Warner went 31 for 43 for 377 yards and three touchdowns with just one pick. In the second half alone, he was 19 for 25 for 242 yards and two touchdowns.

 

After that many thought was this it for Warner because he was a free agent and he was looking for a solid deal that would pay him about $14 million per season. In the beginning of free agency, which started on Feb. 27, 2009 things did not look good for him coming back to Arizona as the he and the organization could not come to an agreement. He even talked to the Cards division rivals the 49ers, who offered him a contract that was worth more than what the Cards offered him at $20 million for two years. On Mar. 4, 2009, Warner did resign with Arizona a two-year deal worth $23 million total with $4 million for each of the next two and a $15 million signing bonus.

 

In 2009, Warner was as good as ever as he threw 26 touchdowns to just 14 interceptions and had a QB rating of 93.2 and completed 66.1 percent of his passes. The team won its second straight NFC West crown going 10-6.

 

In the postseason, he delivered one of the all-time great performances in postseason history with a 29 for 33 for 379 yards and 5 touchdowns in the Cards 51-45 overtime victory by the Cardinals in the Wild Card round versus the Green Bay Packers on Jan. 29. He also recorded the second highest quarterback rating in NFL postseason history with a 154.1 rating and became the second quarterback to throw five touchdowns in a playoff game twice and the first to do it since the merger of the NFL and AFL.

 

The next week, the Cards season ended at the hands of the eventual NFC representatives in the Super Bowl as the New Orleans Saints defeated Arizona in the Divisional round 45-14. Warner went just 17 for 26 for 205 and had an interception.

 

The story of Kurt Warner is a classic example of what it means to stick with it. There were many times he could have let his dream go and no one would have given a care if he did. By him sticking with it, he showed that dreams can come true.

 

He also showed that you gain respect from your teammates and your opponents when you go out there and make a name for yourself in the biggest of moments both on and off the field.

 

“He’s a phenomenal player, but I think people will remember him as being a better man than as a football player,” Vikings defensive end Jared Allen said last week at the Pro Bowl.

 

“He set such a good example for young quarterbacks not only on the football field as a QB, but as a person,” Texans signal caller Matt Schaub said at the Pro Bowl last week.

 

With all of great numbers there one that illustrates what Warner did in his career with the Cardinals and Rams. He is one of three QBs to win a playoff game for a team coming off nine or more losing seasons in succession. The other two signal callers to do that are current ESPN analyst Trent Dilfer and former Cardinal Jake Plummer. For someone to take two perennial cellar dwellers of the NFL and turn them into teams of relevance should more than guarantee that Warner is selected to be a Hall of Famer in five years.

 

“No doubt; No question about it,” Cards safety Antrell Rolle said at the Pro Bowl last week. “If he doesn’t go first ballot, I don’t know anything about second ballot for him First ballot.”

 

“He’ll get my vote any day,” said his Cards teammate Darnell Dockett last week at the Pro Bowl. “For him to come into an organization that was not winning, to turn around take a team like the Arizona Cardinals to the Super Bowl and turn around the next year, win a division, to win a game in the postseason. What do you say about that?”

 

Whether he reaches the Hall of Fame on his first year of eligibility, the career of Kurt Warner proved a number of things. Anything is possible when you hang in their; that when one door closes you find another one to open. More than anything, when you have faith in yourself and show what you can do, that is how people develop faith in you and respect what you do. You also respect someone that you had a chance to meet in person as I had a chance to do about six years ago when I saw him with his family in Toys “R” Us in New York City with his family.

 

I think the host of ESPN’s Sunday NFL Countdown Chris Berman, Chris Carter and Mike Ditka put it best last Sunday at the Pro Bowl.

 

“The game was better because he played in it,” said Ditka.

 

“I think it’s a legacy of anything is possible,” said Carter. “We all had dreams and aspirations of playing in the National Football League, but none of our stories don’t even stand up to Kurt Warner and his story. It’s a real legitimate story and I believe that the human being is better than the football player that we’ve seen.”

 

“The NFL will miss him as a person and off course as a quarterback,” said Berman.

 

Information, statistics and quotes are courtesy of 1/29/10 4 p.m. edition of ESPN’s NFL Live; Fox Sports Arizona; 1/31/10 5:30 p.m. edition of ESPN’s Sunday NFL Countdown; www.espn.go.com; en.wikipedia.org;